CROWDER, Randolph “Channing”
Florida
55
2003
Height 6:02.3
Weight 247
Bench Press 360
Squat 580
Power Clean 343
Vertical Jump 34
Broad Jump
Arms 33.25
Hands 9.75
Time (1) 4.58
Time (2) 4.62
Grade One 1.30
Grade Two 1.21
2004 Best Games
Eastern Michigan, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana State, Mississippi State.
2004 Worst Games
Georgia, Florida State (due to injuries).
2003 Best Games
Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Iowa.
2003 Worst Games
Miami, Florida A&M, Louisiana State.
Body Structure
Channing has a muscular, cut-up body with good shoulder and chest width and the potential to add more bulk to his frame. He has a lean waist, good bubble, muscular legs with good bulk and long limbs.
General Report
1.30
Athletic Ability
1.3
Channing has very good athletic ability. He has some stiffness in his hips, but shows outstanding foot quickness and acceleration. Crowder also shows above average balance and change of direction agility. The big concern here might be with his durability, as he has had several serious injuries since his senior year in high school.
Football Sense
1.1
Despite only two years of college ball, he displays very good field smarts and the ability to quickly see the play develop. This is not a rep guy, as he easily takes the play from the boards to the field. He is dedicated to the game and shows urgency in his play. He is a very articulate sort and excels in the classroom.
Character
2.0
He is brash, cocky and marches to his own drummer, all great traits for a linebacker, but that attitude has led to problems off the field that bring up serious concerns about his maturity. The son of former Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Bucs defensive lineman Randy Crowder, he has had a series of off-field legal issues.
In January 2003, police filed complaints against offensive guard Mo Mitchell, Channing and teammate Brian Crum. They were accused of tearing the mirrors off eight cars.
The State Attorney's office dismissed charges later in the year against the three after State attorney Bill Cervone said investigators were unable to locate the only witness in the case, and there was no forensic evidence to move the case forward. In January, police filed complaints against Mitchell, who played extensively for the Gators last season, and teammates Brian Crum and Channing Crowder. Gainesville police officer Carol Davis took the report from a witness and a sworn complaint was filed, which includes eight misdemeanor charges with a total damage estimate of $1,200, according to the police report.
Prior to the 2003 season, Channing and fellow Florida freshman, defensive end Steven Harris, were booked into the Alachua County jail. The incident happened at 2 a.m. on April 13 in the parking lot of The Palace nightclub. Both Crowder and Harris punched and kicked Brian Assent in the head and face, according to the arrest report. Assents' friends brought him to the hospital. The attack lead to "permanent disfigurement," reads the report in part. Assent, 22, lost a tooth and had five others loosened. He got a cut on his face that required 11 stitches, along with other cuts and bruises. He told police a few hours later that a few UF football players showed up at The Palace and started causing problems, said Gainesville Police Sgt. Keith Kameg. When Assent left the nightclub, someone reportedly punched him in the face. He fell, lost consciousness, and didn't remember the rest of the attack. His friends later told him a couple of people kicked him several times and that they might be UF football players, Kameg said. Assent positively identified Crowder and Harris from a photo lineup, according to the report. The two were arrested at the Springs Complex on the University of Florida campus. Crowder was placed on supervised probation for six months and had to pay $340 in fines and court costs and serve 34 hours of community service. Crowder also was ordered to have no contact with the student, attend counseling at the university and not to drink alcohol. Florida coach Ron Zook suspended Channing for the 2003 season opener vs. San Jose State as punishment.
In May 2004, Channing was arrested again for disorderly conduct outside of the same nightclub. The second arrest violated his probation from the first incident and he was sentenced to 20 hours of community service. The incident began as Crowder and an unidentified man began shouting at one another. A crowd gathered around the men, drawing the police's attention. Officer Robert Hager told them to leave, but Crowder stopped in the middle of the street, held up traffic and kept yelling at the other man, according to the report. Seconds later, Crowder began arguing with another man and chased him when he fled. Police caught up to them in the parking lot of another nightclub a few blocks away, and an officer fell trying to apprehend Crowder. Crowder ran again but stopped when Hager yelled his name. Police say Crowder then refused to put his hands behind his back when they tried to handcuff him. According to the report, Herring "repeatedly interfered" with the officers as they tried to arrest Crowder. They said he refused officers' commands to leave the area. Crowder was charged with disorderly conduct, and Herring was charged with resisting or obstructing without violence. They were released from the Alachua County Detention Center later Sunday. Coach Ron Zook suspended both for the 2004 Middle Tennessee game as punishment.
Competitiveness
1.0
He shows outstanding toughness and field savvy. He will talk trash with the opponents and promise to punish them on the field. He drew some stares from the Tennessee football team as a freshman when he openly challenged the Vols players and none accepted his offer. He plays with a high motor and is constantly around the ball. He will throw his body around recklessly to make the play and always gives high effort on the field.
Work Habits
1.1
He is a tireless worker in the weight room and plays with such vigor, the coaches sometimes have to ask him to tone it down in practice, for fear that he will hurt a teammate. He has good playing strength and an excellent burst. He shows great urgency closing on the ball and will unload into running backs with no concern for his own welfare.
Athletic Report
1.19
Key and Diagnostic Skills
1.1
He has excellent linebacker instincts for pre-snap movement. He consistently finds the ball and has plays with very good field awareness.
Playing Strength and Explosion
1.3
He has good strength, but will struggle some vs. the inside run. He is a much better hitter on the perimeter than in tight quarters. He does hold his ground well when he keeps his hands active to prevent blockers from attacking his feet, using strong rip moves to slip off blocks.
Lateral Pursuit/Range
1.1
He has outstanding ability to flow to the ball. Even when he gets cut working through traffic, he is quick to pop back up. He is a little stiff in his hips, but very active to shift down the line and locate the ball.
Use of Hands
1.2
He has very good hand quickness and enough functional strength to stun, jolt and reroute tight ends. He uses his hands with force to hold the tight end at the line of scrimmage. HE also shows natural hands to make the play on the ball in pass coverage, doing a nice job of tracking the pigskin in and getting to the pass at its high point. He has soft hands to pluck and snatch the ball.
Tackling Ability
1.1
This is where he excels. Despite some hip stiffness, he stays low in his pads and generates enough burst to make plays in space. He shows excellent body control in the open and is a classic wrap-up tackler who will jolt the ball carriers back upon contact.
Run Defense
1.1
He is quick to fill the rush lanes and has the size to stun offensive linemen, but needs to do a better job with his hands, as he sometimes struggles to disengage when working in-line. When he is active with his hands, he gets to the play and can string it wide. His speed makes it very difficult for the offensive lineman to contain when coming off the backside. He also has the speed and stride to reach outside and displays the instincts to sniff out the ball and make the play. His acceleration is the reason that he consistently makes the cut off.
Pass Defense
1.3
He has above average speed and awareness to run with the receiver over the middle and in the flat. He shows a natural ability to turn and mirror working in the deep zone. He has the agility to make plays on the ball, as his soft hands allow him to pluck and snatch away from the body’s framework.
Zone Defense
1.3
In 2004, he showed marked improvement in making the switch-off in his area. He always had good ball reaction skills, but seemed to react a bit late to the thrown ball in 2003. His natural football instincts took over in 2004, as he greatly improved his ability to read the passer and react to the ball.
Pass Rush and Blitz
1.2
The team really did not use him properly in this area. For a player of his speed, I was disappointed that they kept him in containment too much. When allowed to freelance, Channing showed the outstanding speed, burst and effort to collapse the pocket, especially when coming off the edge (see 2004 LSU and Mississippi State games). HE is best when moving forward, as he can push the pocket and race past blocks.
Summation
Born Randolph Channing Crowder, the son of former NFL defensive lineman Randy Crowder was a standout linebacker at North Springs (Atlanta, Ga.) High School. He was a consensus All-American choice as a senior, recording 114 tackles with 7.5 sacks while also seeing action at tailback, where he gained 800 yards. That season’s high soon gave way to the realization that Channing might never play college football. He underwent knee surgery as a sophomore, where he had a ligament transplant. After his senior year, Channing again underwent surgery, this time on both of his knees. Shortly after his 18th birthday on December 2, 2001, he had surgery. There was a second surgery on the left knee in April 2002, to repair problems from another operation his sophomore year in high school. He'd had another surgery in which the ligament of a cadaver was used to replace the other damaged anterior cruciate ligament. Two years later, the knee had rejected the transplant. Both knees have been repaired by taking the middle one-third of the patella tendon to replace the ACLs. He worked diligently to get back in shape, but had to sit out the 2002 season -- not enrolling at Florida to save a year of eligibility. He enrolled at Florida in January, 2003, but ran into a series of off-field problems that would see him arrested twice for fighting at a night club and once for vandalizing several automobiles with other Florida gridders. A highly intelligent person, he was a member of the National Honor Society, carrying a 3.5 grade point average.
On the field, he is brash and cocky, but has the talent to back up his bold outbursts. He earned National Defensive Freshman of the Year honors from the Sporting News and All-American accolades from the Football Writers Association in 2003, starting nine games at middle linebacker. He led the nation’s freshmen, as he averaged 8.2 tackles per game that year, finishing second on the squad with 109 tackles (65 solos), including a pair of sacks, five stops for losses and four pass deflection. As a freshman, he started nine times, earning a pair of starts in the middle and six others at weak-side outside linebacker, missing the season opener vs. San Jose State while serving a suspension (for his arrest at the night club). Crowder started seven of eight games in 2004, sitting out the Middle Tennessee clash after again being charged in a fight and the Vanderbilt and South Carolina games after he strained tendons in his right foot early in the first quarter vs. Georgia. He still managed to finish as the team’s leading tackler with 70 hits (41 solos), two sacks, 8.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage, two fumble recoveries and an interception. Channing is blessed with incredible field awareness, outstanding speed and natural power, but durability and character issues will certainly come into play before a team makes a decision on whether to draft him in April. With his mentor, Ron Zook, fired as Florida’s coach and taskmaster Urban Meyer looking to crack the whip, it is highly doubtful that Crowder will return to the Gators in 2005. He plays with a vengeance and shows great urgency in his play. He is quick to fill the rush lanes, but will struggle at times to disengage when he does not use his hands to keep blockers off his chest. In pursuit, he has exceptional acceleration to the ball and an explosive jolt on contact. Crowder displays very good body control on the move and the ability to make open field tackles. He throws his body around recklessly to make the play and shows no fear on the field. In pass coverage, Channing is a little a stiff in his hips, but shows an excellent burst and quickness out of his breaks. He’s a solid deep coverage defender who can easily run with receivers in his zone.
As a blitzer, he explodes coming off the edge and is very disruptive and productive in the opponent’s backfield. Crowder is very active working down the line and moves quickly to get into position to make plays. When he is in motion, it is very difficult for an offensive lineman to block because of his shiftiness. Even when he is blocked, he gets rigid and holds his ground with strength. Channing will generally use his hands effectively to slip away and makes plays through the blocks. You can see the hip stiffness when he misses some tackles, as he sometimes fails to stop his momentum. He is like a safety in pass coverage, as Crowder can easily cover tight ends and running backs to the flats. As far as playing ability goes, Channing is obviously the blue chip of the class, but his injuries and off-field issues will scare off a few teams. If someone can harness that energy and help him mature, he will be very productive at the next level. Still, with his speed and range, I wonder if he might bring better value as a weak-side linebacker than he can in the middle.
Medical
2002-Did not attend school, as he had surgery on both knees after his high school senior season.
Shortly after his 18th birthday on December 2, 2001, he had surgery. There was a second surgery on the left knee in April 2002, to repair problems from another operation his sophomore year in high school. He'd had another surgery in which the ligament of a cadaver was used to replace the other damaged ACL. Two years later, the knee had rejected the transplant. Both knees have been repaired by taking the middle one-third of the patella tendon to replace the ACLs. He worked diligently to get back in shape, but had to sit out the 2002 season -- not enrolling at Florida to save a year of eligibility.
2003-Underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery on October 1, prior to the Mississippi game, and missed that contest. He returned vs. eventual national champion LSU 10 days after surgery to lead the linebacking unit with seven tackles.
2004-Bothered by a groin strain during spring drills…Missed most of the Georgia game and the entire Vanderbilt and South Carolina contests after straining a tendon in his right foot (arch) tackling tailback Danny Ware on a 4-yard run early in the first quarter of the Georgia tilt.
Statistics
Games Played-19
TK SO AS FR FC INT PBU SACK TFL
176 106 70 2 2 1 4 4-28 13.5-44
Compares To
JAMES FARRIOR-Pittsburgh (speed and field smarts are the key ingredients of both Farrior’s and Crowder’s game).
