Georgia Bulldogs Countdown to Kickoff: Day 30
30. Three zero. A month away from sweet, sweet football returning, crowds roaring, the smell of bourbon and coke, and tailgate grills wafting through the air. We’re close, Georgia folks. Close indeed.
Now if you’ve read my entries into the countdown series, you may notice a bit of a trend — the underdawgs.
Jake Ganus, William Mote, walk-ons…the guys who come in and grind for the love of the game and deserve more credit than they get.
And who deserves more credit than a man given the nickname ‘Mr. Irrelevant’?
That’d be the former No. 30 for the Bulldogs, Tae Crowder.
Out of Hamilton, Georgia and a product of Harris County High, Crowder was a surprising late add for the Bulldogs back in the Class of 2015.
Mark Richt called Crowder late in the run up to Signing Day that year (February 2, the night before, to be exact), when he was still a Georgia Southern commit.
And Crowder jumped quick on the offer he’d longed for.
The big bodied running back was considered a project, but his rare size at 6-foot-3, 220-plus pounds made him an intriguing take at the position with an available spot.
While he never broke through in the offensive backfield, Kirby Smart and company noticed his fluid movement and size and promptly worked to transition him to the defensive side of the ball.
That turned out to be a good idea.
While Crowder started off slowly, redshirting and then appearing in just one game in 2016, he soon became a frequent appearer in the middle of the defense.
He played in 15 games in 2017 and 14 in both 2018 and 2019.
In his 44 career games for the Bulldogs, Crowder would put together 122 total tackles, ten tackles for loss, seven pass defense, and two interceptions. He would also force a fumble and recover two more.
The New York Giants would take a chance on him with the final pick, No. 255 overall, in the NFL draft, and that’s a move that looks to be paying major dividends for them.
He appeared in 11 games, starting 6 his rookie season and registered 57 total tackles and added a crucial fumble recovery for a touchdown to give the Giants their first win of 2020.
Year two was a breakout, though.
Crowder would start all 17 games in the 2021 season, record 130 total tackles, and add seven pass deflections and two picks to his sheet, as well.
More of the same is expected in year three.
He is ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ no more, but Dawg fans certainly already knew that.
Not bad for a former three-star running back and perhaps one of Smart’s finest developmental jobs to date.
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