Sample raves about Cal visit
James Sample visited Cal last weekend with a bunch of Sacramento (Calif.) Grant teammates and the four-star safety was blown away by the environment. He loved the game-day atmosphere, the Cal defense and said the Golden Bears are definitely a team to watch on his list.
"It was fun down there," Sample said. "It was an exciting game, the best game I've been to all year.
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"The thing to me that was really exciting was the way Cal came out and played. Even though they don't have the best record in the league they came out like they wanted to win the game and played hard.
"The fans were all hyped and the defense was feeding off that energy. I just know they have a good team because nobody has held Oregon to 15 points all year. Then I saw what they could be if they got everything together. They could be great."
Cal is one of the favorites for Sample, who has already taken an official visit to Arizona State and has also been in close contact with Washington. He said Oregon has backed off in recent weeks but that Florida is showing more interest.
Florida assistant coach Brian White has been in contact and Sample said the Gators are telling him they're looking for a safety in this class. They have already offered Grant's four-star defensive tackle Viliami Moala and Sample hopes an offer for him comes soon.
"They just hit me up, coach White, and I'm supposed to call him," Sample said.
"That is real big to play for them. They said they're in need of a safety. It might be too far, I don't know. I want to talk it over with my dad because I don't know how he'd get down there to see me play."
Moala, a 6-foot-2, 326-pound prospect, has reportedly told Sample he'd like to visit Florida but only if Sample gets an offer. The distance might play a factor individually but together, Sample said, the Grant duo would consider visiting the Gators.
"He's waiting for them to offer me because if they offer me we'll go down to visit because he doesn't want to go down there by himself," Sample said.
Playing together in college has been discussed by Grant teammates Moala and Sample and three-star prospects Darryl Paulo and Puka Lopa. Oregon State and Cal are two schools showing interest in all four of them but Sample said he is nowhere close to making a decision yet.