Senior returns to anchor the defense for final season
THE ELITE 11 CLASS OF 2021: This is the ninth part of an 11-part series highlighting the top football players in the Newton County Appeal coverage area for the upcoming season. Local coaches nominated the players, while the Elite 11 preseason football team is selected solely by Newton County Appeal sports editor Robbie Robertson. The players are being revealed one at a time, in no particular order.
If there has ever been a Jekyll and Hyde football player at Newton County, it’s senior linebacker Colin Crowder.
Off the field, Crowder is a soft-spoken teen who enjoys the rodeo and riding four-wheelers and fishing with his friends.
But on the field, Crowder turns into a Dick Butkus kind of linebacker, make violent tackles from sideline to sideline. Last year, Crowder had 129.5 tackles and led the Cougars and was a Class 4A first-team all-state selection.
“He is one of the toughest and meanest players that I have ever had,” Newton County coach Bobby Bass said. “He’s a great kid off the field, but on the field, he is a mean son of a gun. He is probably one of the toughest kids that I have ever coached. There were some times the last couple of years that he should have come off the field but didn’t.”
Bass said it’s easy to see why Crowder excels at the linebacker position.
“He takes it personal,” Bass said. “Everything is kind of personal and looks at everything as a personal challenge. We have kind of preached that nobody is going to run the football on us and he takes that as a personal challenge. So that’s his mentality. And he wants to make every tackle. We talk about being greedy on defense and be the first one to the ball. If you can’t be the first one to the ball, pass somebody getting there.”
Crowder said he just want to “be the best player on the field every Friday.” Bass said Crowder, who is 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, has some natural attributes that help him as well.
“He uses his hands really well,” Bass said. “He has big hands and long arms, freakishly long arms. As tall as he is, he stays compact and gets off of blocks and sheds blockers. He does a good job of using his hands getting off blocks. One thing, he plays so hard and so fast, there are times that he gets banged up but that’s part of his position.”
Like any good linebacker, Crowder has always been a hitter and carries it over to Friday nights.
“He was never one that was shy of contact, even as a ninth grader,” Bass said. “He was never scared to go hit anybody and he gets to the ball carrier with bad intentions. He’s an old-school throwback, a (Dick) Butkus kind of throwback linebacker. He gets to the ball carrier with bad intentions and he will push your head not the ground.”
While Crowder anchors the defense, he will also be called on to play offense this year. While he’s the backup quarterback, Bass said Crowder could see some time at running back, tight end and wide receiver.
“In the spring, he threw at the quarterback school,” Bass said. “We knew he could throw the football, but the ball just jumps out of his hand. He can run the ball and sometimes he wants to run more than he can throw. He’s a wildcat guy with a passing threat. He’s going to play defense but have a role on offense.”
Currently, Crowder has two junior college offers from East Central and Northwest Community College. Bass said most of the state’s junior colleges have shown interest. Because of his size, speed and production, Bass said he really doesn’t understand why more schools aren’t recruiting Crowder.
“I think the sky is the limit for him in college,” Bass said. “East Central and Northwest are the only schools that have offered. There were a bunch of college coaches at the spring game and he was making plays all over the field. They all say that he is special but they still haven’t offered him. I just don’t understand it. Whoever gets him is getting a special football player. The dude can just play.”
Crowder said he hasn’t committed yet and is just letting the season play out and see what happens.
“I want to play in college and have been thinking on it,” Bass said. “I think there will be more colleges out there. So I’m just waiting to see what happens. I want to play ball in college.”
Crowder said he enjoys riding four wheelers and fishing. In the past, he’s also enjoyed riding horses but has backed off of that since breaking his ankle last year.
“Last year, I was worried every weekend about him riding and getting hurt,” Bass said. “I was a nervous as a cat around rocking chairs. But I think he has matured some and sees where football can possibly take him. I’m not saying he’s the safest person by any means. But he has gotten progressively stronger from being in the weight room and doing our agilities. It’s going to help on his durability. But when you play like he does, you’re going to get banged up.”
