ESPN’s Alex Scarborough identified ‘under-the-radar stars’ for each of college football’s top-25 preseason teams. For Georgia, Scarborough selected linebacker Tae Crowder as the Bulldogs’ hidden gem heading into the 2019 season.
This is going to be a young but talented linebacker corps, and coach Kirby Smart is going to need Crowder to be the shepherd. As the projected starting Mike linebacker, the senior will be in charge of calling the entire defense. Last season, he racked up big plays with six tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions, but it’s the week-in, week-out effort that Georgia needs. If he can provide leadership and help his younger teammates along, this could once again be one of the better defenses in college football. — Scarborough
Crowder (Hamilton, Ga.) came to Georgia in 2015 as a bruising running back with a nasty stiff arm. When he signed with Mark Richt and the Dawgs, he was ranked as the nation’s 1,868th overall prospect in his class.
After redshirting his freshman season, Crowder switched to inside linebacker, a position that took him some time to fully grasp.
In 2018, Crowder played really well, sharing snaps with Monty Rice and Natrez Patrick. He played in all 14 games – started five – and racked up 53 tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three pass breakups, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Patrick has since left, leaving Rice and Crowder as Georgia’s two primary veteran inside linebackers. Look for five-star early-enrollee Nakobe Dean to receive plenty of playing time as well.
