Caleb King’s loss no big deal for Dogs — it’s Crowell’s show
Washaun Ealey (left) and Caleb King blew their opportunities at Georgia. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
(Last update: 4:50 p.m.)
We saw what Washaun Ealey brought to the table for Georgia. It wasn’t good enough.
We saw what Caleb King brought to the table for Georgia. It wasn’t good enough.
So sorry if I’m not all bent out of shape about the sudden news that King has been declared academically ineligible for the Bulldogs in the fall. Nothing against the young man personally, but in terms of how this impacts the fortunes of the football team, it’s close enough to zero. Fact is, the Dogs were going to rise or fall next season on the strength of freshman Isaiah Crowell, any way.
Coach Mark Richt has certainly let it be known on occasion that Crowell was the only running back he really cared about. How often does a college coach say on national letter of intent day something remotely close to this on a recruit: “ 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”?
Richt was talking about Crowell. He had pretty much had it with Ealey, who a week later was suspended, eventually was granted his release and transferred to Jacksonville State.
Having King for depth purposes might’ve been nice. But what in the last three seasons — given injuries, a lack of production and his own off-field issues — would lead you to believe he could be counted on?
Scouting services had him as one of the top running backs in the nation and the first overall player in Georgia back in 2006. Either they were wrong or he figured he would just let the resume do the work for him in Athens. He had one great game in three years (166 yards against Georgia Tech in 2009). He was injured too often. He was arrested last year for failing to appear in court for a speeding ticket (which came to be something of an epidemic in Athens).
King is 23 years old and would have been a fifth-year senior. How can a fifth-year senior with everything to play for not stay academically eligible? This was not somebody whom Richt could count on.
Some Georgia fans will belabor the lack of experience behind Crowell. That’s a legitimate concern. But in three seasons over four years, King offered no guarantees.
Richt said in a statement, “We wish him the best in whatever he decides to do. However, we have to move forward and this will provide more opportunities for others to step up.”
Others won’t have to step up too much.
Success next season was always going to hinge on Crowell, and certainly the offensive line in front of him. Caleb King was just a name on the depth chart.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Earlier: Ohio State strips itself of wins but officials need to take hit
Earlier: Braves win again, and there’s reason to like the view
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627 comments Add your comment
Tech Jacket
July 11th, 2011
2:23 pm
how is it possible to flunk out of georgia? all those players are in mickey mouse classes with special tutors and handlers.
FuzzyBee
July 11th, 2011
2:37 pm
The management of the “student” athletes at UGA is pathetic. If you are CMR and your job depends on the performance of kids you know are unstable then wouldn’t it make sense to check up on them once in a while?
If it were me, I would be asking the grades of my QB, RB, WR, and other top players at every staff meeting. I would also spend my own excessive salary to hire internal parole officers to babysit the ones I knew to be discipline problems. This is just good management people. You have to develop your top performing assets and ensure they will be there when you need them.
Richt is a TERRIBLE manager and a LOUSY coach.
bill
July 11th, 2011
2:39 pm
With all the hubbub about him transferring his senior year in high school I have always been afraid that he was a me-me-me guy.
gtfanfrom1951
July 11th, 2011
2:42 pm
Ealey and king came in with same hype as Crowell and you realy think that freshman running back is going to be answer. I thought you knew better than that. If two of the offense lineman get hurt the season will go south in a hurry. UGA is betting a lot on a kid from the junior college to be answer at nose guard. I guess right they say that hope spring in th e heart of every bulldawg.
Elliot Garcia
July 11th, 2011
2:45 pm
What went wrong is Richt coached ‘em up….Fire Richt!!!!
bill
July 11th, 2011
2:46 pm
Regarding the number of Academic All Americans it sure would be interesting to see what their majors were. How many were in community recreation or such and how many were real degrees?
Two words of warning on Crowell……..Bryce(?) Brown UT disappearee
Go for 2
July 11th, 2011
2:48 pm
Jeff:
So why didn’t you add that the line is depleted in your summary statement? Why didn’t you note that there is NO INSURANCE if Crowell gets hurt (or teams key on him)? Also, I hear he’s not a pound it up the middle back like Lattimore, so what makes you think he can take 20-25 carries per game? I guess because your primary focus is in staying in good graces with the UGa admin and the portion of the fan base that like to say UGa is a top 10 program but get offended when you point out the school’s ftball mediocrity.
Honestly, it sounds as if you got the pitch notes from the Athletic Dept and just threw up a column. Thanks for doing all you could to faciliatate Georgia Football’s damage control effort in this time of need.
GF2
Mark
July 11th, 2011
2:53 pm
Why do we assume that after missing the mark with Ealey and King, the Dawgs are right this new back?? He could be just as big a bust, particularly with Richt already calling him the starter over the older guys. Another big let down coming, I suspect!
UGAgrad71
July 11th, 2011
2:57 pm
College is hard work mentally if you are a 4-watt nite lite of intelligence. If I was the recruiter in charge for UGA, no student would be considered unless the student had a minimum gpa of 2.75 in high school. 40 times are worthless if you cannot get on the field. I would rather rise or fall with some one who actually competes in the classroom. Ealey and King were “hanger queens”.
Gary
July 11th, 2011
3:06 pm
We are done before the season starts. I am going to miss Richt. He was a great coach and another team will be lucky to have him if he continues to coach.
Old Dawg Fan
July 11th, 2011
3:06 pm
Who really cares if King was there or not-he obviously didn’t care. Lets see what the “new kid” has-won’t be a disappointing if he doesn’t produce-he is a “true freshman”. Our QB has a strong arm and is probably the “smartest” QB in the SEC. We have some decent receivers. Will be a much better season than last. Maybe itis time to start to recruit some “backs/players” that have ability, sense and some “smarts” to play the game. Looks like a lot of the players CMR goes after can hardly read and write. I had rather have “average ability” with intellelect than a “great ability” player with few brains!!! Some of the greatest football players ever to walk “Between the Hedges” did not initially have the best ability-but they could learn and turned into great players-I could give you a list that goes on and on!!!!!
uninformed and delusional Ga. Fan
July 11th, 2011
3:11 pm
we will win the national championship.
John
July 11th, 2011
3:13 pm
Look at what happened to Bama’s Demetrius Hart, a true freshman RB that some services (Rivals) had ranked higher than Crowell. He is for the year with a non-contact knee injury. It is foolish to say that losing a contributing fifth year senior at a paper thin position will not have an impact on UGA’s season. What if Crowell gets hurt like Hart? UGA does not have the depth that Bama has to make up for it. This could be a long season for UGA. It is scary for UGA that they are relying on a guy to carry there team when Bama has a guy ranked higher than him who was going to be third or fourth string because of the talent ahead of him. This shows how far UGA has to catch up.
honky talkin'
July 11th, 2011
3:32 pm
CMR and his prayers won’t help UGA. They’ll be off to an 0-2 start and “Fire Mark Richt” billboards will start popping up.
Adman
July 11th, 2011
3:37 pm
Don’t things like this make just your job harder, Jeff? Easley, King and dozens of others just like them were never college material in the first place and having their illiterate, immature asses around provides you and your ilk free material about which to write. You should ask for a raise.
Megan
July 11th, 2011
3:40 pm
Just remember, Herschel Walker stepped into the first game of his freshman season against Tennessee and Bill Bates will never forget it! Oh and he admits that he got hit harder than he ever had in his life during summer practice. He manned up though! Marcus Lattimore didn’t do such a bad job last year at South Carolina, either. If Crowell has the stones, he can be the man!
Johnny Beach
July 11th, 2011
3:46 pm
King BLEW IT on his own. I know too many friends struggling to stay in UGA by working part time jobs and studying hard to make it WITHOUT s scholoarship. This guy needs to be the poster child for “What Me Worry”
BigBad Bob
July 11th, 2011
3:47 pm
Another fine product of that esteemed high school academic institution, Greater Atlanta Christian. Schools like GAC and Wesleyan are populated with the rich kids too stupid to get into good private schools, along with the athletic recruits like Caleb King brought in to win meaningless championships against overmatched and underfunded tiny public schools which makes the parents feel better about themselves for spending the $$$ on crap educations.
beebee
July 11th, 2011
3:49 pm
RMike158: Oh man how on earth can you even TRY to put down the Florida program. TWO recent freaking National Championships. Another year and 1 win away from a Third shot at a National Title (the Bama loss in SECCG). A Heisman Trophy winner and two-time finalist. Two National Championships in basketball no so long ago. In just about ANY year now, Florida can potentially pick up most of the state’s best recruits and in just a short matter of time be right back in the National Title picture.
And you want to say Florida is in trouble? What? Where? When?
While no school can coast on past achievements for too long, they yet can still coast on them for a while.
What the Heck has UGA won in football and basketball lately?
NOTHING!
BigBad Bob
July 11th, 2011
4:00 pm
Another fine student athlete from one of the sports factory suburban private schools. Schools like GAC and Wesleyan are for the rich kids too dumb to go to good private schools. The schools recruit and pay for the Caleb King types to come in and win meaningless sports championships against tiny overmatched and underfunded A and AA public schools, so the parents feel better about forking over the $$$ for substandard education. Seriously, graduated from a proviate high school and flunked out of UGA, with all of the tutoring and counseling available? Must have been dumb as a rock, but manged to gradulate from GAC.
ramblwrk68
July 11th, 2011
4:06 pm
They should have seen this coming by his high school experience. Left a 5-A Parkview program, spent a summer in Houston doing remedial work, got hurt in 2-A with GAC. It’s a head thing, IMHO.
rebeldawg
July 11th, 2011
7:38 pm
Good bye.we need to stop trying to convert trouble makers.so does all the sec and all teams.
RedandBlackDAWG
July 11th, 2011
7:49 pm
I hate that UGA has to depend so much on Crowell, and put pressure on him so early, however, everyone was a freshman once, so who can say how good he will be. A great deal more depends on who will block for him, than whether or not he can step right in. Everybody has to pull together, and grow up a little quicker than we might want them to, but stranger things have happened. They could fool us all, since none of us knows what is really going on at a college when it comes to a group of 85 young men, most of which will give their best to be successful.
PowerDawg
July 11th, 2011
9:26 pm
If we need to sacrifice a series of downs and put a walk-on in to spell Crowell or Malcome, we will do that.
We were going to be inexperienced at RB this year anyway because King is and always has been, unreliable.
As for you NATS, Gators, Aubies and Pea Fowl… degrading our team while trying to disguise yourselves as fans by using words like WE and US…our team will be in there leaving cleat marks on the front of your teams’ jerseys every time we run into your endzone…which will be early and often.
As long as we have 22 kids willing to sweat and bleed for this team for a full sixty minutes, we can play with anybody that steps on the field.
Put it on your board if you think it will help.
It won’t.
Hairy Dawg
July 11th, 2011
11:15 pm
Dang right that Crowell is real deal. He goning break Herschel records and expose dominants for Dawgs. We gots enough to win all this year and flying under radar with talents and Christian for winning. Traitor Muschamps and Flabby Weis is falling apart by 3dr game and returning to Fire Zooker Days.
Spurrier
July 13th, 2011
9:37 am
Ha ha ha! Schultz, you have gone off the deep end. What is going to be funny is when the back peddling starts after an 0-2 start, and getting run off the field in those two contests. Dont worry UGA we got something for that ass. Another loss to poor ole South Carolina, this time at home. How much are you gonna hate me after another beating? Richt and his religious nonsense will not win you any games. Who will be your next coach dawgies?
Spurrier
July 13th, 2011
9:39 am
Crowell is no Lattimore. Marcus can actually formulate a sentence, and is a hard worker. Crowell, not so much. Enjoy another lousy season in Athens you delusional fools.