Richard Samuel - The Game : CORE Magazine

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April 30, 2008

RICHARD SAMUEL
GEORGIA UNIVERSITY

By: david.edole
From Our Apr. - May 2008 Issue

ST. CROIX --Think back. Think back to when you were 16 years old. What were you doing? Most of us were either in the high school listening to Violators or Jam Band. But there is a Virgin Islander who is standout on the football field and has enrolled at Georgia University.

His name is Richard Samuel.

Samuel's journey to big time football is not that rare but his age and his abilities put him in a different category.

It all started 10 years ago on the island of St. Croix. Samuel's mother, Donna Frye, made a decision to leave the Virgin Islands for an educational opportunity and a better life for her family. The young Samuel was left on the island with his family for two years before the family reunited with is mother. It was an adjustment period for the family.

"She came to get a better education and for a better life for me, said Samuel."

"I still miss it (St. Croix) sometimes," he said. "It's different here [Georgia]."

Things got interesting when Samuel stepped on the football field in seventh grade. He had always played soccer, but he found he liked to hit.

He was a skinny freshman who hits but had nothing behind of it. But something changed his life forever. It was the weight room. The skinny kid ballooned to 215 pounds and those hits started to get oomph to it.

In one game this past season, while playing at outside linebacker, he hit the players from Adairsville so hard, the ref asked him to back off the gas pedal just a bit.

Georgia caught win of the talented junior running back but he was just 15 years old. He had great grades and Samuel was going to be on every schools want list. Georgia staff made him a priority.

His recruiting process came to an end one morning in government class. Richt text messaged Samuel. "Georgia wanted Samuel." Samuel instantly committed.

"Georgia needs someone to knock people back, "said Coach Richt. And Samuel loves to hit; A perfect marriage.

Samuel is ranked 35^th in the nation by rivals.com and is slated to be second on the depth chart at the running back position behind Knowshon Moreno. He is also expected to play a little at outside linebacker position. Samuel actually prefers linebacker, where he had 82 tackles and two blocked field goals as a senior at Cass High.

The Bulldogs are the 2008 Sugar Bowl champions and will be in the BCS championship picture in the upcoming season.

The Samuel family has come a long way for those academics. And now, Samuel understands that football can take him even further.

Samuel's journey to big time football is not that rare but his age and his abilities put him in a different category