Adding to the Georgia Bulldogs’ 26-14 Sugar Bowl victory over Baylor and a No.4 national ranking, ESPN named freshman wide receiver and junior safety Richard LeCounte to the multi-media’s all-bowl team.
Pickens chose a good time to have his breakout game as a Bulldog, by collecting 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. After leading Georgia (12-2) in receiving yards, catches and receiving touchdowns, he was named MVP of the Sugar Bowl.
The former five-star prep was ejected in the second half of the Georgia Tech game for fighting, causing him to miss the first half of the SEC championship game. His absence was sorely misses as UGA struggled to move the ball on offense, scoring only a field goal in the game’s first half. Pickens added a touchdown reception in the second half.
The 6’3″, 190-pound Hoover, Alabama product should be the main target for incoming grad transfer quarterback Jamie Newman next year..
“George is a great teammate, a great football player,” quarterback Jake Fromm said in New Orleans. “What I love about George is he loves football. He loves going out, competing. I can say for him showing up at practice, he’s the same guy, same competitor every single day. And I know I love it.”
Liberty County’s (Ga) LeCounte had two interceptions in the game. The former five-star prospect started all 14 games at safety and was the team’s third-leading tackler with 61 total stops. He also led the SEC in fumbles recovered with three and was second in interceptions with four. LeCounte helped Georgia to end the season with the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense.
The face of the the Georgia defense, to the the great relief of DawgNation, LeCounte announced shortly after the Sugar Bowl that he would return for his senior season.
After returning most of the defense and bringing in another stellar recruiting class, Georgia should be ranked in the Top 10 in the preseason polls. The Dawgs open the 2020 campaign September 7 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, taking on the ACC Coastal champion Virginia Cavaliers (9-5).