Isaiah Crowell chooses FCS school Alabama State over JUCO route
In a decision that will surely surprise some, ousted Georgia running back Isaiah Crowell has decided to transfer to Alabama State University.
Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow confirmed Crowell’s transfer in a phone conversation Thursday evening. He said the rising sophomore has already registered for classes at the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) school in Montgomery, Ala., and will begin classes on Monday. Pending the outcome of his court case on three weapons charges, Crowell will play football for the Hornets this fall.
“We’re going to show him how we do things and let him turn the page,” said Barlow, the Hornets’ coach since 2007. “We’re giving him an opportunity to start over.”
Crowell was dismissed by the Bulldogs this past Friday, just 13 hours after he was pulled over and arrested at a road block. He was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor after a 9-mm Luger handgun with a scratched-off serial number was found underneath the driver’s seat of the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis he was driving. Crowell this week retained the services of high-profile Atlanta criminal defense lawyer Steve Sadow to represent him on those charges.
Barlow said Crowell’s legal troubles were taken into consideration and discussed at length among Alabama State administrators.
“The court system is the court system,” Barlow said. “That will be worked out over there [in Athens]. As far as us, he left Georgia in good academic standing. We know he’s a young man who has made some mistakes and has has learned from them and we’re going to give him a chance to restore his credibility.”
Crowell was Georgia’s leading rusher this past season with 850 yards and five touchdowns and was named SEC Freshman of the Year by The Associated Press. But he was twice suspended from games due to team policy infractions and was unable to play most of the last four games due to an ankle injury.
Barlow believes the Hornets are getting a very special player.
“Well, that’s an understatement,” said Barlow, a former NFL wide receiver. “If you’ve got eyes you’ve seen him. He can play. He’d be a great player on any level. We’ve had SEC players here before. It won’t be a walk in the park. But obviously he has some skills few others have.”
Barlow said there could be some unexpected good fortune in it for the Bulldogs. He said the last three times he has had players transfer to Alabama State from SEC schools, those schools went on to win national championships the coming season.
“That’s no lie,” he said of Alabama, Florida and Auburn. “I think there’s something to it. So tell the Bulldogs to be ready.”
NOTE: In other news Thursday, redshirt sophomore linebacker Brandon Burrows of Marietta has decided to transfer due to a lack of playing time or prospects at Georgia.
Burrows issued a statement through UGA.
“I came out of high school playing the defensive end position in a 4-3 defense which is what I truly love,” said Burrows, who was redshirted as a freshman in 2010 and missed the 2011 season due to a shoulder injury.”The coaching change here led to a 3-4 defense. I have worked with that transition but decided that I want to get back to playing defensive end. I think another program may give me the best opportunity to succeed at that. I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity Coach Richt has given me at UGA and for the fact that he gave me an unconditional release. I know I’ll be hard-pressed to find a group of coaches and players that will develop into the leaders and friends that I have known here in Athens.”
Said coach Mark Richt: “Brandon is an outstanding person, student-athlete and has a wonderful family. We’ve enjoyed having him as part of our program and will provide whatever assistance we can in his transition. I am completely understanding of his decision and wish him nothing but the best.”
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313 comments Add your comment
blob Horner
July 6th, 2012
7:50 am
“I hate hearing about situations where a talented athlete just throws it all away. I wish him the best…but he needs to get his head on straight and not squander this opportunity!”
Conversely, i hate hearing about an opportunity being wasted because some miscreant is a talented athlete. I believe the coach needs to get his head on straight.
El Crow flies south in the summer.
More scavenging to be done by all parties.
AAAAA Montgomery Bail Bonds R Us
July 6th, 2012
7:51 am
Any arrests in Montgomery today?
WnE
July 6th, 2012
7:55 am
re:
bucket
July 5th, 2012
9:55 pm
I am surprised by Crowell’s decision to go D2 as opposed to JUCO. He may still get a good look from the NFL provided he cleans his act up, but IMO the better route would have been to go JUCO for a year and then transfer to a BCS-caliber school for one year before going pro. Cam Newton proved that was the best route.
______________
Crowell despite his ignorant rants on twitter is much smarter than many of you give him credit for.
By transferring to D1-AA he can play immediately, AND if he has success on-field he can also transfer back to D1-A WITHOUT graduating.
Had he gone to a JUCO he would have had to GRADUATE (ala Cam Newton from Blinn JUCO) to make it back to D1-A, by going to a D1-AA school he simply has to pass the requisite number of classes and make “progress towards a degree” and he can transfer back to D1-A (i.e. another SEC school) without sitting out.
If he puts up 1,200+ yds. rushing this season and keeps his nose clean look for him back in the SEC after a “1-year exile”.
WnE
July 6th, 2012
7:55 am
re:
bucket
July 5th, 2012
9:55 pm
I am surprised by Crowell’s decision to go D2 as opposed to JUCO. He may still get a good look from the NFL provided he cleans his act up, but IMO the better route would have been to go JUCO for a year and then transfer to a BCS-caliber school for one year before going pro. Cam Newton proved that was the best route.
______________
Crowell despite his ignorant rants on twitter is much smarter than many of you give him credit for.
By transferring to D1-AA he can play immediately, AND if he has success on-field he can also transfer back to D1-A WITHOUT graduating.
Had he gone to a JUCO he would have had to GRADUATE (ala Cam Newton from Blinn JUCO) to make it back to D1-A, by going to a D1-AA school he simply has to pass the requisite number of classes and make “progress towards a degree” and he can transfer back to D1-A (i.e. another SEC school) without sitting out.
If he puts up 1,200+ yds. rushing this season and keeps his nose clean look for him back in the SEC after a “1-year exile”.
Terence in Vidalia
July 6th, 2012
7:56 am
Anyone who thinks that Crowell the Buffoon will suddenly wise up and become a model student-athlete is dreaming. A punk is a punk is a punk, wherever he is.
Piney Woods Pete
July 6th, 2012
8:02 am
If he puts up 1,200+ yds. rushing this season and keeps his nose clean look for him back in the SEC after a “1-year exile.”
Does anyone really believe that this jerk can “keep his nose clean” for a year?
That’s what I thought.
Taylor Wooten
July 6th, 2012
8:09 am
And other page turns….which is the Soap opera story of UGA athletics.
Always drama. Always mediocrity.
WnE
July 6th, 2012
8:13 am
re:
Piney Woods Pete
July 6th, 2012
8:02 am
If he puts up 1,200+ yds. rushing this season and keeps his nose clean look for him back in the SEC after a “1-year exile.”
Does anyone really believe that this jerk can “keep his nose clean” for a year?
That’s what I thought.
_______________
A D1-AA school doesn’t have the media coverage and aggressive law enforcement like a certain school in Athens does.
Has anyone ever heard of local Law Enforcement going ON-CAMPUS and having a road block in front of some dorms?
Why didn’t campus police execute the road block?
Keeping his nose clean is all relative if his transgressions never get publicized, which is what will probably happen at a D1-AA school that doesn’t draw much media coverage.
Obama
July 6th, 2012
8:13 am
If I loose my job, can I get in at Alabama State???
So?
July 6th, 2012
8:14 am
Athletes ALWAYS get a pass.
GSUtimes2
July 6th, 2012
8:15 am
How did you get a job if you can’t spell ‘lose’….
Scott young
July 6th, 2012
8:20 am
I have a better chance of playing the NFL than Crowell. It takes talent, discipline, commitment, conditioning, teamwork, durability, desire, and some intelligence. Crowell has talent.
juvenal
July 6th, 2012
8:23 am
no hat pic?
dagadawgs
July 6th, 2012
8:28 am
Crowell is not going to rush for 1200 yards. Ask Ealey what its like to transfer to a team with a line more pathetic than our line.
Richt No Go
July 6th, 2012
8:29 am
How can one transfer when he was dismissed from school?
That’s like getting fired from your job and telling people who decided to take a better job somewhere else.
He has decided to take his talents to……………Montgomery.
Vampire Bill
July 6th, 2012
8:31 am
If you read his tweets you can clearly see that he shows little or no remorse nor does he accept any responsibility for the incident. I hope things get better for IC? Talent will only take you so far.
AltamahaDawg
July 6th, 2012
8:31 am
I hope this all works out for him. Crowell is not a bad kid. He obviously did not have much of a foundation from whatever “village” sent him out into the world. He never seemed very comfortable with the bright light of attention, so this might be the best thing that ever happened to him. What we have seen is that an athelete can screw it all up, shrink back out of the spotlight, come back and have 1 good year to move forward.
Hairy Dawg
July 6th, 2012
8:34 am
Good Riddance!!!
Jborodawg
July 6th, 2012
8:41 am
I also wish IC well and hope he ‘turns it around’. I also agree, for the most part, that the JUCO route might have been the better path, especially somewhere like Hargrave Military or Butler CC in Kansas. But ASU isn’t far from Columbus, so I understand.
What I don’t understand is if he’s so “underprivileged”, how did he retain “a high-profile Atlanta attorney”?
Again, I wish Isaiah well and glad he didn’t waste time getting enrolled in classes at another school. If he is indeed enrolled, it shows he’s trying.
Roberto
July 6th, 2012
8:41 am
GSUtimes2 @ 0815.
Have you been to any City of ATL government office lately?
Ace
July 6th, 2012
8:43 am
As long as Richt is the coach, lawyers will have jobs.
Jborodawg
July 6th, 2012
8:45 am
RE: Burrows. Isn’t OLB the equivalent of DE in the 3-4 on many plays? He must have really been buried on the depth chart. But, I wish him well too. That’s a classy departing statement from him.
Larry
July 6th, 2012
8:47 am
Speaks volumes about the standards of Alabama State…but then, this is the State of Alabama we’re talking about.
Ghost of Larry Munson
July 6th, 2012
8:51 am
Maybe a year after his stint at Alabama State he can tranfer back to UGA. Afterall, it is only important that UGA win football games. That was my life…and watching a few movies.
Tyrone from East Point
July 6th, 2012
8:54 am
Why is the Black man always held down by the Man?
Meggo
July 6th, 2012
8:55 am
Have people learned nothing from Rae Carruth, OJ Simpson, and the scores of other talented athletes who never learned that behavior has consequences? If colleges and universities do not start becoming more accountable to helping students (including athletes) about honor and good citizenship, then they are failing at what they so nobly attempt to do. All the banter about Cam just shows how he dodged responsibility for his actions only to be turned into a star by the news media and fans. We should not teach our children to glorify these kinds of men or that is what they will become.
Anger, attitude & entitlement are all stumbling blocks in your own path. Unless Isaiah Crowell owns this, he has no shot at success anywhere. What’s done in the dark always comes to light, and we always return to our baser instincts if we make no attempt at self-improvement.
WDE
July 6th, 2012
8:57 am
Barlow said “We know he’s a young man who has made some mistakes and has has learned from them and we’re going to give him a chance to restore his credibility.” You serious Barlow? Give 1 example of where IC has “learned” from his mistakes. What I can’t believe is Richt actually cut one of his felons. He won’t land at AU…..Chiz won’t touch that kid with a 10′ pole. Last thing Chiz wants is another MDyer…..he got rid of Zeke boy real quick.
THE Dixie Redcoat Band
July 6th, 2012
8:58 am
Maybe his dad should really give him a good talk and straighten this kid out.
gomdawg
July 6th, 2012
9:13 am
A good example of a kid wanting to go pro ,but don’t want to go thur. College and earn it to get there.
We have got to get a hold on this when I say we I mean College Football, it has got out of hand . if a kid signs with a school he needs to be committed for 4 years if they don’t let them go through this small college and thin to pro.
o-my
July 6th, 2012
9:13 am
There is no proof the gun was his and that he filed the # off.
ASU Alum
July 6th, 2012
9:14 am
Crowell is going to a very good program and will be surrounded by 3 coaches who actually played in the NFL is that’s his dream. As a matter of fact all three played at Alabama State. Most importantly he will also be surrounded but a group of coaches who are just good men. Barlow’s program is ran one on being an upstanding student first then athlete second. Sure this may not be what he or his parents dreamed of but everybody deserves a chance. He didn’t shoot any body, rob a store etc, he had a gun under the front seat. The first person on this blog that can say he or she has never did anything stupid good for you, you are perfect. This kid will not be allowed to act as he did in high school. But he will be introduced to a well rounded and up and coming program. And from the recent arrest/issues UGA has had I can say that may Coach Richt needs to tighten his reigns up a little. Maybe instead of focusing on what these kids can do for his program he needs to focus on what he can do for their lives. It’s not a guarantee that every kid will go to the NFL just because he played at any school in the nation.
The Ghost of Wally Butts
July 6th, 2012
9:14 am
Here’s the condensed schedule for this story:
2012-2014: IC does enough to get drafted
2014-2015: IC makes NFL money
2015: Money + Opportunity = Trouble (Mike Vick kind of trouble)
2016: Sentenced/Served/Released, New Team, MTV Reality Show, Hoodie Sales “Justice for Isaiah” etc/
2017: Out of NFL, broke, occasional headlines for misdemeanors, etc.
That’s about it.
o-my
July 6th, 2012
9:18 am
Tyrone the “man” as you said don’t hold anyone down..get of your a@@ and become anything you wish. I’m black and I’m free to become what I wish. WORK!
I dropped my fried twinkie
July 6th, 2012
9:20 am
o-my…………it doesn’t matter WHO filed the serial number off the gun.
The gun was under his seat in his car.
o-my
July 6th, 2012
9:26 am
I found a gold ring under my seat..it wasn’t mine. Do I claim it are try to find out who it belongs to. Just because its under his seat don’t mean its his. Oh…just because its a gun, woppeee!
WDE
July 6th, 2012
9:27 am
ASU Alum based on your post I find it hard to believe you have a degree.
AltamahaDawg
July 6th, 2012
9:40 am
“Maybe instead of focusing on what these kids can do for his program he needs to focus on what he can do for their lives”
ASU alum, the rest of your post was pretty sensible. I have no idea what the other guy said it’s hard to believe you have a college degree.
BUT that part of your comment is completely uniformed, and without a ounce of merit. You appearantly have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, in that regard.
crossdawg
July 6th, 2012
9:43 am
Does Al State wear white uniforms with black stripes?
South ga
July 6th, 2012
9:44 am
Wonder where the money to hire the high priced lawyer is coming from?
Tommy
July 6th, 2012
9:48 am
Wonder who bonded him out????
.
July 6th, 2012
9:52 am
who set him up–did cop put gun under seat
AltamahaDawg
July 6th, 2012
9:55 am
You can bet your season passes to the Hornets this year, that the reason Crowell is playing for your school, is BECAUSE Coach Richt is trying to help the kid out. Not only that he cut him from our team but you would be naive to think that Coach Barlow made this decision without getting Richt’s input.
The saga of Crowell’s UGA career is the case study of how NOT to just worry about what a kid can do for the program.
I dropped my fried twinkie
July 6th, 2012
9:55 am
o-my……..how do you wish to try to find out whose gun it is? If there are no finger prints what then? Do you think a kid in that car will cop to 2 felonies?
Artie
July 6th, 2012
9:56 am
Says a lot about ASU…so willing to take UGA’s trash!!!
Burt Reynolds' brother Ernie
July 6th, 2012
9:59 am
Anybody ever seen that movie my brother made years ago called The Longest Yard? Me and my brother are figuring that might be the same kind of ball Isaiah (lots of people drive my car and leave stolen guns in it) Crowell will be playing pretty soon. Me and my brother also figure that Georgia has enough folks who let lots of people drive their cars and leave stolen pistols in it and we aren’t too upset that Mr. Cry-well went across the river. The last time I was driving my brother to a plastic surgeon so he could have the skin on his face stretched even tighter than it already is, we were talking about another movie he made one time. This movie was made on a river up in North Georgia; I sure hope Mr. Isaiah (my ankle hurts again) cry-so-well don’t wind up squealing like a pig as a result of letting somebody drive his car who then left it smelling like a Cheech and Chong movie and forgot to take their stolen pistol with them when they got back to where they first borrowed the car from. I sure hope nobody over there borrows Mr. Crowell’s car because everybody knows what happens when you let lots of folks drive your car. Just the other day, a country music star who used to live in Athens borrowed my car to drive to a plastic surgeon to get the skin pulled even tighter across his face than it already is and when he returned my car, he had left a cassette tape in my 8-track adapter that was playing The Gambler. I went to pull the tape out and then I noticed two AK-47’s were sticking out from under my seat. When I went to pull them out I noticed a self-rolled cigarette was lying under the seat also so these things can happen to anybody. Good luck and good riddance Mr. look at me Cryingohwell. I hope you have a wonderful life and make lots of money in the NFL and buy all your friends some cars so they don’t have to borrow yours. Please keep your sorry, car loaning, no football running, class skipping, butt out of our fair city.
Blah
July 6th, 2012
10:02 am
Eric Holder was actively recruiting him to run weapons…
fredi
July 6th, 2012
10:02 am
so willing to take UGA’s trash!!!
UGA took the trash first and has alot more. Someone has to clean up behind UGA’s football, basketball programs.
Crap
July 6th, 2012
10:03 am
The attorney is taking the Crowell case pro bono.
Al
July 6th, 2012
10:06 am
AS,AS,AS m#thaF#ckin U!!!! I predicted this!!!!!
WDE
July 6th, 2012
10:07 am
AltamahaDawg read ASU Alum’s post again. Apparently correct English grammar rules/syntax are not a part of the ASU curriculum. “Barlow’s program is RAN on one….” It’s tighten the REINS not REIGNS. That’s what I meant, but if you went to UGA you probably think….well never mind.