Oklahoma offer doesnt sway Sams

Daniel Sams of Slidell (La.) Salmen is one of the top athletes in the class of 2011 from the state of Louisiana. However, that's not how Sams wants to be thought of. Instead, he'd prefer to be considered one of the top quarterbacks in the region.

Sams - a Kansas State commitment - may well be one of the top quarterbacks in the southeast but that still hasn't stopped him from garnering interest as an athlete - most recently from Oklahoma. The Sooners recently offered the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder in a move that was a complete surprise to Sams.

"I was like wow, Oklahoma," Sams said of hearing the news. "I know they're a top school and they compete every year but as far as offense and coaching staff I don't really know much about them. I'd never associated with them. It was a surprise. I don't think I received a single piece of mail from them."

Though Sams hasn't talked to the staff at OU yet, his assumption is that they are interested in him as an athlete, not as a quarterback.

"I have a feeling they offered me as an athlete because the type of quarterback that I am, I don't see myself in an Oklahoma offense," he said.

That distinction between quarterback and athlete is no small matter for Sams. Though he has good size and tremendous athleticism, Sams also has a strong arm and a good feel for the quarterback position and he is adamant that quarterback is where he plays in college. In fact, Kansas State's confidence in him as a quarterback as well as its history at the position were the primary reasons for his early commitment there.

"At Kansas State it's the coaching staff, the history of the quarterbacks they play, everything, Coach Snyder, for him to come back out of retirement. It's more than just football," he said. "They really expressed QB and they didn't express the athlete thing. That really bothers me because I'm an athlete but I'm an athlete that throws and reads defenses. They didn't come at me with the athlete thing. They said you can be the next Ell Roberson and Michael Bishop and that's a huge honor to be in the category with those guys."

Despite his commitment to Kansas State, Sams has not seen a drop off in recruiting attention. Only a few days into spring practice, Sams has seen SMU, Southern Miss and Tulane all stop by to observe. Along with the Oklahoma offer, Sams is likely to see plenty more opportunities but he doesn't seem likely to budge on his Kansas State pledge.

"I'm pretty set on Kansas State," he said. "As far as communicating with other schools, I'll do that. I don't want to blow anybody off but I'm set on Kansas State."