Will Sammuel Lamur play this year?
Sammuel Lamur continues to be a hot topic of conversation at Kansas State.
A week ago, coach Bill Snyder said he was planning on keeping the junior college transfer quarterback on the scout team this year with a redshirt. But that answer meant little when everyone saw Carson Coffman and Grant Gregory struggle to complete easy passes in a 17-15 loss at Louisiana-Lafayette.
People are beginning to wonder if there are more options out there, and Snyder was once again asked about Lamur this week. The question was simple: If Coffman and Gregory continue to sputter, could Lamur ditch his redshirt and play later this season?
On Monday, Snyder said no. But on Tuesday, he said it was at least a remote possibility.
“You never say never,” Snyder said.
Sammuel’s brother, Emmanuel also indicated there may be a chance.
When asked if Sammuel would definitely keep his redshirt this year, Emmanuel said:”I don’t know, man. Who knows? We don’t know yet for sure.”
It would seem nothing is set in stone here. But Snyder added this: “I’ve refrained from doing that (pulling his redshirt). I’m trying to give these two young guys (Carson and Gregory) the opportunity to get themselves better.”
That much is clear. Snyder would ideally like to see Coffman step up his game and become the consistent quarterback he believes he can be. Ditto for Gregory. In between he’ll continue to give do-everything running back Daniel Thomas a few snaps.
But, “they’ve got to practice well,” Snyder said. “They’ve got to get back on track. What I would hope for is that these two young guys can get back on their game and get back to where they were and begin to make some headway. If that’s the case and that happens then they’ll be there.”
And if Plan A doesn’t go according to plan? That’s where it gets dicey. If Lamur was viewed as the difference between winning and losing, pulling his redshirt might not sound so bad. But Snyder definitely wants to keep Lamur’s two remaining years of eligibility intact.
Plus, there’s no guarantee Lamur would be an instant improvement. Emmanuel said Sammuel his keeping himself ready, though.
“He’s handling it pretty good,” Emmanuel said. “Right now he’s playing his heart out. Even though he’s redshirting, he feels like he still has to compete hard. He has a lot of passion for the game.”
He also said Sammuel can throw the ball more than 80 yards in a single pass.
But it sounds like pulling Lamur’s redshirt would be a last-ditch choice.
“This is a thing we’re looking at long haul,” Snyder said. “Do you give up that year of eligibility now or use it in the future? … I would refrain dearly from doing that. That’s not fair to the young person. Redshirting in this program has always been the determination of the player. That’s not a gameday type decision that you do.”
