Indiana freshman running back Sampson James met with the media for the first time since early January to provide an update on how his first semester of college has gone so far, including strides he's made in the weight room, the competition in the running back room and more.
Watch watch what he had to say in the embedded media player above, with a complete transcript of his comments available below.
A lot of talk of building this program up, and nothing sends a better message decommitting from a big-time program and deciding to come to Indiana. How big of a moment was that for you?
"It was a huge moment. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was real excited to join the program. Just me becoming a part of something special, I know we're building something really special here. I believe in the program, I believe in all the guys here, all the coaches, all the strength staff, everything we do here I believe in, so I'm just excited."
How would you describe your running style?
"I feel like I'm a complete back. I can block, I can catch out of the backfield, I can be a downhill runner if I want to, I can make somebody miss if I want to. I feel like I can do most of it all."
Out of all the coaches you were able to meet with, talk with, over your period of time to being recruited, what stood out about Coach Allen being part of the draw to come to Bloomington?
"Him just always being there and just staying with me. Even when I was committed to Ohio State, he was always there, he always let me know Indiana is a still place of home for me. Him just sticking with me throughout the whole process definitely meant a lot to me when I was making my decision."
Coming into a situation where last year Stevie Scott had a breakout season, how much help is that to have a back like that in front of you as you come in and learn the college game?
"It's a huge help. Stevie, he's a great guy, really hard runner. I've been learning a lot from him, a lot of different things, so I feel like we're going to push each other and it's going to be great."
What else did you get out of being here as an early enrollee and the workouts and stuff like that?
"Just being able to learn the plays was a huge thing. Learning the playbook, taking classes, so getting acclimated in that was a huge thing for me. By now, I'm good, I've been here for a whole semester. I feel pretty comfortable being here, but it definitely was an advantage to come in early."
Having some time now in this system, what excites you most about this offense?
"Just our versatility. I feel like we have a lot of weapons on the offensive side with every position group. The receivers, the offensive line, our quarterbacks, our running backs, you name it. The versatility, I feel like we can do a lot of different things."
Last year, did you watch the Hoosiers some, and if you did, were there times where you said, 'I could've helped here, or I could've helped here'?
"Yeah, I definitely did. Feel like I can bring some explosiveness to the offense, so I feel great about that."
A lot of competition in the running back room. How does that help you in preparing for the season?
"It definitely pushes you every day. You've got to bring it every single day, you've got to bring your A game. It's a lot of learning. We learn from each other, we all have different running styles so we can tip each other in a certain area. I feel like it's a great thing. Definitely pushes you to do your best every day."
Any running backs that you emulated growing up? Were you a Colts fan? Any Colts guys or other guys (you emulated)?
"I watched the Colts a little bit, but I was always an Adrian Peterson fan. I mean, that's my favorite running back. I watched him when he was at Oklahoma and definitely when he was on the Vikings. How he overcame that injury and that breakout season, that was huge. Definitely my favorite running back of all time."
What kind of physical strides have you been able in the weight room, from arriving here to now?
"When I first came here, I was 190 pounds. I am now 220 pounds, so I've put on 30 pounds of muscle. Being able to work with Dr. Rhea, our speed coach, he's definitely, definitely improved me as well. I feel great at my weight, I feel faster than I've ever been, so I feel like it's been very productive in the weight room. Credit to both Coach Ballou and his staff and Dr. Rhea. They have really developed me."
How do you feel like that's going to translate to your game?
"I think it's going to be a direct translation. A lot of the stuff we do in there translates directly to the field, and I feel it within the workouts, within practice and the different movements we do. It's a great situation."
Highly regarded guy, four-star guy, do you welcome those expectations? How do you view handling the expectations coming into the season?
"I mean, I don't tend to really worry about the expectations. I just look to get better in every aspect. I'm just trying to learn from other guys, pick up everything I can my freshman season and just play my hardest. Make sure the effort and everything is there. As far as all of that, I just tend to stay focused on what I need to do."
You've got guys like David Bell, Indianapolis products who are up at Purdue. Obviously that's a big rivalry. How much are you looking forward, that's a little bit later in the season, but to seeing that Indiana and Purdue battle be a really good one with some guys who you're really familiar with and played a lot of ball against in your high school career?
"I look forward to it. Feel like they've got a good program up there as well. I know some of those guys from high school, so it should be good. Like you said, it's later in the season, but I look forward to it."
What can you add to the running back room?
"Just versatility. Being able to do both being a downhill runner and agile as well is big for me. Adding both of (those) is important, and some more explosiveness to the offense. Being able to do more, being able to run routes out of the backfield, being able to line up out of the backfield and catch the ball and make plays. Different aspects, blocking, I feel like I can add."
What are some of the main messages Coach Hart has stressed with you?
"Since I've been here this semester, I've seen the way he coaches. Just staying humble, staying in the playbook, staying out of trouble. If you don't know something, make sure you ask. Don't be shy to ask any type of questions or anything like that. But he's always honest on every aspect, not even just football. Outside of football, we have a lot of life talks, just talk about different things in life. As far as football, just staying focused and playing your hardest, for sure."
Talking about your versatility, were you a guy that was comfortable catching the ball out of the backfield in high school and is that something you can bring here?
"Yeah, most definitely. We did a lot of similar stuff in high school, running routes out of the backfield, catching the ball, making plays, so I'm definitely familiar with doing that for sure. I can't wait. I'm excited for our offense this year."
Any predictions for this offense?
"I'm not trying to make any predictions, but I'm just excited, for real."
Any sacrifices you had to make enrolling early? Have to sacrifice going to prom?
"I didn't attend prom this spring, so it wasn't too bad. I wouldn't say there was any big sacrifices, I was looking forward to graduating early when I committed in the fall, so I was definitely looking forward to it and looking to get better. I wouldn't say there were any sacrifices like that."
----
• Talk about it inside The Hoops Forum or The Football Forum
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Follow us on Twitter: @IndianaRivals
• Like us on Facebook.
