Isaiah Crowell: From recruit to key to Georgia’s season?
Two young Bulldogs (one human): Isaiah Crowell of Georgia and his little pal. (AP photo)
(Updated with Mark Richt comments.)
ATHENS — Isaiah Crowell just signed his letter of intent to attend Georgia. So is it too early to assume he’s the key to next season? I don’t think so.
Crowell is a 5-star recruit. He’s the nation’s consensus top running back. Highlights and statistics from Carver-Columbus project possible greatness. But we’ve seen too much to assume anything. Most recently, we’ve seen Caleb King, a former 5-star recruit who has been a huge disappointment.
But if Crowell lives up to the hype, he will become something even more important than the best player in Georgia’s recruiting class. He’ll be the most important player on the Bulldogs’ roster next season.
When asked how he sees Crowell contributing, coach Mark Richt said, “Heavily. … I wouldn’t be shocked to see him running that rock in the Dome against Boise State on the opening play if he does what he’s supposed to do.”
The Bulldogs have lacked a lot of things lately, but a solid running game tops the list. Poor offensive line play is part of the reason. The other is that the Dogs haven’t found a consistent — or even above-average — replacement for Knowshon Moreno. Last season the team ranked 10th in the SEC in rushing (ahead of only Vanderbilt and Tennessee) and 73rd in the nation. The passing game was fifth in the SEC, 40th in the nation. The onus was on a freshman quarterback, Aaron Murray, and A.J. Green.
King has struggled. Washaun Ealey has been inconsistent and generally a disappointment.
Crowell can make a difference. Great running backs can cover up for deficiencies on a team, particularly on the offensive line. A great running back in college can have at least as big an impact on an offense as a great quarterback. Look what Marcus Lattimore did for South Carolina.
Georgia needs Crowell to be their Lattimore next season. He’ll certainly get the opportunity. Coach Mark Richt is not going to come out with a depth chart Friday that lists Crowell first but the freshman will be given every opportunity to win the starting job.
“I’m gonna be a Dog,” Crowell said after putting on a Georgia hat. For the perfect touch, somebody then handed him a bulldog puppy, and the newest Bulldog held him up in the air.
He was the Dogs’ 25th recruit to sign his letter of intent — and easily the most important one of all.
♦
Earlier posts
– Georgia recruiting: Now Richt must turn stars into wins
– Georgia recruiting: Waiting on Isaiah Crowell (and normalcy)
– As Braves get started, Fredi Gonzalez looks like Cox 2.0
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC; friend me at Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
321 comments Add your comment
Not so fast
February 2nd, 2011
3:17 pm
Wow crazy to see an Alabama residence bad mouthing Georgia. Oh yeah Auburn sure owns UGA in football that 54 wins to 52 losses (.509) is a thing of beauty. And comparing Alabama’s educational system to Georgia? Wow show me one published report on the state of educational systems that would rank the Alabama educational system higher than Georgia. Georgia is normally middle to the pack or tilted toward the bottom. However, Alabama is consistently in the bottom 5. Also, great repeated use of the word son in your post it really makes you sound like you have that top notch education, son. Now on to football and the significance of this class. No this class does not mean that UGA will be improved next year. All it means is they have players that with the proper coaching and training have the ability to improve the team. Depending on what happens with John Jenkins on Saturday not only is this class rated highly but it also addressed positions of need. A lot of the previous classes for UGA seemed to be heavy on recruits that did not address needs. Furthermore, all you people downing any kid that signed with UGA, Auburn, GT, Bama, Florida, etc… instead of your school of choice and saying they are going to be a bust need to grow up. These are 18 year old’s that are choosing the best path for them in life and I wish any young player much success until they play my team. With that being said grow up and before you start spewing your hate do some research. Plus, I would think all you people that hate UGA would want them to get back to the 10-2 and 11-1 seasons. That way Richt would keep his job, because if he can’t coach like most people like to point out imagine what would happen if we got a (in the critics view) more competent coach and staff to match the talent.
Dean
February 2nd, 2011
3:18 pm
The team that worries me the most is Tennessee. I’m afraid Dooley is going to come back to haunt us. He is recruiting very well given the mess that program was in.
dcmuga
February 2nd, 2011
3:18 pm
Great recruiting class but the key may be who the new offensive line coach for 2011. I think the Ralph Friedgen makes a lot of sense. It would really help Bobo. O line has under performed the last two years!
Tweets that mention Isaiah Crowell: From recruit to key to Georgia's season? | Jeff Schultz -- Topsy.com
February 2nd, 2011
3:19 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sean Womble, Jeff Schultz. Jeff Schultz said: Isaiah Crowell: From recruit to key to Georgia’s season? http://bit.ly/grpAWR [...]
Nick Fairley
February 2nd, 2011
3:20 pm
Dean if you get Malzahn, I’ll be pissed. He’s doing this smart, he’s not going to a Vandy or Iowa St route. I think he’ll remain in the SEC. Probably Florida though, Muschamp is going to fall flat and fast.
Dean
February 2nd, 2011
3:20 pm
Not so fast, he’s gone. He left claiming to be from New York. Even Nick Fairley wanted to knock him in the back onto the ground after he was already on the ground.
Nick Fairley
February 2nd, 2011
3:21 pm
Dean
February 2nd, 2011
3:18 pm
The team that worries me the most is Tennessee. I’m afraid Dooley is going to come back to haunt us. He is recruiting very well given the mess that program was in.
—
I agree. Dooley will continue to get better. A good juco transfer could get them jump started in a big way.
Mr. Rogers
February 2nd, 2011
3:22 pm
Nick, thanks for caring so very much about UGA.
Dean
February 2nd, 2011
3:23 pm
I don’t think we’d hire him. Too much of a risk. Georgia plays it way too safe. I have no idea what to think of Muschamp but he appears to be hiring quality assitants. Look man, I’m out. Take it easy on us Georgia fans. You won it, congratulations it rubs us bad, but we will be back. We had a nice little rivalry s let’s not let it get too ugly. Georgia fans are tools like many Auburn fans are. Peace
learn something everyday
February 2nd, 2011
3:26 pm
in case you want to relive it rather than read it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yDHFxrGRCg
(que troll voice) suck it bammers.
BiggdawgK
February 2nd, 2011
3:26 pm
That was one of the cutest puppies I have ever seen.
Recruiting scorekeeper
February 2nd, 2011
3:26 pm
Pretty easy to see
AU is ranked 1,1,and 2 for a consensus top finish and avg ranking of 1.66
FSU is ranked 1,2, and 3 for a consensus 2nd place finish and avg ranking of 2
Bama is ranked 1,3, and 7 for a consensus 3rd place finish and avg, ranking of 3.66
UGA is ranked 5,6,6 and probably has a consensus either 5th or 6th place finish and avg ranking of 5.66
WIN WITH RICHT
February 2nd, 2011
3:27 pm
Losing Green and Durham and now Gray, I bet Malcolm Mitchell could get mega playing time early.
Chuck
February 2nd, 2011
3:27 pm
Nick,
Get back to work or go get a job.
Evansdawg
February 2nd, 2011
3:29 pm
Nick Fairly, you lost to Georgia 4 years in a row. You guys get a monster ex-Gator/thief football player with a money-hungry dad, and suddenly you guys are authorities???? My arse. Enjoy the RAPID slide back into mediocity in 2011, coupled with the embarrassment of your NC being taken away.
BiggdawgK
February 2nd, 2011
3:31 pm
@Chuck
nick fairley stupid lives on the AJC blogs. The only work he does is walking from his trailer to the mailbox to get his welfare and/or disability check.
Not so fast
February 2nd, 2011
3:31 pm
Yeah took me a while to write that post Dean. For honest disclosure I’m a UGA fan but all these people who bad mouth any kid who doesn’t choose their school have no life. Regardless of any teams record in football the sun will still rise and set the next. Yes I would love for UGA to win a national title but I also know that that can’t/won’t happen every year. Auburn had a 53 year gap in recognized titles so sometimes it is a while between titles. But sports in general should have taught us that anything can happen in any college football season. Seriously, I knew UGA wasn’t going to when a title during the just completed seasons. But I definitely didn’t see Auburn going undefeated. On another note I went to Carver-Columbus when Jasper Sanks was there and anyone who did any research could of seen that character would be an issue. Furthermore, the first game of his Senior year his ankle got injured pretty good and I don’t think he ever quite had the same burst.
William C Smith
February 2nd, 2011
3:31 pm
I’m glad recruiting is over for this year! Now we can get a life and act accordingly. All the SEC boosters can put there wallets up, and all the fans can stop talking about the boosters at the other schools. This is VR Day. Also, called Victory over Recruiting.
Steve
February 2nd, 2011
3:34 pm
It is amazing how excited the fans are about him running the ball up and down the field and making the school millions of dollars, but it will be interesting to see how much support you give him in the classroom. It seems that “certain players from low income households” are only good to you when they play ball, but when it comes to the classroom or the work environment you have no use for them!!!
Rolls Tied
February 2nd, 2011
3:35 pm
“Actually its 5 of the last 6. Auburn fans have short memories though.”
Says the guy who thinks Hussein Obama is awesome.
Rolls Tied
February 2nd, 2011
3:36 pm
“Georgia – the beginning of a new Championship Era”
That’s been said since 1980.
Recruiting scorekeeper
February 2nd, 2011
3:36 pm
Average star rating per player analysis since some have more committs than others
1. Bama 3.78 avg star rating – ESPN 8 top 100 recruits
2. AU 3.74 avg star rating- ESPN 8 top 100 recruits
3. FSU 3.63 avg star rating- ESPN 11 top 100 recruits
6 or 7. UGA 3.54 avg star rating- ESPN 5 top 100 recruits
DMR
February 2nd, 2011
3:38 pm
It is up to Mark Richt and this coaching staff to turn Georgia around. Not Crowell. Give this kid a break. He just signed his LOI. Leave him alone now. He hasn’t attended a class or a college practice yet. It is up to the team to turn this thing, not one kid. I hope he will have a long and great career at Georgia, but Richt, Bobo, and however is going to coach the offensive line will be most responsible for righting the ship.
Lagdawg
February 2nd, 2011
3:40 pm
Hopefully he will be a big contributor, but Jon Jenkins is the key to this teams success. Saturday will be a big day for UGA. Crowell must hit the weights to build up his body to compete in the SEC, so that he can avoid major injuries and if we are luckey Bobo won’t be calling the plays. UGA cannot afford any screw-ups from poor coaching from here on out.
Tommy Gunn
February 2nd, 2011
3:40 pm
Won’t ever make it. WRITE IT DOWN! More Bad attitude for the dogs.
BiggdawgK
February 2nd, 2011
3:41 pm
I love the way all the bama boys now say they knew Crowell was going to UGA and it doesn’t matter because blah blah blah……
These same bama goofs were all over AJC blogs up until 1:35 today boasting they had inside info that Crowell was signing with bammer.
I love the way UF’s president slammed saban yesterday calling his practice of oversigning despicable, disgusting etc…
You know a program is truly classless when someone from gator country is rakeing it over the coals.
Hopeful
February 2nd, 2011
3:41 pm
Watch out for Malcolm Mitchell!!!! its always the 3 & 4 star recruits who steal the show.
blue
February 2nd, 2011
3:41 pm
Headley Lamar; so you throw results of one game from about 4 years ago when you had two top 10 guys on your team, and that means the rest of those four years would mean what you said, and then because you say ‘case closed’, that’s it? Nice try, dolt. Boise would have crushed you either of the last 2 years. Case closed.
Not so fast
February 2nd, 2011
3:44 pm
This class will be all for naught if UGA doesn’t get the commitment from John Jenkins and I wouldn’t even put this class in the top ten. Because, without that big in the middle to clog up space the defense is still going to have major deficiencies. To me he is a bigger key than Crowell ever was.
coachx
February 2nd, 2011
3:44 pm
Me thinks Ealey and King are working their tails off right now.
Rolls Tied
February 2nd, 2011
3:46 pm
blue
Headley Lamar is your typical welfare recipient. The guy is an Obamabot who hates whitey.
blue
February 2nd, 2011
3:47 pm
Rex 2:20; “The team is rebuilding. Richt needs to win 8 games next year, he will follow with 10 and third year will be in BCS Nat. Champ. game.”
Thanks, but you’ll forgive me if I want to wait and see the thing play out as opposed to assuming that your brilliant prediction will come true.
BoiseStateFan
February 2nd, 2011
3:48 pm
With all due respect, when is the last time a UGA football team was relevant?
Hurt Kurbstreit
February 2nd, 2011
3:50 pm
I wouldn’t say that Ealey has been a disapointment. He is a decent RB playing behind an underacheiving OL. I saw Crowell play on GPTV and wasn’t all that impressed with him. Hope he proves me wrong. CMR is very high on him, so maybe I just didn’t see enough of him to form a good opinion.
Jessie WIlliams
February 2nd, 2011
3:51 pm
John Jenkins? Who is he? A JUCO player? A good Nose Tackle JUCO prospect you say? Nope. The no. 1 rated JUCO player in the US and the no. 1 rated nose tackle in the US is me Jessie Williams. 6′4 330lbs, 580 lb bench press. And yes. I already singned. As a matter of fact I already enrolled for the winter semester at Alabama. And yes. I am the only and only next Terrence Cody.
BiggdawgK
February 2nd, 2011
3:52 pm
Let the barners yell and gloat everyone. As annoying as they all are, they have a limited time to do so and the clock is ticking away.
It could be a week, a month maybe 6 months, but everyone outside barn country knows and in reality even the most dirt stupid auburn fan knows that title and every win from their “championship” year will be taken away.
We should also try and remember guys like nick fairley and rolls tide really have nothing else in their sad little empty lifes going for them than the temporary victories of a college they didn’t even graduate from.
timbo
February 2nd, 2011
3:54 pm
Wait for it….wait for it….wait for it….
‘Richt needs to win 8 games next year, he will follow with 10 and third year will be in BCS Nat. Champ. game.’ – Rex @ 2:20 PM
Hahahahahaha!!!!!! Delusional as ever. Stupid dogs……some things will never change. I wonder if they are already wearing their 2013 National Championship ring?
Rolls Tied
February 2nd, 2011
3:57 pm
“With all due respect, when is the last time a UGA football team was relevant?”
31 years ago.
BiggdawgK
February 2nd, 2011
3:58 pm
rolls tied is a barner who is also a redneck bigot wow what a surprise. alabammy is known for all it’s enlightened denizens after all.
IKNOW MORE than you
February 2nd, 2011
3:58 pm
ealy hasnt been a dissappointment has had a solid ypa…knowshon could make more happen when stuff breaks down but there different type backs…and u cant compare him to knowshon cause the team that played in 08 was nothing like the teams in 09 and 10…i dont think i saw three screens all year in 10′…thats what knowshown was good at so how how can u compare that??? DREAM TEAM IS ALIVE!!! looking foward to next year.. i thought our lb and wr was gonna be thin but ray drew on the edge and alec ogeltree and cristian robinson in he middle….isreal troupe gonna have a breakout year along with marlon brown…we have a 6-6 reciever on the team, cant remember his name, but would like to see him in there….wooten, travarres king and orson charles brandon smith and carlton thomas….now add in the dream team…we gonna be allright
Rolls Tied
February 2nd, 2011
3:58 pm
“Let the barners yell and gloat everyone. As annoying as they all are, they have a limited time to do so and the clock is ticking away.”
Yeah, and UGA will win 10 straight national titles. Some of you dawg fans are flat pathetic.
Rolls Tied
February 2nd, 2011
3:58 pm
BiggdawgKKK’
Don’t you have crosses to burn?
Go Ducks!
February 2nd, 2011
3:58 pm
Can’t wait for Boise to beat the crap out of all these top recruits.
Not so fast
February 2nd, 2011
4:00 pm
Actually Jessie Williams Scout.com has you rated lower then John Jenkins. Actually your not even the highest rated JUCO Williams that is a DT. That honor would belong to Sylvester Williams but thanks for playing the I like to talk crap game.
kennyh
February 2nd, 2011
4:00 pm
if Calhoun can shut him down, i am sure the rest of the SEC will too…
Runnin With The Dawgs
February 2nd, 2011
4:00 pm
If Crowell is better than Ealey or King I’ll be surprised. Running backs like Walker and Moreno don’t come along that often. MR better stay with what he knows and that’s a good passing game. Where’s AJ Green’s replacement? We’ve got a gun at QB, but who’s he going to throw to?
blue
February 2nd, 2011
4:02 pm
Dean; you forgot to call them “dummy heads” too. What are you, like five years old or something dude? Okay…so I am outside the state of AL (in Georgia), and NOT an AL or AU fan…and I’ve been asked if the state of AL is relevant in college football. Two consecutive championships and Heisman winners…yeah…I would say they are relevant. But now you can go back to your “ohhhh…but…but…but we’re 4-1 in the last 5 years…so there!!”. Your debate skills are amazing. You should be a lawyer or something.
Not so fast
February 2nd, 2011
4:03 pm
Alabama did get the a higher ranked Juco DT (3rd highest rated JUCO DT-John Jenkins is 4th), but that would be Quinton Dial. Wow I can talk better smack for Alabama than an Alabama fan. Crazy what a little research and fact checking will do.
FanSince59
February 2nd, 2011
4:04 pm
Wonder who the offensive line coach wii be? Perhaps another one of Richt’s cronies. Who of any proven ability would want to jump into this mess?
BiggdawgK
February 2nd, 2011
4:05 pm
“Yeah, and UGA will win 10 straight national titles. Some of you dawg fans are flat pathetic”
@rolls tied
I have yet to see a Bulldog fan say that, but honesty and logic are obviously not your strong suit.