Isaiah Crowell's Signing Day Moment Was One For The Dawgs (VIDEO)

The little pup at the end was a nice move by Crowell. Let's hope he's got more tricks up his sleeve once he gets on the football field next season.



Not to be completely outdone, his Carver-Columbus teammate, Gabe Wright, caused a stir as well when he revealed Auburn as his school of choice by putting on a hat that said "Nick Who?"...he clarified that he meant Fairley, not Saban—nice save there, Gabe.

Georgia Bulldogs: Live Coverage of National Signing Day 2011

Georgia Bulldogs Recruting: Isaiah Crowell Now Rolling The Tides' Way

The one matter that, more than anything else, should concern a Georgia Bulldog fan who is watching a 1-4 team disintegrate before it's very eyes is, how the perception of a sinking ship will effect future boarders.

It was a mere six-months ago that the Georgia Bulldogs were rolling strong with their "Dream Team" efforts. Guys were pledging their allegiance to Georgia with little hesitation, most were chomping at the bit to not only get to Athens as soon as possible, but to get as many guys to roll with them as they possibly could.

Well, that good fortune could be going south now that there is so much uncertainty about the team, the coaches, and the program. No one wants to be made a mockery of, least of all a highly-touted prospect with more than his fair share of suitors.

Seriously, if a national champion is knocking at your door, why would you sign with a team that is, right now, just hoping to become bowl eligible?

The recent mishaps in the Georgia running game are part of the problem at Georgia and that strikes a nerve with the tried and true fan who grew up watching Herschel Walker, Rodney Hampton, and Garrison Hearst break records wearing the 'G' on their helmet.

The obvious cure for an ailing running game would be to bring in a stud in the 2011 class. A player who is a game-changer and a sure-fire star at the position. That guy for Georgia is supposed to be Isaiah Crowell of Carver High School and, up until Saturday, the Georgia Bulldogs were in a dead heat with Alabama for his services, now, the Alabama Crimson Tide are his team to beat.

According to Chip Towers of the AJC, Crowell has become a bit disenchanted with the Georgia Bulldogs, and is liking the idea of going to Tuscaloosa and playing for Nick Saban.

Said Crowell, when asked about his change of heart, "Well, they’re (Georgia) losing a lot of games and have a lot of people getting arrested...there’s just a lot of things going wrong. I do want to play right away but I also want to be where it’s disciplined (emphasis added) and they win championships."

Wow, he said a mouthful there, didn't he? Imagine that, a prospect not wanting to go where it suddenly appears the inmates are running the asylum. Ten arrests in a season will get you a bad reputation for being a little too lenient with your guys.

Sure, Crowell is just one guy. It's possible that the team can win out and get back on track again, but the voices of dissension grow louder every day and they can be tough to ignore—especially if you are a prospect looking for a place to call home for four-years of your life.  It's easy to overlook a poor record, or a bad year, but it's not easy to overlook a drastic coaching overhaul.

Look how many guys Georgia missed out on last season when Martinez and his staff were let go. These kids are building relationships with THIS coaching staff—that's relevant. Firing Richt, Grantham, and every other clipboard holding fellow on the Georgia coaching staff could kill the 2011 class and handicap Georgia for years. 

That said, if you think things are awful now, you have no idea how bad it could really get if the fire sale that so many are calling for actually does happen. How does that "Dream Team" look minus all those great prospects?

Does it look good to you?

As of now, Crowell is waivering and there is word that Watts Dantzler is taking a look at Auburn (his No. 2 choice) again as well. Add to that list, Nathan Theus, a Dawg Night committment—who else will follow?
 
Mark Richt is in the dog house with many right now, and that's fair. However, this is about more than 2010, it's about the future of the Georgia Bulldogs football program from 2011 forward and, you have to start asking yourself this simple question: If Mark Richt is fired, like so many want, what kind of a future will the Georgia Bulldogs truly have?

Of course there are those who will argue that a losing season will bring the same result anyhow so why bother worrying about that factor one way or the other?

Well, to that end, only this question can be asked, how much of a chance are you willing to take on that actually being true? 

Think about it.
 

The Georgia Bulldogs Are Selling A Dream—Haters Be Damned!

It seems that not everyone is enamored of the Georgia Bulldogs and their “Dream Team” approach to recruiting prospects for 2011. More and more, there are those who are taking issue with the idea as they wonder if it’s really something that they want Georgia to be hanging its future success upon.

The first issue is believing in the notion that one recruiting class is going to be the answer for Georgia football—fair enough. I mean, after all, it takes more than one group of players to transform a program from good to great, right?

Even if this class does end up being championship caliber, there is no guarantee that it will come together immediately. That’s an important point to consider when you think of the sensitive position that Mark Richt is currently under at Georgia—his seat may not be hot but, after 2011, it will get substantially warmer if the program regresses or experiences another sub-par season.

Which leads to the other issue posed by the naysayers, why put that much expectation on one group of players, on the Georgia football program, heck, on Mark Richt?!? Does he really need to see the consequences of his “Dream Team” idea backfiring on him?

The magnifying glass is close enough without adding fuel to the fire.

Now, while I can certainly understand both sides, all the vitriol has led me to one very simple question, why is anyone bothering to take this approach so seriously?

Mark Richt has offered the concept of a "Dream Team" to help fire up the in-state talent’s interest in Georgia, as well as infuse the fans with a little more enthusiasm for the future of Georgia football—that's it.

Honestly, anyone who believes a recruit will sign, based solely on the possibility of being a part of the "Dream Team", is not being realistic. Even more, they aren’t giving Georgia or Mark Richt much credit as a program. If a prospect signs with Georgia, he will ultimately do so as a result of how well he fits in at Georgia.

All Georgia’s staff has done is offer the excitement of, possibly, being a part of something special at Georgia in 2011. They could be a part of building Georgia into a champion. They might be the missing piece of the championship puzzle.

It’s that pitch that could pique the interest of a potential prospect enough to allow a Georgia coach his shot at selling the merits of playing in a red and black uniform—is that a crime?

After all, in the recruiting game, part of the process entails gaining an ‘edge’. If a particular concept can give you one, then you take advantage of the opportunity. The “Dream Team” sounds good to some of the guys it’s being presented to, others maybe not as much, but all any coach can ask for is a chance to make his pitch and so far, "Dream Team" or not, the coaches are selling the program.

Will they get everyone? No, they will miss a few, and I have no doubt that the coaches and Richt know as much.

That said, if the staff fails to close on a guy, it will have less to do with an inability to  sell the “Dream Team” concept, than with Georgia failing to promise something the recruit values (i.e. playing time, location, or position).

You simply can’t sign everyone.

Georgia has received 12 solid commitments—11 of whom are in-state—none of whom actually cite the "Dream Team" as their reason for choosing Georgia. So I am forced to, wonder again, why anyone has a problem with the coaches using this idea as a tool in recruiting?

For now, the “Dream Team” is nothing more than part of an effective sales pitch and, in the end, the coaches still have to sell the program.  So far, they have done a good job of that.