Richard Samuel and musical chairs

Good morning, and a very happy Friday to you, unless, of course, you have to work on Saturday, in which case you probably don't give a crap that it's Friday.

By now, it's day-old news to most that the Georgia coaching staff asked Richard Samuel to move back to running back, and "Dicky Sams" (it would seem) enthusiastically accepted.

Georgia fans are no strangers to seeing a highly-touted recruit get shuffled around between various positions throughout his college career. Brandon Miller moved from various LB spots before ending up at defensive end, and never really making his mark. Kiante Tripp came in as an offensive tackle, and was moved to TE and DE, also failing to truly make a name for himself at the college level.

Now, many are wondering if the same fate, that of an ineffectual journeyman, will befall Sir Richard (he's not really a knight).

Who can say for sure, but it should be noted that he's moving back to running back due to a dire need by the team, and the fact that the coaching staff seems to think he can be productive there. In the other cases, I think it was more a situation of "well, you're not helping us here, so maybe you'll have better luck at another position."

Samuel's physical tools can't be denied. Though he'll likely need to shed at least 10 lbs., his 6'2 240lb. frame and blazing speed should allow him to, at the very least, be an adequate solution to go along with Crowell, Malcome, and Frostproof Thomas. In addition, folks maintain he's as smart, selfless, and hard-working as they come.

The bottom line is, Richt and the rest of the coaching staff must have come to the conclusion that the team was far better off with him at running back vs. battling for back-up snaps at linebacker, which is where he was situated heading into fall practice. It appeared he was in line for spot duty behind Alec Ogletree, who defensive coordinator Todd Grantham basically seems the highest on of any defensive player.

So, event though for his own sake, I had hoped Samuel was left alone to learn and improve at one position, I can't fault the move as a whole. If he is really expected to be in a position to help Georgia win games, then perhaps things will work out for his own career as well.