Kenny Dillingham adding to his new Arizona State coaching staff

Rams running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples at training camp at University of California Irvine.
Rams running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples at training camp at University of California Irvine.
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Kenny Dillingham's coaching staff is nearly complete.

The energetic newcomer has reportedly added three more coaches to his staff with A.J. Cooper coming in as linebackers coach, Ra'Shaad Samples to work with wide receivers and oversee the passing game and Saga Tuitele pegged to head the offensive line.

Like Dillingham and many of his staff additions, Cooper has local ties. He hails from Phoenix. He comes from Washington State where he spent three years, the first as defensive run game coordinator while also working with the edge rushers. He took on additional duties as defensive line coach last season.

Cooper is the second coach to come over from Washington State, which was third in the Pac-12 in scoring defense and third in rushing defense this season. The other is Brian Ward, who served as defensive coordinator there and was appointed last week to serve in the same capacity under Dillingham.

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Cooper was the only holdover from the previous Washington State staff after Jake Dickert was appointed head coach after serving in interim capacity in 2021.

Before arriving at Washington State, Cooper spent six years coaching defensive ends at Wyoming and eight years coaching at North Dakota State, the latter being a school for which he played.

At Wyoming, Cooper's 2019 defense finished sixth in the country in red zone defense, No. 11 in the country in rush defense (107.1) and scoring defense (17.8), No. 40 in tackles-for-loss (83) and No. 43 in total defense.

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Samples comes to ASU after coaching for the Los Angeles Rams, where he worked as running backs coach. At 27, he was the youngest position coach in the NFL. He adds a young dynamic to the coaching staff and is five years younger than Dillingham, who at 32 will be the youngest head coach at a Power 5 program.

Before Samples' short tenure with the Rams, he worked at SMU where he was an offensive graduate assistant in 2019, running backs coach and recruiting coordinator in 2020 and assistant head coach in 2021.

He is a native of Dallas who played at Oklahoma State, and later Houston.

Tuitele comes to Tempe from Fresno State where he was offensive line coach and run game coordinator the past season. He also had stops at Army (2020-2021 offensive line coach, run game coordinator, 2007-08 offensive line coach), New Mexico (2016-19 offensive line coach, run game coordinator), Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (2012-15 offensive line coach, 2009-12: co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach) and Portland State (2003-06 defensive line/recruiting coordinator). With the addition of those coaches, Dillingham's staff is nearly complete. The vacancies left on the coaching staff are tight ends and defensive backs.

The lone holdover from the previous regime is Shaun Aguano who served as interim head coach after the departure of Herm Edwards. He previously worked with running backs, the same position he is expected to head under Dillingham.

Jackson back to Arizona

Queen Creek High School product Krew Jackson is returning to the state and has committed to ASU.

Jackson, a 6-foot-4, linebacker, played last season at Kansas State but saw minimal action with three tackles and an interception as a red-shirt freshman. He came to the school in 2021 and played in two games but use his red-shirt season.

At Queen Creek Jackson was a teammate of Isaia Glass, a starter on the Sun Devils offensive line. ASU was in the running for his services out of high school before he ultimately signed with Kansas State. He is the second player in as many days to choose to return home with Tristan Monday, out of Saguaro, deciding to transfer from Wisconsin to ASU on Monday.

More:ASU football's Kenny Dillingham coach hire earns rave reviews: 'Home-run addition'

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kenny Dillingham makes additions to Arizona State football coach staff