Beginning his fifth season on staff at Mizzou is Austyn Carta-Samuels, who was named as the program’s first-ever director of character and culture development this past off-season. It’s an important behind the scenes role that Carta-Samuels throws all of his passion into, after he’d spent the previous four years at MU in various roles, including recruiting graduate assistant (2015), recruiting coordinator (2016-17), and offensive quality control assistant (2018).
In 2018, 247Sports.com named Carta-Samuels, 27, one of its 30-under-30 assistant coaches on the rise.
Carta-Samuels was instrumental in recruiting record-setting QB Drew Lock to play at Mizzou, and as a former standout quarterback himself, he helped guide Lock on and off the field to his stellar Tiger career which culminated in 2018 as a second-round NFL Draft pick by the Denver Broncos.
Carta-Samuels began his collegiate playing career at Wyoming, where he became a starter four games into his freshman season of 2009, and led the Cowboys to a 7-6 record and a New Mexico Bowl victory over Fresno State in double overtime. It was UW’s first bowl appearance and bowl win since 2004. He won Mountain West freshman of the year honors that season.
He later transferred to Vanderbilt in 2011, eventually becoming the starting quarterback and team captain as a senior in 2013, when he helped lead the Commodores to the BBVA Compass Bowl. He was forced to miss the bowl game, however, due to a knee injury. Before that, he amassed 2,383 yards of total offense, which was the 10th-most in Vandy history at the time. He was also named to the 2013 SEC Academic Honor Roll.
