Kirby Smart got his first commitment since becoming Georgia’s coach on Sunday.
It came from Richard LeCounte III, the No. 8-ranked player for the Class of 2017, according to ESPN’s recruiting rankings.
The 5-foot-11, 174-pound defensive back from Hinesville Liberty County High School in Georgia made his decision just a few hours before the recruiting dead period began today.
LeCounte, the top-ranked safety in the class, committed to Georgia despite being offered by other SEC schools in Alabama, Auburn and Florida along with others such as Clemson and Florida State.
He announced his decision via Twitter on Sunday afternoon.
https://twitter.com/LilEasy_35/status/676124316552060928
In three years at Hinesville Liberty County, the versatile athlete has totaled 299 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 11 forced fumbles and 11 interceptions while rushing for 1,358 yards and also catching 47 passes for 883 yards. He’s also thrown for 688 yards. LeCounte is responsible for 26 TDs so far against high school competition.
All four of Georgia’s 2017 commits are ranked among the top 300 prospects for that class, according to ESPN’s recruiting rankings.
The SEC is dominating that recruiting class so far, gaining four of the top eight overall prospects. DT Tyler Shelvin (No. 4) is committed to LSU, OT Calvin Ashley (No. 6) is committed to Auburn and RB Najee Harris (No. 7) is committed to Alabama.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
