Seemingly Sampson James hasn’t yet lived up to 4-star, OSU flip hype, but for first time against UM, I thought he showed signs of what could be with some hard running. But Q: is his style more of a S. Scott like power runner vs game breaker? And if so, do we still need more of a break away type back as well to have more of a change of pace RB option too?
Thoughts on Sampson James?
- Thread starter IndyIUFan66
- Start date
I’d like to believe he can correct that and that he has the talent to thrive. But clearly he has t made the full adjustment from HS to college game yet. But wouldn’t Purdue Opportunity be a great way for him to breakout?
Ellis seems like more of a natural back there than James or Walker. Those two have been pretty pedestrian all year.
I'll be the first to admit that my football IQ is too low to see the game like a coach does. BUT, at least early in the year I recall a lot of James's touches to be on the more gimmicky jet sweep-type plays that habitually failed because the blocks weren't there.
Not good for a kid's confidence to be given touches in plays that weren't going to pan out. If he starts against PU, then he'll have a chance to play more standard plays and we'll get a chance to see what he can do.
Not good for a kid's confidence to be given touches in plays that weren't going to pan out. If he starts against PU, then he'll have a chance to play more standard plays and we'll get a chance to see what he can do.
I'm afraid that he was just over-rated.
If you look at his HS you tube videos, they weren't all that spectacular. And he averaged only 6 yards per carry as a SR. He didn't look to have a second gear, but he did break some tackles. So, I wasn't 100% sold on him being a breakout star coming in. On the other hand, he was rated #9 TB in the country by Rivals, and he had a hell of an offer list. What gave me further pause was Don Fisher comparing him to AT based on what he saw in practice. Not sure what that was about
Interesting at this point to go back and look at the preseason hype about the TB position. Look at a 6/28 article from Pete DiPrimio focusing on James who, remember, was an early enrollee, describing Walker as "hyper-talented" and the TB position as "The fiercest position competition the Hoosiers have had in perhaps, well, forever".
It would be interesting to know what Mike Hart really thinks about the position. You would think he has to be surprised and disappointed with James & Walker to date.
.
Last edited:
None of out running backs have shown to be a good second back when Stevie comes out of the game.
Many on this board was critical of me when I said before the season that I was worried about depth at the RB position. On paper we do have depth. Our returning players hadn't proved they could carry a heavier load. Our best hope was James as he had higher expectations and no past to compare.
The way it stands, a freshman coming in next year has a good chance to be the #2 as who we have returning. I give James the best chance of our returning players to be that guy. I have seen some signs of performance from him. Lloyd has had some good runs late in games. Walker could be a 3rd down back in the passing game.
We need a back that can break a long run with a good hole or get positive yards when there is nothing there. I don't feel we have established that and will need to have next year.
This makes a lot of sense from what a friend of mine had said about him and OSU. James has known all along that they were taking 2 RB’s in their class. The weekend he visited (against IU) another kid was on the visit. James was told he (Steele Chambers) was a LB but on his visit was getting a lot of love from their RB coach. That same coach hardly spoke to James on his visit. He at that point decided to flip to us. OSU didn’t recruit another RB and Chambers is a RB. So it seems he saw the writing on the wall.
As for James, give him time to develop. I wouldn’t call him overrated just yet. Bowl practice and spring ball will go a long way into his development.
He's a freshmen. I like his physical presence between the tackles. Not all freshmen learn at the same speed. He is a talent. What we haven't seen yet is his speed after he gets to the second level. That could be what stands out in the future.
Are you talking about a hypothetical TB coming in....because I don't think we have any committed? I did read a while back that we were looking at an OSU de-commit out of AZ...but haven't seen anything else there recently.
If Mike Hart had more confidence in Walker and James, I would have expected to have seen more two back sets with one of them and Scott on the field at the same time. not as our full Offense, but as a Change of Pace to show the Defense something different occasionally. One of the criticisms people have of Scott is that he isn't a breakaway runner, with another gear. Well, from what I have seen from Walker and James so far, neither of them has displayed that ability.
He hasn't made it to the second level yet, but I don't think he's all that speedy. That was not highlighted coming out of HS. The DiPrimio article I referred to above referred said his"chiseled physique resembles something a Michelangelo might have sculpted", so he apparently looks the part in person. To me, on the field, he looks a lot smaller than Scott. Scott is listed as 6'2" 233 lbs and James as 6'1" 220 lbs....but the physical differences look bigger than that.
A wise man once said "You can only run what you can block."
From what I recall, most of Walker and James's carries have been inside runs, something we've struggled to block most of the season...
I wouldn't give up on either of them... Neither has a body of work this year that showcases their true talent(s), in my opinion...
The key this Saturday for whoever gets the carries at RB is simple: they must hang onto the football (in "greased pigskin" weather and field conditions)...
//My guess is that Takeaways and Turnovers will most likely determine who gets the Bucket...//
I don't think he's got elite speed And he looks small. To me, Scott makes James look small. James makes Walker look small.
I was in a good spot to see his 64 yd PR TD (EIU, I think). He looked quick, but I wasn't blown away.
There was one play last year when he ran straight up the middle for for something like 25 yds.....that's the only play in 2 years that he was really impressive.
I don't know the numbers off the top of my head but last I heard they've had a good year numbers-wise particularly when it came to pass blocking...
That said, it appeared to me that we've struggled to run inside most of the season (which may be a misperception as I haven't reviewed every game tape and haven't read the plays run numbers)...
They are wasting Reese Taylor at CB. He doesn’t look like a defensive player. He needs to be a gadget player on offense.
What do I know but I want him to play safety a la Bob Sanders. Smallish but can read QB's. We are in need of a safety.
I thought we had been recruiting a couple and someone from New Palestine? It is an area I'm sure we are recruiting. A transfer and an injury would leave us pretty thin.
They're wanting the kid from New Pal to come as a PWO. There's quite a debate on the HSN site as to whether we should over him a full '.ship.
Interesting idea, but Sanders was an animal. Reece could be a ball hawk there, however. Probably better instincts than Burgess.
I think this is way off base. Excellent coverage in special teams and has not been “beat” on defense. He has turned into a good cover corner. Would like to see him and Mullen start together. I think INTs will come for both of them once we stop giving the QB the option to throw to a wide open guy that beat our other CB or safety...
Dude that is a horrible take. He's going to start at corner this week. We ****ing need him where he is.
I think that SJ is more of a power back than a breakaway runner. He will need more time to catch-up with the speed of the game to hit the hole quicker/harder. He just needs more confidence and get comfortable.
James looked better on that last drive versus Michigan than he has all year long. He looked pretty good and moved the chains. I also thought he ran very hard on that series.
Assuming he gets the start, he might pop off a 100+ yard game this Saturday versus Purdue. I'd almost rather see Indiana just play ball control and run it down Purdue's throat if that'll get the Bucket back to its natural home.
Assuming he gets the start, he might pop off a 100+ yard game this Saturday versus Purdue. I'd almost rather see Indiana just play ball control and run it down Purdue's throat if that'll get the Bucket back to its natural home.
Anybody doubting James ability are going to be sorely remembered. He's a true Frosh and he will continue to grow as a player. He needs to learn some patience, but he has heaps of talent. Can't wait to see him develop as a foil to Scott.
He had a bad injury his senior year in hs. He is faster than Scott too. I wouldn't over rate him any more than I would over rate Tuttle simply because they haven't been tested.
Yes...we need a change of pace type back to combine with our current backs who are more like power backs. Needs to be shifty and have a second gear. Would be a great addition to RB room.
James has not been effective because he is not a threat as a pass catcher. We run the ball when the defense has made personnel adjustments to defend the pass. James is not in the game on those plays due to his insufficiencies. Like Scott, I expect his game to expand with time. His physique alone is enough to be optimistic. Walker is the guy that should be criticized. He looks like the same player from freshman to sophomore year.
Max Preps shows his JR & SR year #s as:
JR......1782.......7.3......20 TDs
SR.....1043.......5.5.......7 TDs
So the obvious question is.....is he still feeling the effects of the injury his JR year?.....Because, he enrolled early, and you think he would have made more of an impact by now based on the preseason hype.
Walker's gone from 4.4 ypc to 3.1 ypc with fewer carries.....and take away his 61 yd TD pass against EIU and he's caught 8 passes for 27 yds this year. It's hard to believe he was the stud TB recruit of that class, not Scott.
Sampson James is one of those guys that needs carries. He would eventually wear a team down.
And so does Scott. What do you do next year if you think they are both capable of doing this? If you think they are both capable of this and you think you have an Offensive Line that can control the line of scrimmage, do you run a lot of two back Offense to get these guys 15-20 carries per game? Jettison the 4 and 5 Receiver Formations that move the Ball from side to side and run 2 back Power Football? I don't have an answer to this, but the Coaching Staff needs to choose the method that gives us the opportunity to win the greatest number of games throughout the Year.
Bucket game might be his breakout game!
Why the Hell not? Good team to do it against. Giving up 4.9 per rush attempt on the year. If Scott is really out, he'll be fired up, I would think.
