2019 UGA Football: Player Spotlight - LB, Tae Crowder

Georgia's defense dominated their opponents through a formidable early slate of games for the Dawgs. One player, in particular, has stood out, Tae Crowder.

Surely you've heard, or read by now that Tae Crowder came to Georgia as a 3-star running back out of Harris County high school in Hamilton, Georgia, and after redshirting his freshman year he made the switch to inside linebacker. 

It's a crowded spot in Athens and has been since Crowder began playing the position midseason back in 2016, but yet he's managed to play in 32 consecutive games for the Dawgs. 

Though never the stat stuffer that his counterpart, Monty Rice, has become to be. But that doesn't stop Crowder from flashing his skills on Saturday's. Where, despite accommodating a rotation with the likes of Monty Rice, Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, and Channing Tindall, Crowder has managed to stand out to at least this writer's eye. 

If you focus specifically on the way Crowder plays the linebacker position, it becomes apparent that he does so with the mind of a former runner. Tracking and mimicking the runners every move. 

He's got elite closing speed to run backs down in open space quickly. It's become an invaluable skill in today's college football, where the offensive coordinator's primary objective is to spread the defense and make them defend the full 53. 

We asked him the Arkansas State game if he felt his history as a running back helps him now and why; 

"It definitely helps with the footwork and things like that, but it's all about coming to practice and letting the coaches coach you, and taking it out there. But, it helps a lot." 

We should see Crowder and Rice continue to get more and more of the snaps, based solely on the idea that Georgia is set to play much more competitive football games. Including this weekend's matchup against Notre Dame, who despite the 13.5 Vegas odds favorite that UGA opened at, is a very good football team and program.