Helena OL Holden Sampson Commits!

[HowardRoss280]

I'm really high on Holden. Another coaches kid. He's about 6'2-6'3, 250 lbs. and plays offensive line the right way. Outstanding feet, has a mean streak, has a college-level pass-pro set, hand-strike power/timing are solid, and he pulls with an attitude. The only negatives I see are common ones for high school lineman: plays too high and lunges at defenders from time to time. His most impressive attribute is his pass protection. Not many high school lineman understand the nuances of pass pro, especially as a tackle. But Holden has obviously put in the work. He gets set quickly after the snap, uses his hands first instead of his body, keeps his shoulders square so he doesn't give up inside leverage, doesn't cross his feet, and doesn't drop his head on impact. His first play in his junior highlight film, he goes against Alaric Greil from Capital (one of the best d-lineman in the state) and ends the pass rush immediately because of all the things listed in the prior sentence. As a run blocker, he shows plenty of attitude/strength and keeps his feet moving on impact but needs to drop his rear-end more to give himself better balance and push on the line.

Holden's family includes former MSU All-Big Sky/All-American center Shaun Sampson. Shaun had to take the walk-on route to the FCS level because of his size coming out of high school. If the Cats or Griz value everything I spoke about above, Holden should at least receive a partial. If he was 6'5" or 6'6", bigger schools would likely come knocking. He has all the tools to be a successful FCS guard, center, or right tackle.

Right now I see four solid lineman recruits for the 2019 class: Garrison Poetzl (Billings Senior), Holden Sampson (Helena High), Cody Wilkes (CMR), and Connor Paul (Billings West). The key difference with Holden is that he only plays on the offensive line while the other two are excellent defensive tackles. Doesn't make Holden a lesser recruit because obviously his focus has been on the offensive line because he has the best technique out of the three. Garrison is all aggression and power (it shows when he plays on the d-line) while Connor and Cody are brutes who translate to the interior of the line.

Solid analysis by Vim here. Right on point with everything. 6’2-6’3 is a little small for a FCS tackle, Holden is also only 17 I believe so he has potential to grow some more, but I think he would be a nice fit at center with his pass pro abilty. And with his aggression, teaming him up with a bigger guard to push a NT would be ideal. Solid pickup for the Cats

[FTG247365]

Just the blood line is enough to prove he has the ability regardless of height. Excited to see another Sampson in the Blue & Gold. Great size right out of high school!

[Colter_Nuanez]

Life of football, family ties leads Helena's Sampson to Montana State
https://skylinesportsmt.com/life-of-foo ... ana-state/