Isaiah Crowell: Potential Transfer Shows FCS Schools Can Be Safe Haven

Now former Georgia Bulldogs running back and 5-star recruit Isaiah Crowell would be making a smart decision if he chooses to transfer to an FCS-level school.

The latest report, via ESPN, is that Crowell is still making up his mind regarding a possible transfer to Alabama State.

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UGAsports.com reported that the former Georgia running back had decided to transfer to Alabama State.

However, Crowell's mother told DawgNation that her son has yet to finalize his plans.

"He has not made up his mind," Debbie Crowell said.

UGAsports said Crowell would enroll at Alabama State on Wednesday, although a school official refused to confirm or deny the development, the website reported.

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Crowell was arrested last week and subsequently dismissed from the Bulldogs team. He was charged with two felonies and one misdemeanor.

Now he finds himself in an extremely unfortunate situation. He's gone from a 5-star prospect with unlimited potential to being exiled from Georgia football and facing jail time.

Sometimes it's scary how quickly things can change for the worse. Where does he go from here?

First things first, he needs to face up to the legal issues, which hopefully won't involve jail. After that, he needs to get his life turned around, and there's no better way to do that than fully invest in a football team.

This is why transferring to an FCS school would be such a smart idea for Crowell. He wouldn't be required to sit out a year like he would if he were to transfer to an another FBS school, which means  he can get himself in practices with teammates and with coaches.

We all make mistakes—some more egregious than others—and we all pay consequences. The great thing is that there's room for second chances, and that's what I love about the FBS-to-FCS transfer in this type of situation.

As somebody who played and now coaches football, I fully believe the stability provided by a supportive team and coaching staff can work wonders for somebody who needs those things. The kicker is, it takes two to tango, so Crowell would have to be just as committed to the process—which he obviously wasn't at Georgia.

The key is to give him that chance, though, and that's what he'd be getting by transferring to an FCS school.

The worst thing that can happen right now is for football to leave his life. It's something he excels at and may have a future in, it's something that provides stability, and it's something that could make a huge difference here.

Unfortunately, sometimes when we rank athletes scenarios like this don't apply. Crowell was a 5-star talent on the field, but he just couldn't keep it together off it. To me, as somebody who scouts and analyzes football players for a living, it's encouraging to me to know that if the worst-case scenario does play out—as it did in Crowell's case—there is an avenue for redemption.

The FCS has become a safe haven for troubled players. Some may think they are running away from their problems, but I completely disagree.

Anybody who's ever been involved in football knows that running away from anything is not an option, unless you're running away from a potential tackler.

We'll have to wait if he does indeed transfer and what kind of legal ramifications he faces, but either way, I do hope Crowell does find a second chance in the FCS.