On July 14, Richard Samuel answered the call of his school — again.
With attrition chewing up Georgia’s tailbacks like a de-barker at a sawmill, Samuel heeded the plea of coaches to move from inside linebacker to tailback. Just 15 1/2 months earlier he had agreed to move to defense from offense and took a redshirt season to make the transition.
In each case, Samuel was given a choice. He could stay at his new position if he thought that was best for him personally. Or he could do what was in the best interest of the team, which was to move in order to address depth elsewhere. Samuel won’t say the decision was easy, but he didn’t take very long to decide.
At 6-foot-2, 238 pounds, Samuel can play a number of positions, and he’s played relatively well at these two. In two seasons at tailback (2008-09), Samuel played in 22 games, starting six of them, and ran for 528 yards and three touchdowns. In his brief stint at linebacker he had moved quickly into the rotation and was eyeing playing time at both inside and outside linebacker.
But when tailbacks Caleb King and Washaun Ealey — whose superior play had initiated his initial position switch — were unceremoniously jettisoned, and Carlton Thomas was staring down a first-game suspension, the Bulldogs simply had nowhere else to turn.
Samuel sat down with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to talk about how he is reinventing himself, his bonding with linebacker Jarvis Jones and his impressions of freshman Isaiah Crowell:
Q: How would you describe the transition back to offense? Was it harder than you expected or pretty easy?
A: It has been pretty seamless going back to offense. I played offense for my first two years here, so I learned the complete playbook and everything to do then. It’s really just going back to the same thing I started with, so it hasn’t been that hard.
Q: Surely some things have changed. How much would you say is different?
A: I’d just say the signals mainly; actually the whole play-calling situation. We’re doing a lot of no-huddle and a lot of high-tempo stuff, and that’s new to us. There are a lot of sight adjustments, so you have to be paying attention and focused and listening and hurrying up.
Q: In all honesty, are you back on offense because Georgia asked you to go over there, or are you on offense now because you thought it’d be the best thing for Richard Samuel?
A: I’m over there because I thought it would help the team. I mean, that’s what this is all about. We were in a bad situation. We only had Carlton [Thomas]. He was the only veteran guy who had any playing time. Ken Malcome and Isaiah [Crowell] and Brandon Harton, none of them had any playing time. So I felt like I could contribute and get more playing time and help the team.
Q: Now that you’ve been through some practices, are you convinced it was the best move for you?
A: I feel confident that it was a good decision for me. Personally, I just want to help the team and play and contribute to the team. I mean, I’m just getting out there and playing and doing my best. All I want to do is get out on the field somehow.
Q: How do you think you’re meshing with the other backs?
A: I feel like I fit in well. Most of the guys we have are like scat backs, guys with a lot of speed and agility. I feel like I can be more of a downhill power guy.
Q: Did you get the feeling you were going to enjoy playing defense as much as you did toting the rock?
A: I liked defense fine. I figured I’d be playing behind Alec Ogletree mostly, but I felt like I was getting a lot better and was going to help us there. But when it came down to it, I felt like I could contribute more and get more playing time and help the team more on offense.
Q: You and Jarvis Jones bonded during your stint on defense, especially last year when you both had to sit out the season. Now he’s hitting you every day in practice. Y’all still friends?
A: [Laughs] We’re still talking on the sidelines. I mess around with him a little bit, make jokes with him. So we’re still close. I might give him some pointers on what to look for now and then.
Q: What have been your impressions of Isaiah Crowell?
A: He’s been good. He’s out there practicing hard and trying to learn things. He’s just playing hard. He’ll be able to help us.
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