Gone But Not Forgotten: Daniel Sams
By Max Nelson
How exactly do you let one of the most electric players in the Big 12 just walk away? This has bothered me since the news originally broke that Daniel Sams was leaving Kansas State.
Sams, who led the Big 12 in rushing (for quarterbacks) in 2013, should still be a Wildcat.
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There is no excuse for allowing a play-maker like Daniel Sams to leave your program to play in the FCS. There just isn’t. Especially if you have a team that lacks explosiveness like the Wildcats do.
When I look at the roster for this fall, I only see two really explosive players that could make a difference. Dalvin Warmack, who is an unproven freshman, and Tyler Lockett, who is a very proven senior.
Bill Snyder is a much smarter man than I am, I know that. That being said, he should have found a way to involve Daniel Sams in the offense. Not as a wide-receiver, not as a running-back (which is what Snyder wanted), not as a defensive-back, but as a QUARTERBACK.
Look, I understand the mechanics aren’t exactly NFL-grade. The footwork is unorthodox. Some passes that he should make, he didn’t. But this kid can flat out ball. There is just no way around it. I’m confused as to why the staff at K-State didn’t realize that.
Daniel Sams led the Kansas State Wildcats in rushing touchdowns with 11, and he didn’t even play close to 50% of the snaps last season. This team is worse without him, and that is undeniable.
Daniel Sams led the Kansas State Wildcats in rushing touchdowns with 11, and he didn’t even play close to 50% of the snaps last season. This team is worse without him, and that is undeniable.
Daniel Sams was Kansas State Football. He was an extremely hard-working player who just wanted what was best for the team, but there comes a point where you have to look out for yourself. Unfortunately, that meant leaving the program.
He is a quarterback; you can’t expect him to switch to wide-receiver and compete against kids who have been playing the position their entire life. It’s just silly. With how competitive the conference is, and college football in general, you simply cannot let players with that kind of raw ability walk away. You just can’t.
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I just wrote a story about how I frowned upon Leticia Romero leaving the women’s basketball program, but this is completely different. Snyder and the football staff were not at all willing to involve Sams the way he wanted to be involved, no, the way he should have been involved.
Right now, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. We have a prototypical quarterback in Jake Waters. Tyler Lockett has a good chance of being an All-American when it’s all said and done. Warmack might be the next Darren Sproles. Ryan Mueller is a sack machine. Etc, etc.
The team might be good this year. Heck the team might be really good.
I can’t help but think with Daniel Sams still on the squad, could they have been GREAT.