Fortunes of Georgia, Richt can turn on recruiting Crowell
Carver-Columbus High's Isaiah Crowell can be a difference-maker at Georgia. (Jason Getz/AJC)
Those of you who’ve read me around college football recruiting time are familiar with my feelings about it. I’ve mostly mocked it — not because I think it’s not important but because the importance is so often overstated
We’ve seen enough in college football to know that it’s less important how highly a player — or entire recruiting class — is ranked by DraftSuperGeek.com than it is what happens to that player when he arrives on campus. Most significant is whether players are coached up, down or not at all.
How many top 10 recruiting classes you think TCU has pulled in the last 100 years? I’ll speculate: zero.
OK, that said, the fortunes of Georgia next season — and, it follows, coach Mark Richt — could swing on the potential recruitment of one player. I know. I’m contradicting myself. But by all accounts, running back Isaiah Crowell of Carver High School in Columbus, Ga., is that special of a player and, most importantly, he plays the right position.
The Dogs need to improve in a lot of areas but mostly they need a running back they can count on from week to week, on and off the field (read: not Caleb King).
What did Marcus Lattimore do for South Carolina this season? What did a guy named Herschel Walker do for Georgia?
Nobody can guarantee Crowell will be in that category as a freshman, but most seem to believe he’s a game-changer. Richt’s issue is he may not have the luxury of time so he needs an immediate-impact player in 2011. Crowell would pair nicely with quarterback Aaron Murray. The expected loss of A.J. Green will hurt the offense but Murray is good enough — his Liberty Bowl performance notwithstanding — that the Dogs should still have a solid passing attack.
Our recruiting monster, Chip Towers, is down in Florida at the high school All-American game at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Here’s a link to his latest blog about recruits saying they’re not spooked by Georgia’s 6-7 record this year. Here’s an excerpt, which quotes Crowell:
The general consensus among some of the state’s highest-profile college football prospects is that Georgia’s 6-7 record this past season is not necessarily a deal-killer with regard to their recruitment. Most notably, that is the opinion of Carver-Columbus running back Isaiah Crowell. He is generally considered Georgia’s highest-ranked recruit and is, quite clearly, the Bulldogs’ No. 1 target from the Class of 2011.
“Really, I don’t how they’re going to be when I get there,” Crowell said, speaking metaphorically of the possibility of enrolling at UGA before next season. “I try not to think about it like that. One year South Carolina’s down, then Marcus Lattimore went there and the program’s up. So you never know how it will be when you get there. And I feel like I’ll be a difference maker wherever I go.”
Hey, he stole the Lattimore example from me.
For what it’s worth, Georgia’s in a recruiting battle with Alabama and Auburn for Crowell.
So what do you think? Can one player like Crowell make that big of a difference?
This might help you make your decision. It’s a near four-minute highlight video of Crowell from Scout.com, via YouTube. (Sorry, no audio. But you can provide your own screaming.)
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Earlier post: Our first coach rankings (and a poll about Richt, Hewitt)
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601 comments Add your comment
Talking to ALL Recruits
January 4th, 2011
12:17 am
Kevin, I did not follow your lead and go to The Lemon peel, or see you in drag at a Cher Concert.
The fact you are this immature shows what kind of person you are and your poor level of education,
Just face it you are a loser of the greatest proportion and taking your hits against a writer for the AJC for article you do not agree with shows the life you led as a child. Now get off the computer and fill your bottle up and take it, just pretend it is your boyfriend and he is there with you.
Junkyard Dawg
January 4th, 2011
12:19 am
I don’t see why Crowell would come here. UGA simply doesn’t have a good offensive line. If he went to Bama he would have some beef to run behind.
simplythetruth
January 4th, 2011
12:19 am
Would you really want to wish Mark Richt on Crowell? Crowell deserves alot better coach than Richt. Maybe just maybe McGarity will use his head and can Richt now.
Wright
January 4th, 2011
12:20 am
It’s gonna take a lot more than Crowell to turn this thing around.
Spoke
January 4th, 2011
12:23 am
Crowell could turn Richt back into a genius. In exactly the same way Herschel Walker turned Vince Dooley into a genius.
Kevin
January 4th, 2011
12:24 am
Coming from the man who is patrolling the AJC blogs at 12:30 instead of banging with his “slampiece of a bride”…
jean stephens
January 4th, 2011
12:33 am
Georgia needs to look at Dexter Walker from Dacula…great kid on and off the field, scholar athlete, RB and DB
Boring
January 4th, 2011
12:35 am
This year’s recruiting class will be just like all of the others…UGA will sign a few highly regarded atheletes, and lose a few they thought they would get. It will be a Top 15, maybe Top 10 class which will under-perform in the years to come.
I hear all of this talk about the “Dream Team…” Same thing every year…it’s all apart of the delusional hope that I am so tired of. Yawn.
PMC
January 4th, 2011
12:37 am
It’s a great topic. I’m really not sure. Unfortunately he wasn’t enough for Carver Columbus.
At this point Richt needs a miracle in strength and condititioning. He needs a miracle in focus and dicipline. He needs the Georgia team to be everything that they are not right now. South Carolina had a pretty good defense and decent to excellent skill position talent around a really mediocre QB. Georgia looks to have decent skill talent, around a vastly sluggish to overrated line on both sides of the football. They were ABYSMAL at safety. Embarassing really.
One guy isn’t going to make the difference up at tailback. They need multiple guys to focus step up and be dedicated.
If they get the kind of difference makers in Jones and Samuel that they are hoping for and the kid at safety is the real deal. I think that will go a long way.
They need an impact player at tailback no matter what the name is. A guy who is going to get the tough yards and rip off some game breaking runs. They don’t have that on the roster right now.
Gen Neyland
January 4th, 2011
12:41 am
He may very well go to UGA but it’s a case of counting chickens before they’re fried. The ink is still in the Bic and until it’s a done deal, it ain’t nothing but a thing. Then and again, there’s this dude at USCw that now knows the South has players too…Good luck to the kid.
PMC
January 4th, 2011
12:44 am
editorials in the paper don’t effect programs one iota. They do offer an excellent forum for people to voice thier opinions both positive and negative.
All they have to do to change the text is to win ballgames. Slumps like this one come from ignoring huge issues or hoping they go away rather than addressing them.
Mark Richt is a good football coach or he wouldn’t have that job. He knows what he’s got to do. He knows what needs to happen.
Sometimes…even experienced captains go down with thier ships.
Jeff in Calhoun
January 4th, 2011
1:08 am
I noticed that none of those high lights were from the Calhoun Game. He looked like a average good back against them with 97 yards rushing.
Richard Cranium
January 4th, 2011
1:21 am
Poor Georgee… A recruit to save the program from despair….??
UGA is truly pathetic.
JRW7
January 4th, 2011
1:37 am
Go to bed now JEFF I can handle these dummies for you!
P. Bull Terrier
January 4th, 2011
1:53 am
The loss of AJ Green could actually be a positive thing next season, if he is replaced by a playmaker like Crowell at running back. UGA has some talent at wide receiver, but Green was such a big part of the game plan that others tended to get lost in the shuffel. King, Troupe, and others may step up to help create a more balanced, and difficult to defend, passing attack. College teams lose star players almost every year, and most of the time they find someone else to step up and fill the void.
I like the way Crowell runs in traffic. A back who can simply outrun the defense looks great in high school, but finds it a lot more difficult to get into the open field in college. Crowell looks like he can bounce off and break through tacklers near the line of scrimmage, then turn on the afterburners for the endzone. If he outgrows the attitude problems he displayed in the playoffs, and can make an impact as a freshman for UGA, this team’s offensive fortunes could turn around very quickly.
He Hate Gator
January 4th, 2011
2:15 am
Crowell can help but still need some blocking and assistant coaches that can coach…
Tech Man
January 4th, 2011
2:24 am
Impressive athlete. UGA will need him. However, it has to be tough for a parent to send a child to UGA these days. 41% of athletes are arrested at least once during a four year period.
Knockahoma
January 4th, 2011
2:26 am
He looks tough. However, there isn’t anything in the video that makes me think this kid is a key piece. Sure, he is obviously a D-I talent, and I think UGA should be gunning for him, but the talent level in the skill positions hasn’t been the problem for the Dawgs. Coaching, discipline have been the biggest problems, and I feel that they have missed on a few of their offensive line recruits.
The games are won on the line of scrimmage, and until UGA re-establishes a dominating style on both the O and D-lines the underachieving of the past few years will continue.
Woody Woodward
January 4th, 2011
2:52 am
Can he hold a beer and throw a punch at the same time?
Mark Richt won with Donnan players and BVG.
January 4th, 2011
2:55 am
First CMR needs to check and see if this guy has a valid drivers license.
hip hop sanford
January 4th, 2011
2:57 am
can he do tha soulja boy on the side lines?
Stinger2
January 4th, 2011
4:08 am
No sour grapes from a GT fan. But the statement ” I will make a difference when I get there
Stinger2
January 4th, 2011
4:11 am
Excuse the non-finish:
This guy`s statement that “I will make a difference when I get there” suggests that the equipment manager needs to get him a supply of extra size helments.
01HAWK
January 4th, 2011
4:17 am
BAMA just had a 4 STAR RB DEE HART to committ to the TIDE after he de-committed from MICHIGAN. Crowell will have a better chance to play at UGA.
He would have to cpmpete against Trent Richardson…………..Possible Heisman candidate, Dee Hart, and Eddie Lacey.
One player will not turn UGA into a 10 game winner and diffinitely not a BCS Chanpionship game team.
UGA has more problems with there recruiting. They need WR and OL.
Lifelong Dawg
January 4th, 2011
4:19 am
Richt’s offensive philosophy will marginalize Crowell and make him a non-factor. If Rich had been coaching Herschel Walker he would have gotten 10-15 touches a game, including screen passes.
Lifelong Dawg
January 4th, 2011
4:21 am
I should have included Bobo in my statements about Richt’s offensive philosophy. Those two are in lock-step…
Bull
January 4th, 2011
5:11 am
Schultz, you should ask yourself sometime whether its others who are delusional or just you. Better yet….I bet if there was a UGA fan poll on whos the most respected opinion columnists covering UGA, you and Bradley would be dead last. You should read what other UGA column cohorts think of you and Bradley.
Neal Perry
January 4th, 2011
5:12 am
It is possible that one running back could be a part of the puzzle for what ails UGA, but certainly not the whole solution. Some of the scouting reports I have read also on this young man, state that he has had a great offensive line to run behind and a few other backs with him on this team. I think, and I could be reading too much into those reports, that the jury may still be out on how he will do at the next level. Also, remember, Bobo will still be calling offensive (very offensive at times) plays so this young fella might be held back by that alone. Also, they need to think about getting some beef to block for him.
Red
January 4th, 2011
5:24 am
Did TCU and Stanford have a Dream Team to finish 13-0 and 12-1, this year? I’ve been a CMR supporter all these years until the 4th and 1, kick a field goal call on the three yard line during the Liberty Bowl game. That pretty much summarizes the fall of the UGA football program the past three years. Everything starts and ends with coaching. Talent just makes coaching easier.
Looking forward to signing day.
January 4th, 2011
5:50 am
It has been very quite on the recruiting front at AU. THE game is focusing attention in another direction. That being said, there are some very interesting rumblings going on over on the Plains. Crowell has become very good friends with Michael Dyer and is looking forward to sharing the backfield duties with him next year at Auburn. He is taking some heat from UGA fanatics, but consider it a lock that he will be wearing the Blue and Orange next September along with a few more surprises.
Mountain Dawg
January 4th, 2011
6:03 am
WGAS?
barrow dog
January 4th, 2011
6:04 am
the reports that are critical of young mr Crowell’s game time behavoir are disturbing, if true. folks… i’m a serious UGA fan, but just don’t know if i can take 9 months of the garbage that most of y’all put on these blogs. let us concede a few points: both UGA and Tech had/have problems that preclude either fan base from casting aspersions on the other. both head coaches will be back… wait till next season to light the torches and take up your pitch forks… that these young men playing a game are the same age as the young men who are risking their lives in the “stans” to keep america safe . I can only hope that you people can and will be just as passionate in your support of them as you are of your teams
Doug the Jacket
January 4th, 2011
6:12 am
He’s good, but if he’s smart he will go to Alabama.
gomdawg
January 4th, 2011
6:19 am
IF HE HAS NOT COMMITT TO GEORGIA THEN WE DON’T NEED HIM, IF HE WAS FOR GEORGIA HE WOULD NOT PLAY AROUND HE WOULD BE COMMITTED. THAT OUR PROBLEM WE NEED PLAYERS THAT LOVE GEORGIA THEY BLEED RED AND BLACK SO GO AFTER A 2 OR 3 STAR THAT LOVES MY DAWGS THE WAY I DO.
Beast from the East
January 4th, 2011
6:28 am
Is he going to be that much better than Stafford? How bout Moreno? Head and shoulders better than AJ? Those are all first round draft picks that couldn’t put UGA over the top. Pinning all of Richt’s hopes for the future on one kid is pretty sad. If that’s the case, then he’s better off going to Bama or Auburn where he won’t be asked to carry an entire program.
Silly article, Jeff.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
January 4th, 2011
6:32 am
Yeah, his blocking ability in the Passing game, lord knows CMR will Red Shirt him if he cannot block. Go ask Knowshon about that.
Spike
January 4th, 2011
6:39 am
I will wait and see. Remember Jasper Sanks?
Chris Matthews
January 4th, 2011
6:41 am
One player made the impact for Auburn! Without Cam Newton..Auburn would be just average. Auburn lost 4 0f the last 5 to Georgia!
gomdawg
January 4th, 2011
6:42 am
STANLEY SEAY HAS COMMITTED TO GEORGIA A WR THAT LOVES AND DREAMED OF PLAYING WITH GEORGIA NOW THATS WHAT GEORGIA NEEDS A PLAYER THAT BLEEDS RED AND BLACK HE’S NOT A 5 OR 4 STAR I’LL TAKE A KID LIKE THIS ANY DAY
Bull Meacham
January 4th, 2011
6:42 am
To DA Double UG:
In my opinion, Jeff and Bradley haven’t been critical enough. Our program is a joke. 4th and inches in the Liberty Bowl! Taking a knee with 50 seconds left in 1st half at Auburn, Alabama Blackout blowout, Knoxville blowout(s). How McGarity can keep Richt and Co is beyond me and the newspaper needs to call them out more.
Plus Schultz is funny and fun to read.
Stinger2
January 4th, 2011
6:43 am
Florida with Teebow! One player can make a coach look better than he is!
dawgerbrown
January 4th, 2011
7:01 am
NOT IF THE LINE CAN’T BLOCK!
Glenn
January 4th, 2011
7:03 am
Looking over the past few seasons I ask this; would one recruit, ANY one recruit, change the coaching staff’s “control” over the kids getting in trouble with the law? Would this kid single-handedly been able to change the outcome of a game like, say Alabama, where the Bulldogs were totally overmatched and gave up as a team? Would one kid make Mark Richt a better game day strategist or team motivator?
The answer to all of these questions is no. If your program has to put all of it’s success, or failure, riding on the shoulders of the introduction of a single player, then you’ve built a program destined for distaster from the very beginning. What would happen if this play decided NOT to come to your school? What if he DID but got injured, became ineligible, transferred, or left early for the NFL?
Such short-sightedness is another sign of a coach who has lost control of his program. He MUST have a full pipeline of quality players to have a sustainable, competitive, program. One player shouldn’t make such THAT much of a difference (I can see a large influx of players doing great things together, but no one kid)…
Wereunthisstate42-34
January 4th, 2011
7:07 am
UGA fans need to understand that this program is not one of the elite in nation. Be happy with mid tier bowls.
TampaGator
January 4th, 2011
7:28 am
I remember how A.J. Green’s recruitment meant a national championship for the Dawgs….how’d that work out for you? Motivation through excellent coaching is the critical factor in program building (TCU, Stanford)….and player and team motivation is obviously a major problem at Georgia. I hope Georgia gets Crowell so we can here…all summer….how they “are now” set to win the SEC and national title next year.
Jeff
January 4th, 2011
7:28 am
funny…could be but if I remember correctly, the same was said about Caleb King….and we all know how that moron turned out…..
JB
January 4th, 2011
7:28 am
It would not be fair to Crowell to expect him to save Richt…..Watch the bowl again and our OL.
Herschel Could not have gained 100 yards. No blocking what so ever. The problems in Athens are larger than RB.
bitter larry munson---(size does matter)
January 4th, 2011
7:28 am
walker had all the stats butt nobody new the size of his HEART, size does matter. crowell to be determine???????????????, the dream team will safe richt job or not————-send adams and richt packing and bring back booze, “tail” gaiting and fun and hard noise football—–and maybe another jan kemp scandal
TampaGator
January 4th, 2011
7:28 am
that’s “hear”
Boobie Bowden
January 4th, 2011
7:30 am
So what is this kid’s arrest record? Remember, you can’t go to Jawga without a rap sheet.