COLUMBUS -- With a red and black hat on his head and a bulldog puppy cradled in his arms, Carver-Columbus running back Isaiah Crowell vowed his allegiance to Georgia on Wednesday. It ended a process that began three years ago, when Clemson offered him a scholarship as a freshman, the first of about 45 that he received.
"It was a close decision," said Crowell, who chose Georgia over Alabama. "But when it came down to it, my heart was at Georgia."
As the capstone of the "dream team" recruiting class that Georgia coaches have pitched to prospects, another long journey has just begun for Crowell. This one probably will not include Georgia coach Mark Richt and Alabama coach Nick Saban visiting the residents of the retirement community where Crowell's mother, Debbie, works.
Crowell made his announcement at a local banquet hall, flanked by 19 Carver teammates who also have signed to play college football. Dressed in suits and ties, they represented their future institutions in an array of blue, green, orange and purple.
Because of his status as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's No. 1-ranked player in the state and as someone considered by some to be the No. 1 running-back prospect in the country, Crowell's announcement merited a live broadcast on ESPNU, which is how both Richt and Saban learned of his decision. About 350 people, including about 50 family members, several members from the Crowells' church and the mayor of Columbus, attended.
The event peaked when Crowell ended the suspense by pulling a Georgia cap from his backpack and slipping it on his head. Shortly after, Crowell's friend and backup running back Cequanti Ford brought out his bulldog puppy for him to hold. The two had hatched the plan Tuesday to add flair to the ever-growing pomp of signing-day announcements. Ford had to smuggle in the puppy -- named Uga, naturally -- to keep the decision a secret.
With Crowell in the fold, Richt landed nearly every in-state recruit that he pursued. Wednesday, the Bulldogs signed five of the AJC's top six players in the state and 13 of the top 30.
Georgia's haul includes highly rated stars Ray Drew of Thomas County Central, Malcolm Mitchell and Jay Rome of Valdosta and Damian Swann of Grady. Since last spring, Richt and his staff had sold those and other players that together they could form a dream team to compete for SEC and national titles.
"We literally had names and pictures targeted that we could look at and shoot for, and we actually nailed it pretty good," Richt said Wednesday in Athens.
Already, though, holes are being poked into the Bulldogs' reverie. For one thing, as of late Wednesday afternoon, the Rivals recruiting website ranked the class No. 7 in the country but No. 4 in the SEC behind Alabama, Auburn and LSU. Scout ranked Georgia sixth overall and second in the SEC behind Auburn. ESPN ranked Georgia sixth overall and third in the SEC behind Auburn and Alabama.
Rivals national analyst Barry Every said the class isn't very strong at offensive line, an area Georgia needs to fortify. He also didn't think there was a standout wide receiver in the class. Further, there's the small matter that this dream team has yet to take a snap.
"It's a little bit of hype," Every said. "They aren't going to be a dream team, in my opinion, until they do something on the football field."
Crowell would agree.
"I think [an SEC championship] is possible as long as we get down there, work hard, stay focused," he said.
What about a national championship?
Said Crowell, "Yes, sir."
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