Alabama State caravan stops in Columbus, and Hornets coach Reggie Barlow praises newcomer Isaiah Crowell, the former Carver High standout dismissed from Georgia

When former Carver High standout Isaiah Crowell was dismissed from the Georgia football team this month after being arrested on three gun charges, two of which were felonies, the 2011 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year was a player whose future was far from certain.

However, after a whirlwind recruiting process, Crowell decided to transfer to Alabama State, a Football Championship Subdivision member in Montgomery, Ala. By transferring to ASU, Crowell is eligible to play for the Hornets this season.

But it wasn't always a certainty that Crowell would be playing for Alabama State this season.

In fact, Hornets coach Reggie Barlow talked with ASU athletic director Stacy Danley before actively pursuing Crowell.

"Like all high-caliber athletes, we recruited Isaiah when he came out of high school," Barlow said Saturday at the Alabama State University Coaches' Caravan at the Hilton Garden Inn in Columbus. "But we knew he'd probably be going to a bigger school, and he did. After he was released by Georgia and all of the proper paperwork was filed, I talked to (Danley) and was given the OK to go ahead and recruit him. Isaiah knew some players that had come to ASU before, and we were able to make a good connection. Several schools really wanted him, but it really was a matter of him making the decision to come to ASU."

The arrest was the third incident for Crowell since he arrived on the Georgia campus. He was suspended for one whole game against New Mexico State for failing a drug test and a quarter of the Vanderbilt game for undisclosed reasons.

Danley, who played running back at Auburn from 1986-1990, said the decision to recruit Crowell wasn't just made from a football perspective.

"(Barlow) and I talked about (Crowell) and I was made aware of all the off-field problems," Danley said. "But I wanted to know who this young man really was. I talked to a lot of people, including people at the University of Georgia and his old high school, to see if this was a case where a young man just made a mistake. The football side of things will take care of itself. I wanted to see if being at Alabama State University would help him develop into a quality young man. Once I saw that he had some structure in place with his family and with the structure we have at ASU, we decided it would be OK to bring him on campus. This wasn't just about being a football move but an opportunity to help a young man. Our goal is for him to come out a better person at the end of the process."

Barlow said Crowell has adjusted well to life at Alabama State and is ready to start practice.

The Hornets report to camp Wednesday and practice gets under way Thursday afternoon.

"We've got a good support system in place for Isaiah to come in and do a good job for us," said Barlow, whose team went 8-3 in 2011. "He's been doing well with his classwork, and while workouts aren't mandatory right now, he understands the commitment needed to be an excellent player on this level. As a person, he's doing fine, and our players have really embraced him."

Alabama State opens its season Sept. 2 against Bethune-Cookman in Orlando, Fla., as a part of the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, and the Hornets are coming off their best season since they won the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship in 2004. Even before the addition of Crowell, ASU had a solid returning core, led by quarterback Greg Jenkins. Jenkins completed almost 60 percent of his passes for 1,475 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 330 yards and another seven scores. As a team, the Hornets averaged 26.7 points (second in the SWAC) and 330 yards of total offense per game in 2011.

"In all three phases, we have a good group of guys coming back," Barlow said. "We've got a good quarterback, solid group of receivers and a defense that forced a lot of turnovers. Even our kicking game has the kicker coming back."

Alabama State's defense ranked in the top five in the nation in takeaways with 37 (22 interceptions, 15 fumbles), ranked second in the country in pass efficiency defense (97.36) and was sixth in the nation in scoring defense, giving up 17.4 points per contest.

Add in Crowell, who rushed for 850 yards in 2011, and Alabama State has to be considered one of the top teams in the SWAC heading into the 2012 season.

"Isaiah is an explosive, speed, power back," said Barlow, who is entering his sixth season as head coach of the Hornets. "(Jenkins) is a very athletic quarterback, but teams started keying on him last season. Now we have Isaiah to hand the ball off to, and that gives us another weapon that can go out there and make plays."

This story was originally published July 28, 2012 at 11:31 PM with the headline "Alabama State caravan stops in Columbus, and Hornets coach Reggie Barlow praises newcomer Isaiah Crowell, the former Carver High standout dismissed from Georgia."