HINSESVILLE, Ga. — Richard LeCounte III showed why he was the nation’s No. 2 athlete for 2017 in Liberty County’s 12-3 win over Wayne County on Friday night.
LeCounte, the 4-star from Liberty County, made the play of the game when he flew in from his free safety spot, stole the ball and was credited with a forced fumble, fumble recovery and an approximate 40-yard touchdown return.
That helped Liberty County register a historic victory. It marked the first time that Panthers (coached by former UGA tight end Kirk Warner) had beaten their rivals from Jesup.
On LeCounte’s signature play, he stole away that ball with a pair of UGA gloves on. Watching Friday’s game from the sidelines was UGA assistant Mike Ekeler, who made it to Liberty County to catch LeCounte in the fourth quarter.
LeCounte told the AJC’s DawgNation.com he will be back in Athens for the Alabama game, but said he’d decide how he feels in the morning if he will make the trip to Athens for the Southern game on Saturday.
What else did he say after the game? He shared his thoughts on several topics in the above video interview.
Press play if you want to learn about:
- The impressive reason why his family celebrates his birthday on a different day
- He learned how to drive at a very early age. How long has he been able to drive a car?
- He will commit this year. What month does he have in mind?
- Will he follow Liberty County’s Raekwon McMillan up to Ohio State?
- Which two other schools aside from UGA make up his top group?
LeCounte said the interest from Ohio State is intense. He gets about 10 direct messages on his phone every morning from Urban Meyer to position coaches and key support personnel.
Jeff Sentell covers UGA recruiting for AJC.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges.