Washaun Ealey Suspended: What Does It Mean For Isaiah Crowell, Georgia Football?

Georgia running back Washaun Ealey, the team's leading rusher the last two seasons, has been indefinitely suspended from all team activities, according to reports. 

The suspension comes in the wake of Ealey failing to report for an unspecified punishment run last week. He has been banned from working out at Georgia's facilities or participating in any team activities. 

Ealey rushed for 811 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2010, but with five-star running back Isaiah Crowell headlining Georgia's 2011 recruiting class, his future with the program was already in doubt even before this latest suspension. 

Ealey was suspended for the 2010 season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette after leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license. 

After a breakout freshman campaign in 2009 in which Ealey rushed for 717 yards and three touchdowns, many experts predicted he would emerge as one of the top rushers in the SEC.

He managed only three games over 100 yards rushing in 2010, however, and struggled with turnovers in key games against South Carolina and Mississippi State. 

Does this open the door even wider for Crowell to take the reigns of Georgia's running game? Or does the SEC's 10th ranked rushing team in 2010 now find itself at an even greater disadvantage? 

Does This Open The Door For Isaiah Crowell To Become The Featured Back?

While Ealey may have rushed for 1,528 yards and 14 touchdowns over the last two seasons, he hasn't lived up to expectations and even before his suspension was expected to lose carries to senior running back Caleb King and incoming freshman Isaiah Crowell.

Crowell, the 5-star back from Carver High School in Columbus, Georgia, is one of the top overall recruits in the country.

Considering that King rushed for just 430 yards and two touchdowns last season and is entering his final year of eligibility, expect coach Mark Richt to force feed Crowell a steady diet of carries in the spring to better gauge what he has in the young man. 

Carver has a strong history of developing running backs, but Crowell also played the majority of his high school career as part of a talented stable of backs and the only knock on him pertains to questions over his ability to carry the load as a featured back. 

At 6'0" and 210 lbs, there's no question that Crowell needs to add significant bulk, but it doesn't mean he can't be a big part of Georgia's offense from day one. 

Ealey's suspension simply opened the door a little bit wider. 

Recruiting Class Needs To Step Up and Fill The Void

Georgia ranked 10th in the SEC in rushing last season, averaging 142.6 yards per game. With Ealey out of the picture indefinitely, the team's two leading receivers from last season, A.J. Green and Kris Durham, off to the NFL draft, and Caleb King standing as the leading active rusher, the waters are murky for the Bulldogs. 

Of course, with a strong incoming recruiting class headlined by Crowell, 5-star tight end Jay Rome and 4-star quarterback Christian LeMay there's hope for an instant infusion of young talent. 

LeMay will have to wait his turn with Aaron Murray coming off an impressive freshman campaign, but Crowell and Rome appear to be in line for a lot of action next season. 

There isn't a running back on the roster with the type of talent Crowell possess and with the receiving corps depleted to Tavarres King and Logan Gray expect to see the Bulldogs utilize their stable of tight ends. 

Junior tight end Orson Charles shouldn't have much trouble locking up the No. 1 tight end position, but beyond him Marlon Brown and Aron White don't offer the type of potential Rome does. 

With most of Georgia's top incoming talent on the defensive side of the ball, it'll be up to Crowell and Rome to provide the offense with a much-needed jolt in 2011.

Does The Suspension Add Wheels to The Ealey Transfer Rumors?

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 30: Washaun Ealey #3 of the Georgia Bulldogs runs for yardage during the game against the Florida Gators at EverBank Field on October 30, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Rumors of Ealey considering transferring to Georgia Southern surfaced ever since it became clear the Bulldogs were the leader to land Crowell so naturally the latest reports of Ealey's suspension only add fuel to the fire. 

Of course the fact that Georgia did indeed land Crowell on National Signing Day as well as the perception that coach Mark Richt envisions Crowell as his starting back next season can't be discounted from the equation either. 

But Ealey's shaky relationship with Richt isn't a new development. Ever since he was suspended for the season opener in 2010 after his infamous hit-and-run things have looked bleak.

While sources have only confirmed that Ealey has been indefinitely suspended for his latest infraction, rumours have been flying around saying Ealey was actually kicked off the team. A Georgia spokesman later confirmed Ealey was still a member of the team. 

Either way, with Crowell coming in, his relationship with Richt crumbling and still two years of eligibility left, transferring seems like a clear-cut favorite for Ealey.

Expect to see the rumor mill begin cranking into overdrive because from the way things look Ealey's days at Georgia are over.