Georgia LB Richard Samuel agrees to move back to tailback (UPDATED)
Junior Richard Samuel (22), here in Georgia's G-Day Game, was actually looking pretty good as a linebacker. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
In the wake of attrition at the running back position, Georgia announced Thursday that junior Richard Samuel will move back to tailback from linebacker.
Samuel, a former five-star prospect from Cartersville who was recruited at both positions, played tailback his first two seasons with the Bulldogs. He agreed to a move to linebacker last year, then redshirted. The 6-foot-2 athlete is now up to 243 pounds. He played tailback in the 225 to 230 range.
Georgia lost its top two tailbacks of the two last seasons — Caleb King and Washaun Ealey – to academic ineligibility and transfer, respectively, since the end of spring practice. True freshman Isaiah Crowell, junior Carlton Thomas and redshirt freshman Ken “Boo” Malcome were the only remaining tailbacks on scholarship.
Following is UGA’s release:
Georgia junior linebacker Richard Samuel of Cartersville will return to the tailback position, according to an announcement Thursday by UGA head coach Mark Richt. Samuel, who played tailback as a freshman and sophomore, had been moved to linebacker a year ago but injuries led to a redshirt season in 2010.
“After discussions with Richard, his family, and our coaches I’m excited that Richard wants to make the move,” Richt said. “He’s one of our fastest and most powerful players, is very mature, has a strong character and is a man we can count on. I’m proud of him for always putting the team first and I look forward to seeing what he can do.”
Said Samuel: “I’m excited about the opportunity at tailback. I’m ready to do anything that will help the team win.”
In his two seasons at tailback (2008-09), Samuel played in 22 games including six starts (all in 2009). He carried 114 times for 528 yards and three touchdowns.
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353 comments Add your comment
Dirty Dawg
July 15th, 2011
10:27 am
Hey, guy who’s calling hizelf BigDirtyDawg…what’s that all about? Get yoself another moniker, this one’s been taken for years…besides, ain’t no way you’re bigger than the original DDawg.
It is what it is
July 15th, 2011
10:34 am
Let’s hope he has learned how to not fumble. It cost him the job the first time and cost UGA field position and points.
Big Dawg
July 15th, 2011
10:37 am
I HOPE Coach Richt reads this: this is a terrible idea you are not only hurting this young man’s chances for going to the next level but also hurting your TEAM’s chances. Get this Coach Richt— if you go through with this—- You WON”T BE the Coach at the University of Georgia after this season—- As much talent and potential as this young man has at linebacker which is his natural position— He does not have it at running back, that was proven over and over again when you made him the starter in 2009. He mostly tripped over his own feet, went down on first contact which in most cases amounted to the defense putting a hand and in some cases fingers on him and he fumbled and routinely missed blocking assignments. He made one decent run the entire time.
And to all of you Fellow Dawgs who think it is a good idea— while applaud Richard Samuel for being a dam good dog and agreeing to this. I respectfully disagree with you and YOU need to take those Rose colored glasses off and realize how big of a mistake this move really is. Coach Richt is making a very grave mistake and once again is not only hurting this young man’s future but his own team’s chances as well. Richard Samuel has the potential to be a great player at linebacker. As great a potential at linebacker his potential at running back we already know and in my humble opinion which is backed up by watching him at running back previously is a complete waste of talent and time and will not help the situation at running back but further hurt the team’s chances. A better idea would be to go out and use one of remaining scholarships that wasn’t used for this class and get a Juco Running Back.
Anyways I hope and pray that I am wrong and I have to eat my own words.
Go Dawgs
Jordan
July 15th, 2011
10:38 am
http://isportsweb.com/2011/07/15/richard-samuel-moves-back-to-rb/
TossSweep
July 15th, 2011
10:40 am
With Bruce Figgins at 6′4 275 clearing the path for Richard Samuel at 6′2 240, I really don’t see a problem with this scenario, do you? Plus you have someone who can block to protect the Murray.
WDE
July 15th, 2011
10:41 am
@Big Dawg I respectfully disagree with you..this is a necessary move. And Samuel is a DGD.
JayPo
July 15th, 2011
10:42 am
that’s a whole lotta beef in the backfield. those little scrawny Boise defensive guys will wear down pretty fast with over 500 pounds of tailback/fullback pounding them.
RedandBlackDAWG
July 15th, 2011
10:44 am
Chi Town and richt’s butt cutt,
You are the defintion of the explanation below.
If you don’t know what the term means, “troll” refers to an online personality that uses his/her anonymity to “bait” users or turn valid discussions into full-blown arguments.
You two have got to be related.
RabidDawgFan
July 15th, 2011
10:45 am
Boise will lose
chattadawg
July 15th, 2011
10:45 am
King’s failure to qualify should not have been a total surprise. Ealey’s motivations (or lack thereof) should have also been clear. Like with Tripp, the staff is again reacting instead of being proactive. Not to mention that it has been pretty obvious, even to us arm-chair quarterbacks, that neither Ealey nor King were SEC-talent and to have expected them to suddenly produce would be kool-aid guzzling at its finest.
Lucky for CMR, both Tripp and Samuel are DGDs.
Summit Dawg
July 15th, 2011
10:45 am
I think you could take all the top players in the SEC and place them under Richt and Bobo’s
offensive scheme, and they wouldn’t be outstanding!! Just sayin”!!!!!!!!
Viking87
July 15th, 2011
10:47 am
Although I can see why this move is made, I really would have liked to see this kid at LB. Never saw him in HS but have heard he was an absolute beast. I guess it makes sense for him to move back to RB and have an opportunity to get more playing time. I just hope if Crowell and Malcolme show they can handle the job (Thomas is too small to be anything other than a change of pace back), will he get buried on the RB depth chart or go back to LB?
Big Earl
July 15th, 2011
10:49 am
This is a GREAT move. Samuel was 17 – 18 years old when he was in the backfield before. For Richt to START a true freshman, he not only must not only have seen a potentially special running back, he must have also been extremely intelligent to be able to grasp the pass blocking schemes. Trust me, he will be a huge asset in our backfield.
IMHO, the mistake was made when he was transferred to LB. At the time, both King and Ealey were coming off their best game of their careers against Tech, and if I remember correctly, Samuel requested the move to help a depleted group at LB. He was recruited as a 5 star LB/RB. As time progressed, Jarvis transferred in at LB and Ogletree changed positions to LB. I believe Samuel could have stayed in the backfield and as he matured, he would have given both King and Ealey all the competition they wanted.
He knows the pass blocking shemes, he’s now a 20+ year old junior who is a MAN @ 6′2″ 243lbs., he runs a 4.4 40, AND HE WILL MAKE A HUGE POSITIVE DIFFERENCE. Just a great move…a GREAT move by Samuel and the coaches!
One more thing, to all my fellow UGA fans, please just ignore the comments from the haters and they will go away. They are jerk fans of other schools that have nothing better to do with their time than get on a UGA blog and try to rile us up. Just like a child throwing a temper tantrum, if you igore them they will stop and go away. The only way they will keep commenting is if you take their bait and respond.
GO DAWGS!!!!
Browndog
July 15th, 2011
10:57 am
Pass protection for Murray.
seabass
July 15th, 2011
10:58 am
Richard will do good at running back until Crowell gets his feet under him and learns the system. At least he already knows his assignments. But I was eager to see what he could do at linebacker. He was a 5 star linebacker out of high school, not at running back.
FLA DAWG
July 15th, 2011
11:03 am
This is a great move.
Samuel now has maturity and is bigger and tougher than ever.
He’ll pass that toughness and confidence along to Crowell.
In return Crowell will teach Samuel how to make some cuts.
If the O Line can actually block this season we may have an offense that can move the ball on the ground.
Oh I forgot………………Bobo is still calling plays.
Krap!
shankit
July 15th, 2011
11:07 am
Paul Fienbaum call in – Rated top ten teams last ten years in SEC with wins and losses.
Alabama nor Auburn were in top five. Georgia was fourth behind Florida, LSU and Tennesse.
One bad year does not a career make.
Big Earl
July 15th, 2011
11:07 am
Check out our “Heavy” goaline package:
LT Cordy Glenn 6’5”, 348 lbs.
LG Chris Burnette 6’2”, 313 lbs.
C Ben Jones 6’3”, 316 lbs.
RT Justin Anderson 6’5”, 342 lbs.
RG Kenarious Gates 6’5”, 328 lbs.
TE Arthur Lynch 6’5”, 272 lbs.
TE Orson Charles 6’3”, 241 lbs.
TE Aron White 6’4”, 239 lbs.
FB Bruce Figgins 6’4”, 272 lbs.
TB Richard Samuel 6’2”, 243 lbs.
QB Aaron Murray 6’1”, 211 lbs.
Pretty “beefy” don’t you think?
WDE
July 15th, 2011
11:07 am
@Summit the troll Dawg and yet there are 9 players on the list that DO play for CMR..
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
July 15th, 2011
11:21 am
I agree with people on here that Samuel is a team player
But this kid is no running back as shown in the past
Richt and Booboo are selfish, they put themselves in the situation they are in and now they want another player to ruin his draft stock chances by making him move to a position that is not suited to his talent
We have Malcolm and we have Crowell if they cant do it I can tell you Samuel will not as proven in the past. He’s better off honing his skills at linebacker and not trying to save two coaches jobs
I rather see Brandon Smith play scat back on several plays than this stupidity
Wake up kool-aid drinkers
anotherdawg
July 15th, 2011
11:27 am
For those who critcize this move, you are failing to realize that sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to try to field the best team possible. Naturally, in a perfect world, it would have been nice to not have the issues we’ve had with running back, offensive line, etc. But, for those who want to throw their hands up in the air and fire all the coaches everytime something goes wrong, you’re not being realistic. Things just don’t always go right. Injuries happen, and out of 80 kids, not all are going to behave; not all are going to be Rhode scholars.
Big Dawg
July 15th, 2011
11:49 am
First off he was not a 5 star running back he was a 5 star Middle linebacker and projected as a starter right out of high school. People seem to forget that to get him to come to UGA Coach Richt, Garner whoever promised him a shot at playing running back. He was given more than an opportunity to show/prove he had the ability to play running back. It was a miserable failure. His true average was closer to 2.7 yards per carry which got bigger on 3 runs of over 40 yards. Yes he has homerun speed but as was clearly shown he lacks vision, he tripped over his own feet a lot, went down on nominal contact a lot, fumbled a lot and missed blocks.
Anyway as I have said before I hope and pray I am wrong and that I have to eat my own words because in saying that it would mean we have a great season.
Go Dawgs
BOB
July 15th, 2011
11:52 am
Whats the latest on Jarvis Jones?
Fair and Balanced
July 15th, 2011
11:58 am
In a year tha Richt has to bring it – really struggling with personnel! Lots of uncertainty here after another banner year of recruiting. If GA does well ( 9 – 3 or better ) credit coaching.
RJ Voorhees
July 15th, 2011
12:06 pm
@BOB, The investigation is still ongoing.
anotherdawg
July 15th, 2011
12:07 pm
The part I don’t understand is why hasn’t he been able to get on the field as a linebacker. Was he hurt, was he having trouble picking up the assignments, or were we just so deep that his lack of experience held him back. I have to agree that he did not have the cutting ability that you want, but he does have tremendous speed, and with the extra weight, maybe more power. Like I said earlier, some times you are forced to go a different route. Maybe, between Crowell, Malcome, Samuel, and others we’ll have enough depth that we can mix it up, to get by. We really don’t have that many options. It’s not like they are gonna let us trade for another back, or bring back Herschel. Either way, you have to feel good about a kid who wants to do anything to help his team.
Tobias Funke
July 15th, 2011
12:18 pm
80% of the people on here are posing as Dawg fans. NOW THAT IS PATHETIC.
Tobias Funke
July 15th, 2011
12:21 pm
he was redshirted last year to get stronger and learn a new position. He wouldn’t have played LB last year with the people in front of him.
Bob
July 15th, 2011
12:23 pm
While I applaud Mr. Samuel for an outstanding and unselfish attitude, I’m wondering if this move was made because he wasn’t developing into an SEC calibre LB. Also, I’m wondering why we didn’t move Justin S-W into an RB position…he is lightning fast, perfect size, and is a threat to “go all the way” whenever he touches the ball. And, he probably commands the attention of two DBs all the time. Hmmmmm, sounds very similar to Percy Harvin.
savannahdawg
July 15th, 2011
12:46 pm
Some of you whiners on here are pathetic! If the dawgs went 14-0 and won every game 100 to nothing, you would find something to bitch about!!! It can’t even be called constructive, because there is nothing constructive about what you are saying. You are true idiots and you know who you are. You are not capable of complaining in an intelligent manner. It’s nothing but bitching just to bitch. Enough babies………….shut up already and let the adults discuss.
Dawg Tired
July 15th, 2011
12:49 pm
Look at the picture! What do you see? Do you see what I see? If so, you know why he showed terrible balance when he played RB previously. You will also understand why such a big back (weight wise) always seemed to go down on first contact. I want to be so wrong on this, but….
Bali
July 15th, 2011
1:02 pm
Ok Dawg Tired…..I’ll bite….what do you see in that one picture that tells you everything you need to know about any running back?
AVikingFan
July 15th, 2011
1:20 pm
Coach Richt will win his 100th game this year in a period of time much less than it took Vince Dooley or Wally Butts to win that many. Fans thought those coaches were Football Gods. Give the man a break and recognize him for what he is. A better than average coach. And look for Georgia to win 10 games this year!
Now I’ll get back to the high school blogs where I spend most of my time. Go Dawgs and Vikings!
Dawg Tired
July 15th, 2011
1:25 pm
Bali – Look at those legs, especially the calves and ankles.
Hotdawg
July 15th, 2011
1:31 pm
For those who say Samuel was not very good at running back remember they were keying on him evey time because QB Joe Cox couldn’t throw or run!
Dawg Tired
July 15th, 2011
1:33 pm
That made two guys in the backfield who couldn’t run.
Dawg Tired
July 15th, 2011
1:34 pm
Maybe Joe Cox couldn’t run because the RB couldn’t run. Who knows?
Dawg Tired
July 15th, 2011
1:39 pm
AViking. You are comparing apples to oranges. Dooley came in when the program was way down. They played 10 games a year instead of 12. No conference championship game either. 11 games was the maximum number of games you could play in a year compared to up to 14 now. Plus CMR, whom I actually like, came in when the talent level was very good. In fact, his best years were when Donnan’s recruits were playing the key roles. I agree CMR is a better than average coach.
Big Earl
July 15th, 2011
2:41 pm
@Hotdawg…great point! I had not considered that.
D BAG TROLLS!
July 15th, 2011
2:47 pm
Funny how the ones who think this is a bad move are Yech fans that know more about our programs than they do about Yechs. Love It!
This a no-brainer move and you all know it. UGA will have 1500 yards rushing this season and 15 Rush TD’s. This kid will be a beast at this position.
See you at the Dome in DEC! GATA!!!!!
ckgator
July 15th, 2011
2:49 pm
Hey – another FHOTW! (Future Herschell of the Week). At this rate of attrition you guys should have the East locked up in the first few weeks of the season.
But not so much…
D BAG TROLLS!
July 15th, 2011
2:50 pm
DAWG TIRED: How many handles do you have kid? It is so odvious that you are the same poster child each day. Need to change the way you post or something……..
bob
July 15th, 2011
3:01 pm
Dawgs need someone to block for Murray on 3rd down. He is in his 4th year in the program and will be able to show the young backs a lot of things.
ckgator
July 15th, 2011
3:10 pm
Murray will show the young backs how to take a hit. He will recieve many.
funny...
July 15th, 2011
3:16 pm
Just became my favorite player.
WDE
July 15th, 2011
3:23 pm
@ckgator seems to me Samuel has a lot more experience at RB, than say your HC has as a HC…I’ll tell you what I’ll wait and see how ol’Mushy does this year and you wait and see how Samuel does and we can compare at season’s end.
LogicalUS
July 15th, 2011
4:32 pm
“Check out our “Heavy” goaline package”
You have to get near the endzone first to run a goal line package.
Appears that the “rumors” about Crowell showing up out of shape, puking and unable to finish summer workouts were more accurate than thought.
SEC1
July 15th, 2011
5:00 pm
I’m not particularly excited about this move since we have seen him at RB before. He has speed but not vision or elusiveness. He does not break many tackles and he seems to run “scared” at times.
People talk about the 80-yard run versus Arky. I saw the play. The hole was huge and it basically entailed a straight line sprint to the endzone.
It clearly shows that we are in need of help. I just hate to see his talent misappropriated.
To RS – I hope you prove me wrong. You deserve to be successful!!
GO DAWGS!
FLA DAWG
July 15th, 2011
5:47 pm
Logical,
You’ve obviously never gone through summer practice.
This kid is just out of High School and he is in The SEC now.
Richt is fighting for his life – and that means his coaches are doing the same.
I doubt Crowell is the only one blowing beets in this heat.
He’s got alot to learn and to teach. If the O line can open some holes Crowell and Sam will blow thru ‘em.
Oh wait a minute……………..Bobo is still the OC……..Krap…………Forget it!
FLA DAWG
July 15th, 2011
5:49 pm
Here AltaDawg,
C’mon boy………..show up and comment on what you said Richt would never do because it doesn’t make sense…………….c’mon boy………………….