Ten@10: Crowell’s mom ‘not selling my son’s soul to the devil’
THE TEN AT 10:
1. Isaiah Crowell’s mother said she’s thrilled about their family friend Quintavious Harrow receiving a scholarship offer from Georgia, but not if it comes with any attachments to her son.
“Well, for Quintavious it’s wonderful,” Deborah Crowell told me Monday. “But I don’t want them to do it to get Isaiah there. I’m not selling my son’s soul to the devil. This is his decision. If they want to give Quintavious a scholarship, that’s fine. But that can’t have anything to do with Isaiah. He has too much pressure on him as it is and I’m going to lay that on the line with them. We’ll discuss that while we’re up there.”
Crowell, No. 1 on the AJC Fab 50 list, will be taking his official visit to Georgia this weekend along with his mother and the rest of his family. So will Harrow, better known as “Cootie” to family and friends. The 5-11, 190-pound linebacker/safety from Carver-Columbus — who is Crowell’s best friend — received a scholarship offer from the Bulldogs last week, his first from any school.
The Harrows and the Crowells, who have known each other since their kids were in kindergarten, just got back from a trip to Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama this past weekend. They left very impressed with coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.
“It was wonderful,” said Mrs. Crowell, who will also accompany her son and his final visit to Auburn on Jan. 28. “They kept us busy, but we had fun. They had everything planned out and stuck by it all weekend. My husband and I had a wonderful time and Isaiah did, too.”
2. It appears that Valdosta’s Malcolm Mitchell and Jay Rome are definitely going to have their college announcements separately this Thursday. Both players are scheduled to unveil their decisions between Alabama and Georgia that day. But Rome has decided to make his announcement live on ESPNU at 5:30 p.m. (location currently undetermined). Mitchell told me he’s going to stick with his plan to announce at 7 p.m. at the Hibachi Grill and Buffet in Valdosta. It will be carried live by some local radio stations (92.1 FM, 1150 AM and 96.1 FM).
ESPNU tried to convince Mitchell, a fellow Under Armour All-American, to join Rome on the telecast. “Yeah, but I don’t think I’m going to do that,” Mitchell told me. “He wants to do his on TV. I’m just not that big on the TV thing. I’m just sticking with what I have planned. I just wanted to do it where everybody who watched me this season could be there.”
Mitchell said nothing should be read into the fact that they are holding separate announcements. “Nah,” he said. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
Head coach Rance Gillespie is not thrilled with either plan. He said he’d prefer if his two stars would do it together at the high school.
On a sad side note, James Eunice, a Valdosta High classmate and teammate of Mitchell and Rome, has been missing since a boat mishap occurred during a duck hunt on Ocean Pond in Valdosta this past weekend. Thoughts and prayers for that family.
3. AJC Super 11 linebacker James Vaughters of Tucker told me he had a “good trip” to Stanford this past weekend and that he and his family were very impressed with new coach David Shaw. “He has NFL experience and I trust he’ll hire an experienced defensive coordinator and another good linebackers coach. I really enjoyed it out there.”
Vaughters and his family made the long trek to California for his official visit Thursday and stayed through Sunday. One of Vaughters’ chief concerns was the departure of Stanford defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Vic Fangio, who followed head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL.
As for whether or not he’ll stick with his commitment to the Cardinal, Vaughters, the AJC’s the No. 4 prospect, said, “I haven’t completely decided yet but I’m pretty sure.” He said he may still visit Florida and Ohio State.
4. AJC Super 11 defensive end Ray Drew of Thomas County Central is taking his fifth and final official visit to Clemson this weekend. The 6-5, 250-pound athlete has not been there since an unofficial visit during the season. Since then the Tigers lost his position coach, Chris Rumph, to Alabama. “I just want to get in there and see Clemson again because a lot has changed since last time I was there,” Drew said. “I need to spend some time up there and get reacquainted with everybody.”
Drew said Alabama tried to get him to take an official visit there. and he wanted to. He was unable to fit it into his schedule but said he is still giving the Crimson Tide some consideration. Somewhat surprisingly, Drew took official visit No. 4 to Miami this past weekend. He had not previously mentioned the Hurricanes as a finalists.
5. For what it’s worth John Jenkins said Georgia is the only school besides Oklahoma State that bothered to visit his family twice in Meriden, Conn. Jenkins, a 6-4, 340-pound noseguard from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, is taking his official visit to UGA this weekend. He visited Miami along with Drew this past weekend. Jenkins said he would choose between the Bulldogs, Auburn, Florida and Miami on or after national signing day.
6. Stephon Tuitt has gone underground. The four-star defensive end from Monroe Area hasn’t been heard from since his official visit to Georgia Tech this past weekend. Tuitt (6-5, 260) is committed to Notre Dame but decided to take one last trip to The Flats to make certain of his choice. Apparently it has only confused him.
The normally accessible Tuitt did not return my phone calls (or anybody elses) Sunday or Monday. However, IrishEyes.com did reach his mother Monday night. “He is still committed to Notre Dame,” she told the Scout site. “He would like to take a couple days to think about think about everything. He just needs some time before he’s ready to talk.”
So we’ll give him more time.
7. Meanwhile, three other players committed to the Jackets during the mega-recruiting weekend, including Tuitt’s teammate, Demontevious Smith. Troy, Ala., athlete Corey Dennis and Lakeland, Fla., offensive lineman Errin Joe were the others.
I didn’t realize this until Monday but Dennis is the son of former UGA football player and current athletic director at Troy University, Steve Dennis. Coach Dennis was also a longtime assistant at Auburn. Here’s a story that will tell you more about Corey Dennis and his recruitment to Tech.
8. Georgia Tech, which is now up to 21 commitments, is apparently also making a late push for four-star offensive lineman Xzavier Ward. Tech coaches made an in-home visit with the 6-foot-7, 260-pound offensive tackle from Colquitt County on Monday, according to JacketsOnline.com. Dan Mullen and other Mississippi State coaches were also in to see Ward.
He might be a long shot for both teams. Speculation is that Ward may commit to Auburn while on an official visit on The Plains this weekend. But Ward’s recruitment has been somewhat of a mystery all along. He was supposed to take official visits to Florida and Alabama, respectively, the last two weekends but had the trips canceled by the schools because they had no more room for tackles, according to AuburnSports.com.
The No. 9-ranked Ward is one of only six players on the AJC Fab 50 list currently uncommitted.
9. Georgia State recently received a commitment from defensive tackle Fatu Ullale, a 6-2, 275-pound defensive lineman from Cerritos (Calif.) Community College. Ulale said he will sign with the Panthers on national signing day and join the team in June after he graduates from junior college. “I just fell in love with the coaching staff, basically,” Ulale said of choosing to come all the way across the U.S. to play football. “I had a connection with some of the other players there, too, and I feel like I may be able to come in and have an impact.”
Another player targeted by Georgia State ended up committing to Samford last Friday. Jerry Mathis (6-4, 285) was a two-way starter for Rockdale County but is expected to play defensive line for Samford.
“I felt that it was a good move for me and it was the best opportunity for me as far as football and education,” Mathis said. “I’m really looking forward to the upcoming season to face the reigning champions the Auburn Tigers. I was looking into Georgia State but their defensive line filled. The coaches there really wanted me but I guess their timing was a little off. But I feel I made the right decision.”
10. THIS & THAT: Center Manrey Saint-Amour from North Gwinnett committed to Georgia Southern, coach Bob Sphire said. Manrey was co-lineman of the year in Gwinnett County. . . . Grady DB Damian Swann said he’ll be wearing the number 5 at Georgia next season. . . . Alabama commitments Dee Hart and Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix of Orlando have canceled their official visits to Southern Cal scheduled for this weekend, according to the Orlando Sentinel. . . . DE Mason Harris of Rossville had an in-home visit from South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, according to PalmettoSports.com. Harris is a Gamecocks’ commitment. . . . McEachern tight end Rory Anderson visited Tennessee over the weekend.
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483 comments Add your comment
bigtime
January 18th, 2011
11:48 am
Lost in all this bickering is something way more important than who gets what recruit .
*THIS *
On a sad side note, James Eunice, a Valdosta High classmate and teammate of Mitchell and Rome, has been missing since a boat mishap occurred during a duck hunt on Ocean Pond in Valdosta this past weekend. Thoughts and prayers for that family. + 1
BG
January 18th, 2011
11:50 am
Chip, I thought you worked for the AJC?? I read this article and thought I was on TMZ.com.
dawgster
January 18th, 2011
11:51 am
Also, i think the dawgs are trying to still repair some previous damage from last year in recruiting with the Carver school…the dawgs have not done as well with Carver players in the past few years, but now are more aggressive in their recruiting efforts…You have to remember that the dawgs have spent alot of time on Crowell the past couple of years and they have had the opportunity to look at the Harrow kid alot…I think grades had been the problem on whether he could get accepted but that seems to have been resolved and thus the offer…I’m not sure what strings that Mrs. Crowell thought were attached with the offer, but i know Coach Richt and i kinow if we don’t get Crowell this young man’s scholarship will be honored…Carver is a well coached team by a former Au player who is close friends with our recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner…i believe if he had a problem with the offer he would have let it be known by now…go dawgs…
RRTDawgs
January 18th, 2011
11:52 am
Crowel’s mom could been referring to AU don’t sell your soul to the devil pay to play dawgster don’t worry Crowell and his family will be in Athens i am sure they will straiten everything out have faith go dawgs .
SouthGaBrave
January 18th, 2011
11:52 am
Amen bigtime,
Rome stated on twitter a little earlier that he (and others I’m sure) were all out at Ocean Pond with the Eunice family.
Tragic situation. I only hope that the family can find the peace they need in this time of trouble.
Milton Mcgreagor & Bobby Lowder
January 18th, 2011
11:52 am
The bag men are on the way. We really did not appreciate the BCS giving us a return postage with the Crystal Ball.
Chip Towers
January 18th, 2011
11:54 am
Ramblin Man: I have not called or checked on Countess lately . He’s not in play locally anymore.
Brooksdawg
January 18th, 2011
11:54 am
+2
BigDawg11
January 18th, 2011
11:55 am
Bigtime,
+1 Man. My prayers are with the Eunice family. Very sad.
True DAWG 93
January 18th, 2011
11:55 am
have you ever seen a head coaches job depend so much on 4 or 5 high school kids?
Pete
January 18th, 2011
11:57 am
For people that know I.C. the question is : would he rather compete with Lattimore,Richardson, & Dwyer for SEC rushing title; or get their sloppy seconds?
UGA FAN and i support coach richt..go dawgs
January 18th, 2011
11:57 am
i believe ken malcome is going to make an impact in 2011…so whoever we sign they are going have to perform well to beat him out…
Matthews Dawg
January 18th, 2011
11:57 am
dawgster…if nothing else we ALL on here know that CMR is a man of character and integrity. We may all disagree on if he is a good coach or not. But, there is NO QUESTIONING his integrity or character.
Ms. Crowell has most likely heard from all the people around there that UGA only offered Harrows b/c they think you son will come there for sure then. I love how “people” know the intent of CMR and any coach for that matter. True, there are some that you can question it b/c of past experiences. They will get up to UGA this weekend and hopefully it goes great and he is a Dawg!
I also believe some of these recruits are “yanking a lot of people’s chain”! If they want to be a Dawg, GREAT, if not, so be it and good luck. We can only control what we can control! And all of us on here HAVE NO CONTROL over these kids. Go Dawgs
dawgster
January 18th, 2011
11:59 am
@RRTDawgs…no i believe she meant it towards the dawgs..the problem is i don’t know if Coach Richt and staff can actually talk to her about the recruitment of another kid…if they can’t then how do they explain it to her..i may be wrong, but i think if they discuss it with her that would be a secondary violation…but i agree their intentions need to be known to her..but as i said, i think that she sees it as something else altogether…i hope when all this is over, everyone on here can say i told you so…but right now, i’m just afraid that the negative press we are and will be getting is going to hurt us…go dawgs…
RTR22
January 18th, 2011
11:59 am
Justin,
Stick that WSJ piece of crap up your a……send your concerns to the NCAA
RRTDawgs
January 18th, 2011
12:02 pm
Its sounds like your giving up i still think in the end he will be a dawg i agree with bigtime .
Ramblin Man
January 18th, 2011
12:02 pm
Thank you Chip I was just curios since no word had been mentioned on him in a while.
Real Problem
January 18th, 2011
12:03 pm
Bigtime….I am sure Rome and Mitchell are hurting…..God Bless the family.
Ramblin Man
January 18th, 2011
12:06 pm
Pete I think you mean Dyer. Dwyer played at GT and yes he could have set SEC running records but chose to set ACC records instead..
I now predict that Clowney, Crowell, Kouandjio, Steward, and Drew will all shock the world and sign with GT.
The Ole Ball Coach
January 18th, 2011
12:07 pm
Mason Harris may make Georgia regret that they didn’t offer, he is fast, agressive & mean and he can play DE and OLB.
RRTDawgs
January 18th, 2011
12:10 pm
Now i know these are rumors if GT thinks there are going to get all these guys i can make up one James Wilder Jr . will be a dawg .
Matthews Dawg
January 18th, 2011
12:10 pm
Ramblin Man…you should have said that you heard from “their mother’s, cousin’s, uncle on their mom’s side, brother’s, next door neighbor’s cousin who knows their best friend’s girl friend in school when they were in middle school! That would really get them stirred up! That was a good post!! Imagine that a Tech guy with a sense of humor and we all thought you all were just smart.
dawgster
January 18th, 2011
12:10 pm
First of all before i go on. let me offer my prayers to the Eunice family..puts everything in perspective doesn’t it….
@Matthews Dawg…yea, i agree…Coach Richt and his integrity shouldn’t be questioned..not saying it was, but reading the article one would think that was the case…also, you are so right, alot of these kids are yanking everyone’s chain…i guess you can say they have that right, but it’s not something i would do or allow my son to do…It’s become a media circus, but it not all on the kids fault, everybody plays a part in it…but i just get a little disgusted with it at times…and i’m tired of all the articles that seem to paint a negative slant on the dawgs program…everyday…it seems this is what we get with the AJC headlines…but hey thats what sells newspapers…i just hate it that my University continues to receive so much negative publicity, one way or the other…anyway, thanks for the comments…go dawgs…
Techfan
January 18th, 2011
12:12 pm
I hope Mr harroe does well at UGA, but you guys sure can spin! You justify a two star no one else wants but constantly give Tech hell for recruiting two and three star guys. Which is it?
The devil
January 18th, 2011
12:13 pm
She doesn’t want to sell her son’s soul to the devil?
Saban hasn’t had a player arrested in a year and a half.
Richt has had 12 arrested just last year.
Mmmmh. Wonder which program is better for discipline and keeping goods out of trouble?
gomdawg
January 18th, 2011
12:13 pm
SIMPLE GEORGIA WILL BE BACK AND CMR WILL BE OUR COACH FOR YEARS TO COME. WE HAVE A VERY STRONG GROUP AT UGA AND A GOOD CLASS COMING IN WITH OR WITHOUT THESE. IF THEY COME TO UGA THEN THEY TO WILL BE PART OF A GREAT NEXT 4 YEARS .
Flip Wilson
January 18th, 2011
12:13 pm
Is Mark Richt the Devil?????
Al C
January 18th, 2011
12:15 pm
MikeP just keep whistling past the graveyard because that is where the barn is gona end up and all you booger eating fans right with em. THE BARN IS GOING DOWN!
prodcuewiz
January 18th, 2011
12:20 pm
love these recruiting blogs.4 *5* can’t miss.Sure did at Texas,Florida, Georgia,even Alabama 2010.think I’ll wait and see how they do in 2 years.As ole ball coach says,we’ll coach ‘em up.
Matthews Dawg
January 18th, 2011
12:20 pm
dawgster…I agree 100%!! I’ve asked all of the writers to write about some good things at UGA and quit with the negative headlines. But, negativity sells papers, get blog hits, etc… It’s about selling advertising on the web! Honestly, I have not bought one thing from an ad on a blog or website. I guess I’ve looked at them, but nothing bought. Anyway, I’ll be glad when NSD comes! This stuff is addicting and I can’t stay off the site. i guess they have pulled me in also. Maybe, we’ll get lucky and all of the good stuff will come out….one day! Go Dawgs!!
dawgster
January 18th, 2011
12:20 pm
@RRTDawgs…don’t know if the “giving up’ comment was to me or not, but i can assure you i don’t give up…am i frustrtated?…yes, very much so…I just want to get some players that really want to be dawgs, if Crowell, Drew, Mitchell, or whomever want that then i welcome them with open arm…but all this other stuff is just getting old…If Mrs. Crowell feels that her son is being manipulated, then they should do what is best for them…i’m just saddened that she feels that way based on an opportunity given to another young man to play Div 1 football…I just don’t believe the coaching staff would offer someone unless they felt they had a place for them…go dawgs
RRTDawgs
January 18th, 2011
12:25 pm
Hey dawgster i understand it will play it self out this weekend is huge Crowell and Jenkins will be in Athens along with there families and a bunch Crowell ’s teammates as well .
dawgster
January 18th, 2011
12:26 pm
@Techfan…please understand not every dawg fan who knows football gets down on you guys for offering 2 or 3 star players…I for one think we should do more of that..to me the number of stars means littlle..I wonder how many stars that most of the UCF players had that beat us in the bowl game…I can assure you i won’t say anything about you guys giving scholarships out to who you do…i know some dawg fans and others do say that to you, so i understand, but remember many of us don’t feel that way…I think the Harrow kid will do very well if he has the heart and disire to succeed, but as of now, i’m not aware that he has even accepted the offer…go dawgs
dawgster
January 18th, 2011
12:31 pm
@Matthews Dawg…i’m with 100% on your comments…be glad when this is over so we can get ready for next season…good to hear from you again…go dawgs
@RRTDawgs….hopefully the weekend will go well and some of this can be repaired…its a big weekend for the dawgs…this is the opportunity to put the final touches on this recruiting class for the most part…thanks for the comments…go dawgs
MiamiJacket
January 18th, 2011
12:36 pm
Notre Dame currently has 7 defensive ends committed and 4 of them are ranked in the top 10 in the country, the latest being Lynch who just committed. They are probably planning to move Tuitt to DT which he may or may not want to do. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t doubt to see him switch to Tech where he would be basically penciled in at the starting left DE next year. It probably comes down to what position he wants to play and where he will see the most immediate playing time.
SKB
January 18th, 2011
12:37 pm
If UGA does what it did to Caleb King (5 Star running back), and Ealey (4 Star Running back), I can see why she is so resistant to let Crowell go to UGA. Face it the program is at rock bottom. We will be lucky to get a winning season next year. UGA is the best program to waste potential talents, ruining kids lives so the coaches can have more fun.
SouthGaBrave
January 18th, 2011
12:41 pm
I respect the offering up of opinions from everyone on this site, no matter how outlandish. It’s a free message board, so everyone can just have at it. It would be nice if the AJC could come up with a system to register and secure user names, but maybe that’s just too logical.
Anyway, I will continue to lay my faith in the guys like Chad Simmons and Kipp Adams, who actually get paid to cover this stuff and do it for a living. People can annonymously claim to be friends of the family or related to kids on here, but no one really knows. However, in the opinion of guys like Chad and Kipp, who do it for a living:
Crowell: Questions the direction of the program, for sure, but loves UGA and should eventually sign.
Rome: UGA should land the commitment on Thursday
Mitchell: Too close to really call, but most feel he is headed to Bama (congrats bigtime and Blackoutanyone?)
Harrow: could very well commit to UGA this weekend if he hears the right things, but may wait with Isaiah
Jenkins: Simmons said that if signing day were today, UGA would get him.
Drew: Auburn backers on here claim he’s been silent with them for some time, our beat writers feel he’s been silent w/ UGA for a while. One thing everyone agrees on is that he is probably already made up his mind and informed his future coaches of that decision.
I would love for UGA to land most of these kids but dawgster is right, these will not be the ones to save CMR in 2011 (outisde of maybe Jenkins). It will be nice to have them for the longterm, but the guys already in Athens are the key to next year. Here’s to Joe T kicking their butts all spring and summer!
HWJ
January 18th, 2011
12:43 pm
Has anyone seen Ray Drew’s facebook wall? He is clearly not coming to UGA. He’s talking junk to Lemay and Murray. Last I checked UGA runs a 3-4 defense not a 4-3… This is what drew said on his wall” We have the best 4-3 in the SEC I hope your ready @Christian Lemay”
Also,
Why does Mark Richt have these guys on campus so early in year with the exception of Crowell. Mitchell and Rome went here months ago and they went to bama last weekend?? Of course Saban is going to make a last minute push at them.
Chip what do you think about Drew’s facebook remarks? Also, do you think Rome and Mitchell are heading to the same spot?
Good golly
January 18th, 2011
12:48 pm
HWJ,
You think someone that has been impossible to get a read on all recruiting season is doing that without some alterior motive? I’d read between the lines on this one…
Good golly
January 18th, 2011
12:50 pm
Isaiah Crowell,
prove it’s you…do you have an innie or outie bellybutton
saban
January 18th, 2011
12:50 pm
Never thought of the Richt as a devil.
If the shoe fits wear it. He might just be.
Doesn`t matter I will get them all anyway.
Next year the dawgs will be praying to play Central Florida but will be turned down as a step down by the Florida team.
RRTDawgs
January 18th, 2011
12:51 pm
Thanks SouthGaBrave that put it in perspective a lot these people on here claim they connections when its most likely bunk Rusty Mansell and Chad Simmons and Chip have the info and the connections i trust those guys more .
SouthGaBrave
January 18th, 2011
12:51 pm
HWJ,
If you remember, Xzavier Dickson wore out his UGA toboggans and windsuits prior to his announcement for Bama. It’s all a part of the game buddy. Even a preacher like Drew is playing the game. It’s the way things are these days. Do you think he doesn’t know everything he puts online isn’t seen by the masses. If those were true signs of his future destination, why wouldn’t he have just commited publicly already and then fire away on Facebook.
He and LeMay are extremely close, like spent time in each others homes and traveled to Georgia/Florida in Jax last fall together. They are more than likely having a little fun.
Who really knows though?
Murphy's
January 18th, 2011
12:55 pm
Let me say this first, Cam and Auburn are innocent! No, Crowell wouldn’t be an immediate starter since we’ve already promised that position to a nother 5 star Brent Calloway but after Dyer and Calloway, Crowell would start right away! Bobby Lowder would guarantee him that.
1/2 in 1958, 2010
Good golly
January 18th, 2011
12:57 pm
O snap it’s really him
SouthGaBrave
January 18th, 2011
12:58 pm
No problem RRTDawgs,
Just sift through everything and take what you read on here with a grain of salt. Enjoy the ride until Feb 2nd, but don’t live and die with this stuff, man….it’s not good for your health.
After NSD passes, we can all focus on what really matters. Spring football, the spring game, and (hopefully) positive reports coming from the weightroom.
joe
January 18th, 2011
12:59 pm
Seems to me UGA appears a bit desperate by offering Mr harrow a scholarship, when nobody else even offered the kid. Reading between the lines says they did it to help their cause with mr crowell, which is fine, but you’d think they wouldn’t have to stoop to gimmicks like that…
Glenn
January 18th, 2011
1:04 pm
MiamiJacket; Notre Dame just got another Defensive End commitment yesterday, I believe; a guy switched up from Florida the the Fighting Irish. Stephon is WELL aware of the situation in South Bend.
Ramblin Man, trust me, I think Byers should be considered a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY long shot… Take that for what it’s worth.
dawgerbrown
January 18th, 2011
1:07 pm
Given the choice, I’d rather have Jenkins, Drew, Rome, and Crowell, in that order. When you watch the videos of Crowell, he doesn’t really break many tackles, or show alot of moves. He is a good solid running back that can hit the holes and find open space. But, I think the other 3 are much more needed. Jenkins and Drew especially.
Milton Mcgreagor & Bobby Lowder
January 18th, 2011
1:09 pm
Murphy – Calloway is a 5 star LB but only a 3/4 star RB with his 4.6 speed. He is really only a FB on the offensive side. It really surprised us when he met our bag man..but the money is now in the bank. We agree that Cam and Cecil are innocent. That is our story and we are sticking to it. It is now official, we have put out an “All Family” call for all bag men to canvas Georgia. More to come as the checks are cashed.