Samuel Same looks back on his visits to Kansas

Samuel Same took advantage of two, unofficial visits in December and January with Kansas. He watched the Jayhawks play Missouri and Kentucky in basketball while getting to learn more about the Jayhawks staff.

Same, who was a starter on the Derby basketball team, said he enjoyed the environment at Allen Fieldhouse. He got the same feeling after both visits.

“It felt good,” he said. “It was a familiar feeling since I had been up there earlier this year already, I think sometime in January. So yeah, it was good to get back up there and talk to the coaches, get more familiar with them.”

This visit had more detail and part of that was due to his familiarity of the program and his visit the month before.

“This game day visit was more information based as well,” he said. “We got to see a lot more of the facilities and this was the first time my mom actually got to tour more of the campus and what they have to offer with me. And so that was a good experience for both me and her, so she could see what it would be like if I chose KU to be my university to be at for the next four years.”

So, how did his mom like the visit?

“She was happy to see that they're so meticulous about what they offer to their players,” Same said. “We went through the nutrition center and what they do for their weight room and their meal plan and stuff like that. And the different technology they use to make sure that their players are performing at the best that they can. She was happy to see how invested that the coaches were in developing and maintaining their players, their bodies, and how they're handling the playing experience.”

Over the last couple months Same has been talking Taiwo Onatolu, who took over as the new defensive ends coach. Onatolu visited Derby High and met with Same on his visit.

“We got to do position meetings on the last visit, which is something that we haven't done at any of the other visits yet,” Same said. “We got to see some film breakdown and what he is looking for in some of our defensive ends and pressure types. We got to do film breakdown of that, and that was a good experience to learn more about the technicalities of KU football and what type of attributes he's looking for in the players that he's hoping to bring in.”

Same has built a good relationship with Onatolu since he was hired. He likes the approach he uses to develop players.

“We have a good relationship to this point,” Same said of Onatolu. “We talk frequently, and I feel like he's a great coach. He really cares about how players are developing. He's not just worried about how they are right now. He's worried about how he can make sure that he pulls the best out of every kid that he comes in contact with, so that's one of the main things that I could pull away from my time with him.”

Same was busy with basketball, so there was not a lot of time to take visits. He plans to visit Kansas State, Houston, and Minnesota in the future but does not have any firm dates set yet.