Kansas prospect Samuel Same announced his commitment to Iowa State on Tuesday, bringing the 2023 recruiting class to 15 players.
The three-star edge rusher’s decision leaned on the culture of the program and the familiar feel he had when he visited Ames.
“What made me pick Iowa State was just the culture of the whole school and Ames in general,” Same said. “At my visit there, I felt like I was already a part of the Cyclone family. At the end of my visit, it was a place I wanted to go back to.”
Same chose to commit to Iowa State over Oregon State and boasted offers from the likes of Houston, Illinois, Kansas State, Kansas and Utah among others.
“After taking my visits, I wanted to compare and contrast different programs and different college areas,” Same said. “I knew Iowa State was the place I wanted to be.”
Maybe a bigger thing that drew the 6-foot-5, 215-pounder to Ames was the work ethic preached by coach Matt Campbell.
Same applies Campbell’s message of being the best version of yourself as much as he can going into his senior year of high school.
“I try to live that out every moment of every day. I try to put my 100 percent out there with every interaction I have as a person, every rep I take on the football field… that’s kind of just how I try to approach every aspect of my life, just being the best version of myself that I can be.”
As an edge rusher, Same is one of many that will have his eyes on Will McDonald during the fifth-year player’s final season as a Cyclone.
Going into the season, McDonald is being looked at as one of the single best defensive linemen in all of college football.
It’s unfair to put expectations like that on a player so far away from even beginning his college career, but Same has had those conversations with the coaching staff – they want him to help fill the role when McDonald leaves.
“Seeing that Will is a senior this year, my role will be trying to step in and help fill the role that he’ll leave behind,” Same said. “That’s been what my conversations have been like with the coaching staff and just talking about my development and being the best player I can be.”
Same was in attendance for Iowa State’s 30-7 victory over Texas in November and draws memories of the atmosphere in what was one of the most anticipated games of the season.
He’s all for the environment that Iowa State fans bring.
“The Texas game especially – but just being at Jack Trice on game days, in general, brings a great atmosphere,” Same said. “That was an electric stadium. They were extremely excited to watch their team and had energy from start to finish. It’s just a great place to be a part of.”
