Originally a native of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Richard Samuel was a highly touted running back/linebacker prospect out of Cass High School. Only 16 years old when he enrolled at UGA in the winter of 2008, he was one of 16 five-star recruits signed by the Bulldogs during the Mark Richt coaching era (2001-2015). Although having somewhat of an adversity-filled, inconsistent career at Georgia, Samuel is considered one of the most dedicated Bulldog players in recent memory.
In 2008, Samuel became just the fifth Georgia true freshman to gain 400-plus yards in kickoff return yardage. Three years later in a then-rare win in Jacksonville, his 11-carry effort, including the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, remains memorable in Georgia-Florida lore. In 2012, Samuel became just the seventh Georgia player to total at least 800 rushing yards, 100 yards receiving, and 400 yards on kickoff returns in a career.
Recognized for his strong work ethic while at Georgia, Samuel currently works in both the real estate and commercial panel industries. We caught up with him from his home in the Atlanta area.
UGASports: When you were being recruited, Georgia averaged only about one five-star signee per year. At the time, did you fully realize the magnitude of being a five-star recruit?
Samuel: I did not—didn’t really focus on it much. When I started playing football around the seventh grade, I just focused on myself. I wasn’t really aware of what any college players were doing, or NFL players. I just played the sport and enjoyed myself. When I first started getting correspondence from colleges—I think I was a sophomore at Cass, maybe a junior—I didn’t know what to expect. Few in my family had gone to college, and no one had gone to play football in college, so I didn’t totally understand what was happening during my recruiting process. I got all these letters and offers, and I knew I was receiving great recognition. I just didn’t realize the magnitude of everything. I just kept doing my thing as far as school and football, and just kept enjoying life.
UGASports: Were there any other schools you considered attending besides UGA? And, in the end, why did you decide on UGA?
Samuel: If there was another school I considered, it might have been Georgia Tech. I didn’t have many family members in the States, and didn’t want to move far from my mother, who lived in Georgia. At the same time, I wasn’t educated about the recruiting process. For example, I didn’t fully understand that I could take an official visit to any school that wanted me. So, I was really only thinking of attending school in-state. I visited Georgia Tech, went to a game there, and just didn’t feel at home. However, at Georgia, the coaching staff, particularly Mark Richt (head coach), Mike Bobo (offensive coordinator), and Tony Ball (Samuel’s position coach his first year), they made me feel like a person first and not just a player. Coach Richt sat down with my family and me and had a straightforward, personal conversation—and we really didn’t talk about football. He talked about a recruit’s development while at UGA to become a productive member of society once he left school—for a lot of us—growing from a boy into a man.
UGASports: When did you realize you had arrived, so to speak, at Georgia, and you felt like you’d start to make an impact on the field?
Samuel: What really stands out to me was when I was told entering my sophomore year (2009) that I was going to be the team’s starting running back. I recall, Coach Bobo and Coach [Bryan] McClendon (running backs coach) coming to me and saying I was named the starter. I had just turned 18 a few months before, and I was Georgia’s starting running back when we opened up in front of a packed stadium at Oklahoma State. And just a couple of years before, I'd played in a high school stadium that maybe held 2,000 spectators. It took some time for all of that to soak in. (As Georgia’s primary running back to start the ’09 season, Samuel rushed for 256 yards on 51 carries and two touchdowns in the season’s first three games.)
UGASports: Soon after the start of the 2009 season through, really, the end of your career in 2012, you faced a series of adversities: decreased playing time, moving up and down the depth chart, moving to linebacker and then back to running back, mostly playing special teams, etc. When would you say you faced the toughest adversity?
Samuel: I’ve always worked hard and did whatever it took for me to get on the field. And to work as hard as I did [as a running back in 2009], and work on the things I was coached to work on–that didn’t necessarily translate to playing time for me, that was probably the most adversity I faced. From that, however, I realized I needed to put myself in a position to more so control my own destiny. So, I requested a position change to linebacker. I went to the coaching staff and mentioned I could see my playing time dwindling, and I could see who else we had at running back and who else we might be getting at the position. So, I requested the change to linebacker, and they granted it to me. (Redshirting for the 2010 season, Samuel played linebacker for the scout team where he and fellow redshirt Jarvis Jones teamed to form “the best scout-team linebacker tandem in the country,” according to Coach Richt in November of 2010.)
UGASports: You went from competing to be a starting inside linebacker on the team to being moved back to your original starting position after two running backs were kicked off the team that summer. We’re curious, looking back on your move from running back-to-linebacker-to-running back, have you ever wondered what if—what if I remained at running back my whole career, or what if I didn’t routinely switch positions like I did?
Samuel: I have always been a team player. So, at the time when I was asked to move back to running back [in 2011], I was thinking whatever the team needed me to do, I’ll do. But, looking back on it, me moving from linebacker back to running back might have hindered my career. As soon as I was moved to linebacker, I had a blast! I started making plays on the scout team, plays in walk-throughs, and plays at G-Day (Samuels led the winning Black team in tackles in the 2011 G-Day game). Playing linebacker on the college level, it felt more fluid and natural for me. I think my career would have played out better at Georgia had I stayed at linebacker.
UGASports: The game at Georgia you’re likely most associated with is the 24-20 win over Florida in 2011. (Having not been the Bulldogs’ featured back in more than two years, Samuels carried the offensive load down the stretch, including scoring the game-winning touchdown, in a then-rare win over the Gators.) What do you remember about your role in that historic victory?
Samuel: My attitude for every game was to help my team no matter what I was asked to do. And, at first, we had other guys running the ball while I did my job on special teams. Suddenly, I was called upon on offense in the second half and got the majority of my carries in the fourth quarter. I didn’t understand the magnitude of it all at the time. I was just asked to do something, and I did my job. And my job primarily was to run the power play right off the tackle and let the tight end kick them out. Looking back on it, being able to help the team beat Florida by me doing my specific job, is something that stands out to me—something I remember and am really proud of.
UGASports: The play you might be most associated with is the snuffed fake punt at Missouri in 2012. (Samuel’s tackle on a Tiger fake punt in the fourth quarter of a close game was likely the turning point of a big road win.) What do you remember about it? And do you recall Coach Richt giving you a hug—a hug that was broadcasted all over TV and was photographed—following the play?
Samuel: At the time, like I was saying before, I was just doing my job. And my job was to shed my guy off the block and make sure there was no fake punt. I was just doing my job and made the tackle in the process. And I definitely remember the hug. In fact, I have a signed picture of him hugging me. I look at that photo today and truly appreciate Coach Richt’s outward expression of joy when he leaped up and embraced me with the hug after the tackle. You didn’t often see that kind of emotion from Coach Richt. Looking back at it now, I’m like, wow, I must have really done something much bigger than I realized at that moment.
UGASports: What did Coach Richt do for you back then that benefits you the most today?
Samuel: Coach Richt developed me to be a man to where I think about how my actions and decisions not only affect me, but also my loved ones. Also, he developed me to be a spiritual and godly man who'd be a husband and father one day. He instilled that small foundation in me. And now, the foundation has been built up and it has paid dividends for me. I’m now blessed to be a husband and father.
UGASports: Tell us what you did after you graduated from UGA. And what do you currently do professionally?
Samuel: After graduating, I eventually went back to school and got my master’s degree. Since I left UGA, I got my real estate license. I’m an agent with Virtual Properties Reality and work primarily in residential investment real estate. My main goal for my clients is to help them generate wealth through real estate. Since I was working with a lot of investors with safety concerns for some of their projects—we want everyone to go home safely—I was able to transition into a second work role as the Safety Manager at FORGE. We’re a commercial panel company that designs and constructs cold-formed steel buildings.
UGASports: Tell us about your family.
Samuel: I met my wife, Kelli, at UGA. We have two amazing kids: Richard, who is 10, and Sophia, who will be three next month. We live in Gwinnett County.
UGASports: Do you currently associate with the Georgia football program in any way?
Samuel: Definitely. I serve on panel meetings with the Lettermen’s Club. I come back for games and tailgates, including several last season. I still try to stay involved with the program as much as I can.
UGASports: Finally, what critical advice would you give a signee at a major program who, as you were, is a much heralded, five-star prospect?
Samuel: I would advise them: Make sure you are about your business. Everything you do—practicing, studying film, game time—be about your business. Those times you miss practice, studying film, etc., or you’re not taking it seriously, you cannot get that precious time back. Those practices that you’re only giving half-effort, you’re not sharpening your craft just to make it through. So, be about your business in every aspect of the game. That will only help you get better every day.
