Washaun Ealey seemed at first to be the proper heir to Knowshon Moreno. He wore the same number. He had an effective freshman season. As an added bonus, Mark Richt didn't redshirt him as he did Moreno, meaning the Bulldogs would get at least three seasons out of him.
As it turns out, first impressions can be deceiving. Ealey has spent much of the last year or so on Richt's bad side, and yesterday the coach announced that he'd suspended the running back indefinitely from all team activities. One of ESPN's sources fingered the cause as Ealey missing a "punishment run" at some point last week. It's left to our imagination what that run was punishment for.
The timing of the announcement also leads the mind to wander. Richt said last week that highly touted running back signee Isaiah Crowell would have a chance to win the starting running back job for next year's opener against Boise State. I, like I think most people, assumed it was just a reference to the running back carousel Georgia had last year when neither Ealey nor Caleb King could win the job for good.
Now, it appears Richt might have had this in mind when he made that announcement. At the very least Ealey was expected to show up for this punishment run at that time, and he might have already missed it for all we know. Georgia's rushing attack is not schematically complex, so it stands to reason that if Crowell is as good as advertised, he could get that first carry from the tailback spot next season.