Freshman defensive back sees time with first-team defense

With senior cornerback Malkom Parrish out two to four weeks due to a broken foot, Georgia reconfigured its secondary.

During the media viewing period before Saturday's scrimmage, Georgia warmed up with some 7-on-7 drills that featured a repositioned secondary.

With Aaron Davis at cornerback, it was freshman Richard LeCounte operating as the other safety along with senior Dominick Sanders.

LeCounte came to Georgia as a five-star prospect and would now appear to have a chance to earn a great deal of playing time.

Head coach Kirby Smart said LeCounte has shown steady improvement since the beginning of the preseason.

"He's gotten a lot of better," Smart said. "He started the spring in what I call a rat trap, all over the place. He runs anywhere and does anything. You never knew what he was going to do."

Smart said LeCounte probably understands "50-60 percent" of what he needs to do on defense. Smart hopes LeCounte can improve that to 90-100 percent so that he won't have to constantly rely on Sanders to know what he needs to do on every play.

"When he has to make all the decisions, he struggles sometimes," Smart said. "He's growing up. He practices hard, and he's physical. I'm glad he was here in the spring so he could be where he is now."

With LeCounte at safety, Tulsa transfer J.R. Reed was spotted with the first team at the star position. Reed had previously been working at safety.

When Georgia went to dime, Tyrique McGhee – who has been dealing with injuries and was spotted in a non-contact jersey – came onto the field as the sixth defensive back.

While not a defensive back, linebacker Walter Grant appeared to get some work with the first team during this 7-on-7 drill.

This was certainly an interesting look for the Bulldogs. Working with the second group in the secondary were two freshmen – safety Latavious Brini and cornerback Eric Stokes.

This story was originally published August 19, 2017 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Freshman defensive back sees time with first-team defense."