Bulldogs Ink Top Long Jumper In Samuels
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Head coach Steve Dudley and the Mississippi State Track and Field program are pleased to announce the signing of the nation’s best long jumper, Jarrett Samuels.
“We are very pleased to sign the No. 1 long jumper in the field event area,” Dudley said. “We have made a definite effort the last two years to sign good athletes, and any time you sign the No. 1 athlete you improve your chances for nationals. Jarrett is a great kid, from a good family, and we are excited about him joining the Bulldogs.”
Samuels, a Charlotte, N.C., native, has won indoor and outdoor state crowns in the long jump, and his personal best jump of 24-11 last summer was the fourth best nationally and ranks No. 1 among his underclassmen peers.
Long jump competition has taken Samuels far from his hometown of Charlotte. The high school All-American was invited to compete in the 2009 IAAF World Championship in Italy. Competing against the best in the world, Samuels placed sixth at the event with a jump of 24-1 ¾.
Do not mistake Samuels being one dimensional. In addition to his long jump success, Samuels has won championships in the 300- and 400-meter dashes, while also competing in the 200- and 55-meter dashes and the 4x400-meter relay, posting some impressive personal bests along the way: 200m dash - 21.59, 300m dash - 34.73, 400m dash - 47.89, and the 55m dash - 6.42.
Thanks to his high school successes, Samuels found himself recruited by several of the top track and field programs in the nation. In the end, he and his father both stated that MSU was just the right fit.
“We are really excited for Jarrett to sign with MSU,” his father Joseph Samuels, Sr., said. “The coaching staff, as well as the environment, is a good fit for Jarrett. With the addition of coach Steve Thomas in the jumps, MSU will be able to help Jarrett improve tremendously. Most of all, I think that Coach Dudley and his staff incorporate the same values we try to instill in Jarrett at home. There were a lot of schools trying to get him to sign, but in the end MSU was just the right fit for Jarrett.”
“My family and I think it is the best decision and fit for me,” the younger Samuels said. “Coach Dudley has been really supportive throughout the recruitment process. He showed us that he was dedicated to helping me become the best I could be and in the end it just felt right.”
Samuels will enroll at MSU next fall. He plans to study International Business.
“We are very pleased to sign the No. 1 long jumper in the field event area,” Dudley said. “We have made a definite effort the last two years to sign good athletes, and any time you sign the No. 1 athlete you improve your chances for nationals. Jarrett is a great kid, from a good family, and we are excited about him joining the Bulldogs.”
Samuels, a Charlotte, N.C., native, has won indoor and outdoor state crowns in the long jump, and his personal best jump of 24-11 last summer was the fourth best nationally and ranks No. 1 among his underclassmen peers.
Long jump competition has taken Samuels far from his hometown of Charlotte. The high school All-American was invited to compete in the 2009 IAAF World Championship in Italy. Competing against the best in the world, Samuels placed sixth at the event with a jump of 24-1 ¾.
Do not mistake Samuels being one dimensional. In addition to his long jump success, Samuels has won championships in the 300- and 400-meter dashes, while also competing in the 200- and 55-meter dashes and the 4x400-meter relay, posting some impressive personal bests along the way: 200m dash - 21.59, 300m dash - 34.73, 400m dash - 47.89, and the 55m dash - 6.42.
Thanks to his high school successes, Samuels found himself recruited by several of the top track and field programs in the nation. In the end, he and his father both stated that MSU was just the right fit.
“We are really excited for Jarrett to sign with MSU,” his father Joseph Samuels, Sr., said. “The coaching staff, as well as the environment, is a good fit for Jarrett. With the addition of coach Steve Thomas in the jumps, MSU will be able to help Jarrett improve tremendously. Most of all, I think that Coach Dudley and his staff incorporate the same values we try to instill in Jarrett at home. There were a lot of schools trying to get him to sign, but in the end MSU was just the right fit for Jarrett.”
“My family and I think it is the best decision and fit for me,” the younger Samuels said. “Coach Dudley has been really supportive throughout the recruitment process. He showed us that he was dedicated to helping me become the best I could be and in the end it just felt right.”
Samuels will enroll at MSU next fall. He plans to study International Business.