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.”
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
313 comments Add your comment
IHCMR
July 6th, 2012
12:26 pm
IC is ghetto. Always has been and always will be. THE END.
AltamahaDawg
July 6th, 2012
12:27 pm
And you returned the favor and proved mine.
hbcuclassics
July 6th, 2012
12:32 pm
http://www.hbcuclassics.com
VA dog
July 6th, 2012
12:39 pm
Mr. Crowell the transfer to Alabama State University could prove critics wrong and supporters right. Now, as a famous coach in Athens says “finish the drill”. Good luck and HBCU’s rule.
bubba4dawgs
July 6th, 2012
12:41 pm
IC is not pro material. I really don’t expect him to be drafted. It is doubtful that even Sabin will have another look at him, maybe Gene Czhick if the money is right and enough weed on the Plains. This guy is messed up from the word go. It’s most unfortunate more for him than UGA. There are plenty of running backs out there who deserve the chance and will prove themselves to be just as good and better without all the garbage IC carries. Good luck to IC and all of his replacements at UGA! Coach Richt can hold his head high! Crowell’s makeover should have been at home.
ugab
July 6th, 2012
12:42 pm
Carrying a gun is not ok.
I dropped my fried twinkie
July 6th, 2012
12:44 pm
hbcuclassics……………sell your brand of Crazy to GaState fans! We are all stocked up with enough crazy already.
I dropped my fried twinkie
July 6th, 2012
12:46 pm
ugab………….Carrying a GUN is VERY MUCH OK if you do it legally.
sherry
July 6th, 2012
12:54 pm
Crowell, didn’t belong at Georgia, Glad he gone maybe he will learn to appreciate what he has. Really needs to grow up.
I dropped my fried twinkie
July 6th, 2012
1:14 pm
ATHENS — University of Georgia redshirt sophomore inside linebacker Brandon Burrows has decided to transfer to another institution seeking an opportunity for more playing time according to an announcement Thursday by UGA head coach Mark Richt.
“I came out of high school playing the defensive end position in a 4-3 defense which is what I truly love,” said Burrows.
“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 gratefully 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.
909
July 6th, 2012
1:19 pm
OK, it’s Friday afternoon. Save us the weekend suspense.
Which UGA player has gotten arrested today?
Crimson, Orange and Blue
July 6th, 2012
1:22 pm
LMAO….Dawg nation raged and ragged and ragged Auburn over the Cam Newton laptop situation. And couldn’t believe the fans stood behind Newton. So here we are now with a Dawg and scratched off serial numbers on a luger. Just what criminal activity was Crowell planning with that gun? And yet here we see Dawg fans standing behind him. Payback’s a beotch and SEC fans need to ride Dawgs relentlessly over this….the exact same they do every other team in the SEC!
steveo
July 6th, 2012
1:33 pm
even money says this 5 star athelete….10 star moron never finishes college and is working in McDonalds in 3 years….
Tee off
July 6th, 2012
1:34 pm
At first I was one of the people on here that said he’ll get multiple chances to make it the NFL based solely on his talent level. But here’s what we must not forget. He has no work ethic, he’s injury prone, he’s not discipline on or off the field, he’s a criminal, he has no interest in making himself better, he’s lazy and he doesn’t have the killer instinct. He may get drafted but guys like this never have a sustainable pro careers. He’ll have a few solid performances scattered throughout a season but injuries and lack of effort will keep him from being offered a big contract. When and if he gets to the NFL he’ll be surrounded with guys that are just as good as him and want it more without the risk that comes along with IC. I predict 2 or 3 years in the league and then back to his home town by age 26 and broke and forgotten by 30. We see it all the time.
Doc Dawg
July 6th, 2012
1:38 pm
He’ll never see the NFL. I doubt he’ll even be on the A State roster by the 8th game.
fuzzybee
July 6th, 2012
1:43 pm
Isaiah, Washaun and Caleb. You run from this state!
AltamahaDawg
July 6th, 2012
1:50 pm
You signed, a guy who got expelled from another SEC school, and hate that UGA fans called it cheap or low standards, whatever. That offended you. You thought that unfair. Ok fine. We get it.
But now, you somehow you compare that to UGA fan wishing the guy who just got booted OFF of our team, the best of luck. That’s not even close, buddy. Seriously, did you even think that out?
In fact, if you read a lot of these comments UGA fans are STILL giving you hell about Newton, because they speculate you would take Crowell tomorrow.
Its not turnabout..how in the heck is it turnabout? It’s not going the other way. its going the same way, at you.
DA.
AltamahaDawg
July 6th, 2012
1:54 pm
Good luck rallying the “the SEC fans”, over THAT stroke of brilliance. (would that be the same “SEC fans” that all make fun of Auburn over Cam, still?)
jlap53
July 6th, 2012
1:56 pm
I don’t think that this is a good place for IC unless he really plans to get his act together. MPD are on every corner in the Gump and they are hell on a brother for riding and smoking and they may even shoot if you have a weapon.
Las Vegas Dawg
July 6th, 2012
2:00 pm
Can someone explain the scholarship situation regarding the losses? Will this open additional spots for the 2013 class or give a walk on a chance?
I had high hopes for this kid but they started to fade as soon as he showed up as well as through the season. Then we hear he is turning the corner and making positive changes in his life. I don’t have hatred for the kid, just disappointed to see him and others throw away a gift of an education from that he can use for the rest of his life. The football dream can end at any moment.
Wish him nothing but the best and feel confident that this was the best for everyone involved. The depth chart looks good now and all the kids will get some time on the field. This will also open the door for the 2013 class to think again about the commitment they will have to make. Go Dawgs!!!
MAMA, HELP ME
July 6th, 2012
2:04 pm
Crowell is a perfect example of how colleges are willing to overlook if a player possess intelliegnce, and integrity as long as he can run fast. When schools stop picking as atheletes these street punks who think they’re above the law, they won’t disgrace these same schools later on when they decide to play “gangsta” in their spare time.
You want fries with that?
July 6th, 2012
2:05 pm
I predict 2 or 3 years in the league and then back to his home town by age 26 and broke and forgotten by 30.
That sounds about right. You also need to consider the very real possibility that Crowell will be killed in a gang shooting or imprisoned for killing someone else. That happens a lot with ghetto punks like Crowell.
AAAAA Montgomery Bail Bonds R Us
July 6th, 2012
2:08 pm
Any arrests today in Montgomery?
MAMA, HELP ME
July 6th, 2012
2:10 pm
Yeah, fuzzybee, Isaiah, Washaun and Caleb run from this state. In fact, I hope they run straight into the Pacific and keep on running. We’ve lost nothing. They’re the losers.
AltamahaDawg
July 6th, 2012
2:11 pm
Las Vegas, the answer is both. Some walk-ons will get an open scholarship this year, and some “additional” spots will count backwards if they can get them enrolled in Jan.
Chi's mom
July 6th, 2012
2:25 pm
It’s true.
Chip's mom
July 6th, 2012
2:26 pm
Dang
Tide Rising
July 6th, 2012
2:36 pm
It was very nice of someone to teach Altamahadawg the proper spelling of grammar after he butchered it in some condescending speech he was giving about proper grammar. Just another priceless moment brought to us by the dawg nation.
zbulldawg
July 6th, 2012
2:38 pm
NOW can we remove Crowell’s name from the UGA’s complaint list. Time to move on to the best we can be. LET THE BIG DAWG EAT !!!
Tide Rising
July 6th, 2012
2:44 pm
Branden Burrows transferring?
Looks like Richt just keeps on cutting players to make room for oversigning. He oversigned last year and this year the dawgs are projected to sign 30 players. Seems several players have recently transferred from UGA. Someone needs to look into Richt cutting and running off players.
Texas Dawg
July 6th, 2012
2:50 pm
Die hard Dawg fan but this is really disturbing…….please respond dawg fans! We have had 4 5star running back (all started at one point) and 2 4 star running back kicked off the team in the last 4 years!!!!!!!!!!!
What heck is really going own???????
What other team in the country is this tpye of thing happening????????
MY support of CMR is failing fast…..he needs to right the ship fast!
AltamahaDawg
July 6th, 2012
2:58 pm
“after he butchered it in some condescending speech he was giving about proper grammar”
Ignoring that I was actually doing the exact opposite, which was to poke fun of those who monitor such things in a sports blog, that is?
AltamahaDawg
July 6th, 2012
3:01 pm
http://oversigning.com/testing/index.php/2011/07/22/alabamas-march-to-85-finished/
zbulldawg
July 6th, 2012
3:04 pm
NOW let’s move toward some positives about the players that DO RIGHT ! I wonder what people would write or say if there wasn’t a few bad apples. THERE is awhole lot more to UGA than the BS that TOWERS & CARVELL have to say (write) about Georgia. They would not have a job if they couldn’t write about the negatives.Is that all you know about UGA. What do ya’ll do watch the police reports or can’t wait for a young man to change his mind about his commitment ? Not you or any of the players that you feature is going to make one bit of different in what UGA will do this fall. So get on board so YA’LL want look so SUPID when the season is over ! LIKE YOU DID LAST YEAR WHEN THEY WON THE EAST! I printed out all your junk every week last year & every prediction you made every week was not even close to what really happen. You both should be writing about garden clubs, travel and or obituaries ! No let me take that last back You would have something negative to say about the DEAD !!!
SecGuy
July 6th, 2012
3:06 pm
First Benedict, then Burrows. So Richt has run another one off that was injured in high school after signing. He makes a big deal about doing the honorable thing, then two years later when no one’s looking, cuts ‘em loose and says , “Sorry about that commitment misunderstanding. Good luck.”
AltamahaDawg
July 6th, 2012
3:12 pm
Yea, because he is just trying to prove how well he can do with 70 players.
You guys continue to prove how hypersensitive you are to this oversigning stigma that the national media has assigned to you, when you just make up blattent lies.
Dogs Smell
July 6th, 2012
3:14 pm
Apparently he placed no value on playing football at Uga. I dont think he had any respect for his coach.
bitter spoiled recruit
July 6th, 2012
3:47 pm
Any new recruiting news in the state of georgia????????????CRA—vell
Joey
July 6th, 2012
3:57 pm
I’m still ticked off at IC hauling those freshmen players out in the middle of the night. I hope this was a wake-up call for him, and hope he plays some good football the next 3 seasons.
Joey
July 6th, 2012
4:05 pm
“Payback’s a beotch”
*********************
Good grief. Anybody that says (or writes) that little gem shouldn’t be held responsible for anything else he writes, AD.
Just be nice to his kind . . .
To Tell the Truth
July 6th, 2012
4:06 pm
Another Cam Newton: This is total BS as once busted as a college player, one should not be allowed to play again! However, the dumb NCAA is scared that they would be called out for being racist or discriminating. Unreal!!!!
truedawg
July 6th, 2012
4:21 pm
So long…Best of luck? nah..JUST GROW UP! I can’t wait to see him bust a play for 10 yards then sit out for 4 plays.. No will. No drive. No guts. No glory. Playing for UGA is special, and playing is earned. We have others waiting to step in his place…join King, Sanks, Ealey..etc. When you stay out late you go to clubs. When you think your above the team, you go to clubs. When you go to Clubs on a school night you leave smelling like weed. When you leavse smelling like weed you get pulled over. When you get pulled over you go to jail. When you go to jail you get kicked off the team. When you get kicked off the team you play for a lesser school in Alabama . When you play in Alabama, your games are all played reruns at 2 am. Don’t play football at 2am. Step up DAWGS! GATA!!
Mark Richt
July 6th, 2012
4:28 pm
Hey UGA fans, while watching tv with my kids I learned a new song to sing to help with recruiting. Wanna hear?
I love you,
you love me,
We’re a happy family
With a great big hug
and a kiss from me to you,
won’t you say you love me too
tee hee hee purplepurplepurple
Think that will work?
pbt dawg fan
July 6th, 2012
4:49 pm
Alabama St. new staduim looks very nice. I may go to Montgomery to aacheck out a game.
cynthia
July 6th, 2012
4:50 pm
How about taking Washington with you?
ugaclassof2004
July 6th, 2012
5:13 pm
I think Isaiah Crowell is a good example of someone who should have been red-shirted.If he came in during 04-07, he would have been. That’s not to say he wouldn’t have gotten in trouble, but I think Crowell’s problem is his ego, which is something that is held in check when you’re red-shirted and fighting for a spot. But since Richt allowed the program to backslide, we lacked depth at a LOT of positions, including RB. Therefore guys like Crowell and Washuan Ealey got thrust into the lineup before they were ready. I also blame Richt for this whole “Dream Team” baloney. I realize you have to do that to some extent, especially since these kids are so egocentric today. But at some point guys need to come prepared to work and stay out of the BS. These coaches blew a lot of smoke up Crowell’s arse and he was pushed to the moon before he was ready from a maturity standpoint to handle it.
On the field I felt Crowell was a pretty decent talent. He was clearly a step up ability wise from what we had back there, and the offense had a nice pop when he was in there. I hated the way he ran though. IDK, he just ran like an injury-prone running back would run( trying to run through guys when he’s not a bruiser back). Crowell was rightfully held accountable for his actions, but I also think our coaching staff needs to be held accountable for the way they handled, or more accurately haven’t handled, these off field issues with the RB’s( good luck with that one).
In terms of the bigger picture: Richt’s teams ( especially the last few years) have really lacked leadership within the ranks. It helps to have teammate accountability. Nothing wrong with partying, but have some self control. I feel there is an education process in moderation that is lacking here.
Verlaine
July 6th, 2012
6:41 pm
Ah, Crowell the Buffoon is tweeting like mad today, giving us all lessons in how to live:
Before you point your finger at me, better look in the mirror!
The most amazing thing is that he actually wrote an intelligible sentence with no misspellings.
50 arrests in four years
July 6th, 2012
6:49 pm
Mark Richt: Hey UGA fans, while watching tv with my kids I learned a new song to sing to help with recruiting. Wanna hear?
I love you, you love me, We’re a happy family With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won’t you say you love me too tee hee hee purplepurplepurple
Think that will work?
———————————————
Yes, Mark, you should sing it to every recruit when you tuck them into bed.
mgdawg
July 6th, 2012
7:15 pm
Crowell has the talent, that can’t be denied. But talent does you no good when you can’t stay on the field, either because of rules violations or “injuries.” I put that in parenthesis because I find it highly unlikely that he was injured as much as he claims, he may have been hurt, he may have been in pain, but if you are injured that much you should quit football before you damage yourself for life.
Your Girlfriend
July 6th, 2012
7:17 pm
@Verlaine
July 6th, 2012
6:41 pm
“Ah, Crowell the Buffoon is tweeting like mad today, giving us all lessons in how to live:
Before you point your finger at me, better look in the mirror!
The most amazing thing is that he actually wrote an intelligible sentence with no misspellings.”
Alabama State provides a translator for Georgia transfers. The translator is probably tweeting for him now.