Tag: Richard LeCounte

CFN ranks top 30 SEC players for 2020: #17…UGA WR George Pickens

College Football News ranked the top-30 SEC players for the 2020 CFB season and included Georgia Bulldogs WR George Pickens.

Pete Fiutak of College Football News recently released a list of the top-30 players in the SEC for the 2020 college football season.

Georgia placed five players on the list:

#30 – RB Zamir White

#29 – QB Jamie Newman

#19 – LB Monty Rice

#17 – WR George Pickens

#4 – S Richard LeCounte

Georgia WR George Pickens — Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

No. 17 – George Pickens

Pickens is looking like he may go down as one of the best receivers in the history of Georgia football after an incredible freshman season. In 2019, as a true freshman, Pickens was named to the Coaches’ Freshman All-SEC Team and was the co-winner of UGA’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year award. He played in all 14 games, earning his first start vs. Kentucky. Pickens ended the year with a great performance in the Sugar Bowl win over Baylor, where he had 12 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown. He finished the season with 49 catches for 727 yards, which were both team highs. He also led the Bulldogs in touchdown catches with eight.

CFN ranks top 30 SEC players for 2020: #19…UGA LB Monty Rice

College Football News ranked the top-30 SEC players for the 2020 CFB season and included Georgia Bulldogs LB Monty Rice.

Pete Fiutak of College Football News recently released a list of the top-30 players in the SEC for the 2020 college football season.

Georgia placed five players on the list:

#30 – RB Zamir White

#29 – QB Jamie Newman

#19 – LB Monty Rice

#17 – WR George Pickens

#4 – S Richard LeCounte

At No. 19 is Georgia senior linebacker Monty Rice. Out of Huntsville, Alabama, Rice is set to be a leader on one of the best defenses in America. Last season, Rice was named to the Associated Press All-SEC 2nd Team and was the co-winner of Georgia’s Vince Dooley Defensive MVP award. He played and started in all 14 games, was the team’s leading tackler with 89 total stops and also finished with 14 QB pressures.

CFN ranks top 30 SEC players for 2020: #4…UGA QB Jamie Newman

College Football News ranked the top-30 SEC players for the 2020 CFB season and included Georgia Bulldogs QB Jamie Newman.

Pete Fiutak of College Football News recently released a list of the top-30 players in the SEC for the 2020 college football season.

Georgia placed five players on the list:

#30 – RB Zamir White

#29 – QB Jamie Newman

#19 – LB Monty Rice

#17 – WR George Pickens

#4 – S Richard LeCounte

Jamie Newman — Adam Richins-USA TODAY Sports

No. 29 – QB Jamie Newman

Jamie Newman comes to Athens as a graduate transfer from Wake Forest. Already viewed as a high draft pick and a Heisman hopeful, Newman brings a run threat that Georgia has not had in 15 years. Newman started one full season for Wake, and that was last year. In 2019, he completed 220 of 361 passes (61%) for 2,868 yards and 26 touchdowns. On the ground, he ran for 574 yards and six touchdowns.

CFN ranks top 30 SEC players for 2020: #30…UGA RB Zamir White

College Football News ranked the top-30 SEC players for the 2020 CFB season and included Georgia Bulldogs RB Zamir White.

Pete Fiutak of College Football News recently released a list of the top-30 players in the SEC for the 2020 college football season.

Georgia placed four players on the list:

#30 – RB Zamir White

#29 – QB Jamie Newman

#19 – LB Monty Rice

#17 – WR George Pickens

#4 – S Richard LeCounte

At No. 30 is Georgia running back Zamir White, a redshirt sophomore. A former five-star out of Laurinburg, North Carolina, White looks like he’s ready to shine now that the backfield has cleared out for the first time since his arrival in Athens. After tearing his ACL two times in the span of a year, White’s had a rough start to his collegiate career, but showed flashes of greatness last year. In 2019, White played in 13 of 14 games and finished the season with 408 yards on 78 carries which was third-best among all rushers.

College Football News ranks top-30 SEC players for 2020 CFB season

College Football News ranked the top-30 SEC players for the 2020 CFB season and included five Georgia Bulldogs.

Pete Fiutak of College Football News recently released a list of the top-30 players in the SEC for the 2020 college football season.

Georgia placed five players on the list:

#30 – RB Zamir White

#29 – QB Jamie Newman

#19 – LB Monty Rice

#17 – WR George Pickens

#4 – S Richard LeCounte

White looks like he’s ready to shine now that the backfield has cleared out for the first time since his arrival in Athens. After tearing his ACL two times in the span of a year, White’s had a rough start to his collegiate career, but showed flashes of greatness last year. In 2019, White played in 13 of 14 games and finished the season with 408 yards on 78 carries which was third-best among all rushers.

Jamie Newman comes to Athens as a graduate transfer from Wake Forest. Already viewed as a high draft pick and a Heisman hopeful, Newman brings a run threat that Georgia has not had in 15 years. Newman started one full season for Wake, and that was last year. In 2019, he completed 220 of 361 passes (61%) for 2,868 yards and 26 touchdowns. On the ground, he ran for 574 yards and six touchdowns.

As for Rice, the senior out of Huntsville, Alabama is set to be a leader on one of the best defenses in America. Last season, Rice was named to the Associated Press All-SEC 2nd Team and was the co-winner of Georgia’s Vince Dooley Defensive MVP award. He played and started in all 14 games, was the team’s leading tackler with 89 total stops and also finished with 14 QB pressures.

Pickens is looking like he may go down as one of the best receivers in the history of Georgia football after an incredible freshman season. In 2019, as a true freshman, Pickens was named to the Coaches’ Freshman All-SEC Team and was the co-winner of UGA’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year award. He played in all 14 games, earning his first start vs. Kentucky. Pickens ended the year with a great performance in the Sugar Bowl win over Baylor, where he had 12 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown. He finished the season with 49 catches for 727 yards, which were both team highs. He also led the Bulldogs in touchdown catches with eight.

LeCounte, who ranks No. 4 on the list, is one of America’s top ranked safety prospects for the 2021 NFL Draft. Through three seasons, two of which saw him as a full-time starter, LeCounte has racked up 150 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, six pass breakups, five fumble recoveries, and four forced fumbles. LeCounte has established himself as a playmaker on Georgia’s elite defense. Georgia had the top-ranked scoring defense in the nation last season. LeCounte does lose his partner in crime at the safety position, J.R. Reed, though. He’ll miss Reed, but now he’s ready to run the back-end of UGA’s defense. The former five-star recruit has forced a combined nine turnovers over the last two seasons. LeCounte recorded the second most interceptions in the SEC last season with four. He recovered the most fumbles (three) in the league as well. It’ll be a pleasure to watch his last season between the hedges.

Pro Football Network ranks top-10 safety prospects for 2021 NFL Draft – Georgia’s Richard LeCounte too low

Georgia football senior Richard LeCounte ranked in the top-ten of PFN’s safety prospects for the 2020 NFL Draft.

Pro Football Network recently ranked the top-ten safety prospects for the 2021 NFL Draft.

The site included Georgia senior Richard LeCounte, but in my opinion has the Riceboro native too low.

LeCounte checked in at No. 8 on the list.

From PFN:

“One of the most well-rounded players in the class, Richard LeCounte has arguably the highest floor of any safety in this class. Consistently productive for the Bulldogs, he projects as a quality starter in the NFL. LeCounte has decent size, decent athletic ability, and a decent skill-set all around. Unfortunately, that can be both a pro and a con, as it lowers his ceiling in the NFL. Will LeCounte ever be an impact playmaker? Potentially, but I wouldn’t bet on it. However, he can be a consistent and quality starter for a long time.”

Through three seasons, two of which saw him as a full-time starter, LeCounte has racked up 150 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, six pass breakups, five fumble recoveries, and four forced fumbles.

LeCounte ranked as the second best prospect in the SEC, according to PFN, behind only LSU’s JaCoby Stevens.

LeCounte has established himself as a playmaker on Georgia’s elite defense. Georgia had the top-ranked scoring defense in the nation last season. LeCounte does lose his partner in crime at the safety position, J.R. Reed, though. He’ll miss Reed, but now he’s ready to run the back-end of UGA’s defense.

The former five-star recruit has forced a combined nine turnovers over the last two seasons. LeCounte recorded the second most interceptions in the SEC last season with four. He recovered the most fumbles (three) in the league as well. It’ll be a pleasure to watch his last season between the hedges.

Georgia Bulldogs football player card: DB Lewis Cine

Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Lewis Cine is expected to start at safety opposite Richard LeCounte in 2020.

Lewis Cine, defensive back (#16):

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6-1

Weight: 185 pounds

Hometown: Cedar Hill, Texas

High School: Trinity Christian High School

Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Lewis Cine had the difficult task of guarding LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the SEC Championship Game. Cine flashed his versatility in containing the Kansas City Chiefs first round pick.

Now, Cine is anticipated to start at safety opposite Richard LeCounte. Cine has the versatility to play nickel defensive back as well, but he’s needed to replace JR Reed at starting safety.

Cine finished last season with 20 tackles. he played in every game and started the final two contests. He recorded six tackles in both of his starts (against LSU and Baylor). Cine, who enrolled early, broke out immediately in the G-Day game last season. His freshman season was excellent, but Dawg fans can expect more in 2020.

He can make an impact as a blitzer from the secondary:

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Four Georgia players make list of SEC’s top-25 2021 NFL Draft prospects

Four Georgia football players named on Athlon Sports list of the top-25 SEC players available in the 2021 NFL Draft

The Southeast Conference set records this year in the 2020 NFL Draft.  For the 14th straight year the SEC had more players drafted than any other conference.

63 players from the SEC were selected by NFL teams with 40 of those going in the first three rounds, including a record setting 15 in the first-round.  The remaining four Power 5 conferences had a total of 48 players drafted.  LSU had 14 players taken in the draft, the most of any SEC school.

Now that the 2020 draft has come and gone, analysts are already starting to predict next year’s outcome.

Athlon Sports released its list of the top 25 SEC players to watch for next year’s draft.  On that list, four Georgia players were named, and one in the top 10.

Incoming transfer senior quarterback Jamie Newman ranked 21st on the list as well as 2nd among SEC quarterbacks.

Newman completed 61% of his passes for 2,868 yards, 26 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and rushed for another 574 yards and 6 touchdowns last season at Wake Forest.  Now he will be bringing his talents to Athens, in hopes to spark the Bulldogs offense to championship form.

Rising junior cornerback Eric Stokes is next, ranked 20th on the list as well as 4th among SEC cornerbacks.

Stokes played a crucial role as a starter on the Dawgs defense last year.  He also saw some starts later on in the 2018 season.  Georgia’s defense finished first in the nation in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of just 12.6 points per game.

Stokes recorded 58 total tackles, one sack, 18 pass breakups, one forced fumble and two tackles for loss in the past two seasons. Cornerbacks do not usually eye-popping stats, but Stokes is a nightmare for receivers in coverage.

Rising junior cornerback Tyson Campbell comes in at 16th on the list, 3rd among SEC cornerbacks.

Campbell doesn’t quite have his starting job. Last season, D.J. Daniel took over Campbell’s starting spot following the third game of the year.

Campbell is now a veteran and certainly has the talent to contribute to Georgia’s elite defense. He missed five games last season with a turf toe. His position battle with Daniel will be one of Georgia’s most intriguing intra-squad competitions to start the 2020 season. Georgia has solid depth at cornerback either way and Campbell will likely win his job back.

In the top 10 o  the list is rising senior safety Richard LeCounte at the #8 spot.

Last season, LeCounte totaled 61 tackles, with an SEC-best three forced fumbles and tied for second in the conference in interceptions with four picks. LeCounte was responsible for seven of the 15 turnovers created by the Dawgs defense last year, proving himself to be the leader going into the 2020 season.

Athlon Sports also added a list of 25 honorable mentions to keep an eye on, including defensive tackle Jordan Davis, center Trey Hill and linebacker Monty Rice.

Falcons add Georgia safety in Draft Wire’s 2021 mock draft

The Atlanta Falcons feel good about their 2020 NFL Draft haul, but it’s never too early to start looking at the future.

The Atlanta Falcons feel good about their 2020 NFL Draft haul, but it’s never too early to start looking at next year’s draft class. As we enter the quiet months of the offseason, our friends over at Draft Wire ran a 2021 mock to help readers get to know the upcoming class.

With pick No. 15, Luke Easterling is projecting the Falcons to land Georgia safety Richard LeCounte, who nearly entered the 2020 draft before electing to return to school for another year.

In 2019, LeCounte recorded 61 tackles (35 solo), four interceptions, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three passed defended for the Bulldogs.

LeCounte is a talented player, and while Atlanta has pretty good talent and depth at both safety spots, that could change next year if the team doesn’t retain Keanu Neal. The former Falcons first-round pick is coming off of back-to-back season-ending injuries and entering a contract year.

Let’s take a look at some film of LeCounte from a game against Notre Dame last season:

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Georgia S Richard LeCounte high on 2021 NFL Draft board

Georgia football senior S Richard LeCounte is already at the top of some experts 2021 NFL Draft predictions.

This year’s NFL Draft featured seven Georgia players selected (two in the first round), along with a vast number of players signing un-drafted free agent contracts. One Georgia player that surprisingly didn’t hear his name called was safety J.R. Reed.

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Reed came back for his senior season in Athens and helped the Bulldogs to a Sugar Bowl victory. Reed had an incredible season, being named a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award which is given to the best defensive back in the nation.  On top of that, Reed was also named a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy which is awarded to the best defensive player in college football.

Although he didn’t hear his name called on draft day, Reed quickly picked up an offer from the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he signed an un-drafted free agent contract.

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With the 2020 NFL Draft coming to a close on Saturday, the focus has already shifted to next year’s draft.

Looking ahead, Sporting News has already released their 2021 NFL Draft prospect top-50 and position rankings.

On that list at #12 overall sits Georgia safety Richard LeCounte.

Last season, LeCounte accounted for 4 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries.

LeCounte’s play has been turning heads and is already predicted to go in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He is Sporting News’ #1 safety available for next year

Sporting News on LeCounte:

“LeCounte averages 50 tackles per season the last three years with the Bulldogs, and he created seven turnovers (four interceptions, three fumble recoveries). The 5-11, 190-pound playmaker is the top safety on the board.”

Other Bulldogs that made the top-50 include incoming transfer quarterback Jamie Newman at #29, cornerback Tyson Campbell at #35 and center Trey Hill at #43.