They were going to be the archdukes of Athens.
Two close friends — one a running back, the other a linebacker — who grew up together before enrolling at the same small high school in the same small town in south Georgia were going to fulfill the big dreams of leading Georgia to championships.
Instead, one was released before he had a chance to play. The other lasted two years.
On Saturday, those two close friends, Dexter Moody and Washaun Ealey, will face off when Moody’s Georgia State team takes on Ealey’s Jacksonville State squad, both in FCS (formerly Division I-AA).
SEC titles have given way to FCS reality. However, both have embraced their new homes.
“I’m ready to get out and continue this new beginning for myself,” Moody said. “Everyone knows I got off to a rough start. I’m in a great program with coach Curry and don’t want to be anywhere else.”
“I made a lot of mistakes on and off the field,” Ealey said. “I’m trying to learn from my mistakes and am trying to become a better man.”
Moody first met Ealey when they were in the sixth grade and playing baseball. Their fathers played sports together, so the two boys were always around each other. Both blossomed into coveted football recruits at Emanuel County Institute.
Ealey was a four-star recruit who rushed for more than 8,000 yards with a state-record 133 touchdowns. It seemed a given that he would go to Georgia and become the next in a long line of great running backs.
Moody was also a four-star recruit as an outside linebacker. His size and speed were coveted.
Both became Bulldogs, the crown jewels in a top-10 class.
The trouble started soon after signing day. Georgia coach Mark Richt revoked Moody’s scholarship after he was suspended from ECI.
“It was on me,” Moody said. “I wasn’t being the person I needed to be in high school. I wasn’t doing stuff I needed to be doing.”
He enrolled at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, redshirting in 2009 and playing in seven games in 2010 at linebacker and safety with 28 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks. Moody was being recruited by Nebraska, among others. However, he wanted to come back to the South.
He said the time in Kansas was difficult, and he leaned on his dad for support. His coach at Fort Scott, Jeff Sims, described Moody’s two years as “incomplete,” partially because Moody left school a semester early.
Moody moved to Statesboro, where he lived with his sister and finished his degree by taking online classes. He hoped to enroll at Georgia, but they weren’t interested.
However, Moody said he doesn’t need to play at a big school to become a better person or a better player. He said NFL scouts will find good players, no matter where they play.
Because Moody had no scholarship offers from FBS (formerly Division I-A) schools, Curry and his staff began doing their homework. They went to ECI and spoke with counselors and teachers. They brought him to Atlanta, and Moody passed the “eyeball-to-eyeball” test that Curry uses when talking to people. He said Moody confirmed the stories Curry already knew.
Combine that with the fact that Curry has great respect for Georgia coach Mark Richt and his judgment, even if he did eventually pull Moody’s scholarship, and Curry said they were willing to sign him. It has worked out so far. Moody leads the team in tackles (16) as an inside linebacker and has been a good student and citizen.
“He’s had a good attitude all the way through,” Curry said.
Ealey’s troubles were different, but also were based in a lack of accountability.
He was suspended at least twice by Richt for various violations of traffic or team rules. Finally, in May, the school released him from his scholarship. Once described as the next Herschel Walker, Ealey played in 21 games, rushing for 1,528 yards and 14 touchdowns.
He quickly joined Jacksonville State, where he leads the team with 84 yards on 24 carries. Gamecocks coach Jack Crowe spoke with Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who used to coach at Jacksonville State, and assistant head coach Rodney Garner before he signed Ealey. He said he wanted to make sure there were no character issues.
“You still have to accept there’s a reason for a change and deal with the realities,” Crowe said. “I’m very happy with Washaun. We are still in transition. I’m learning him, and he’s learning us.”
It seems the players have learned their lessons. Moody said he is more mature and knows what it means to be accountable, using coaches’ quotes to illustrate his point.
“To be perfect you have to practice perfect,” he said.
Moody has no plans to transfer to an FBS school. He feels he has grown tremendously and likes Georgia State. Plus, he’s closer to his son Charles Daylen Moody, who was born Aug. 31.
“I love the way things are going right now,” he said. “I love every bit of Georgia State.”
The two friends talk every other day. Their big dreams haven’t changed, though their paths have. Both are excited about facing off, something they’ve rarely done.
“I’ll come out and give him my best shot,” Moody said. “He’ll do the same thing.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
