How this Georgia defensive back has handled criticism from Kirby Smart

Kirby Smart was carefully observing the defensive practice field as he took a slow trot. Seconds later, he laid his eyes on Richard LeCounte.

LeCounte was in the midst of a drill when Georgia’s head coach yelled advice across the field.

“Richard, Richard! I need to see your face,” Smart said as he placed a hand across his face to demonstrate. “I don’t want to see your shoulder in there.”

Among all of the Bulldogs’ defensive backs, LeCounte was singled out — which had become a pattern for the highly-touted sophomore. Smart called LeCounte one of his “favorite players to coach” but not without persistence and some more yelling.

“He makes some of the greatest plays I’ve ever seen,” Smart said. “Then he makes some of the most boneheaded plays I’ve ever seen. There’s not a level of consistency there.

“He loves football just as much as anyone out there, but he has to have a level of consistency to be successful. Right now, he’s not doing that.”

Smart has referenced LeCounte’s inconsistencies on plenty of occasions. The sophomore may make a “phenomenal play,” and then Smart may get frustrated with a blatant error five minutes later.

The sometimes blunt criticisms range from on-field efforts to honing in on emotion. LeCounte formally addressed the media for the first time Tuesday and didn’t deny the criticism can be both positive and negative. But it’s something he’s using as a learning experience.

“It’s coaching. I can’t sit here and be mad about it,” LeCounte said. “I’d probably be even madder if he wasn’t coaching me.”

LeCounte’s emotion was well-documented during his recruitment as he was a leader of Georgia’s 2017 class. He flashed a wide grin and was always one of the first to speak. It translated onto the football field, and while LeCounte doesn’t consider himself to be a risk-taker, he can “gamble at times.”

“That right there is something I have to work on,” LeCounte said. “It’s something I can focus on every day in practice — slowing my pace down and getting mental reps.”

While nothing has been announced, all signals indicate that LeCounte will be depended upon in the Bulldogs’ secondary. In his freshman campaign, LeCounte played sparingly and recorded 15 tackles in seven games. Although, he did receive valuable experience in bigger-stage games at Notre Dame and in the Rose Bowl against Oklahoma.

Those high-stakes games have helped with the development of LeCounte, a player who Georgia sees lofty potential in.

“Getting that taste last year is something I can build upon because I have high expectations for myself,” LeCounte said. “It allows me to think, ‘Wow, this is really how the game is like and how fast it is.’ ”

On the practice field, LeCounte’s teammates see a lot of positive plays from the safety. As the consistency improves, the Bulldogs look forward to his in-game showings.

“I always see Richard flash,” Georgia wide receiver Jayson Stanley said. “I’m seeing him do good stuff out there.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 3:48 PM with the headline "How this Georgia defensive back has handled criticism from Kirby Smart."