Stats Carry out is bringing a better highlight to athletes, college students and tales at Traditionally Black Schools and Universities by means of a partnership with City Edge Community. Included within the 2024 school soccer season are each HBCU FCS Participant and Staff of the Week awards and a season-ending HBCU FCS Nationwide Participant of the 12 months Award, every introduced by HBCU+.
“Effectively, first, in the direction of the excessive expectation, I’ve all the time had that for myself. So that is no stress, I’ve all the time kinda held myself to a excessive customary anyway. I’ve all the time believed in myself and knew the issues that I may accomplish. And now it’s simply coming to life proper now.”
Confidence has by no means been a difficulty for Myles Crawley, even relationship again to his senior yr in highschool.
He transferred to Tucker Excessive College, which has a well known and extremely revered soccer program in Atlanta, from Arabia Mountain Excessive College, positioned in a neighboring county in Georgia. The Lithonia, Ga., native walked into his new program and was an instantaneous chief earlier than starring for the workforce notably as a junior and senior.
The expertise enjoying for the Tigers began him on a journey that finds him six years later because the beginning quarterback for the Grambling State College Tigers, named the Southwestern Athletic Convention’s preseason offensive participant of the yr and garnering nationwide recognition, together with making the Walter Payton Award and HBCU+ FCS Participant of the 12 months Award preseason watch lists.
One of many extra fascinating footnotes about Crawley’s journey is that he has not loved the advantages of teaching stability. He’s skilled a distinct head coach in almost yearly of his collegiate profession, which started within the SWAC in 2020, however at Alabama State College, which went by means of a number of modifications atop its program.
That instability often leads to gamers by no means having a breakout season like Crawley did final yr, when after he made a switch to Grambling State, he threw for two,303 yards and 16 touchdowns, rating No. 2 within the convention in each statistics. The Tigers offense improved to a No. 2 rating within the SWAC after being No. 10 out of 12 groups a season earlier.
However Myles Crawley will as soon as once more expertise a brand new teaching workers within the 2024 season as head coach Mickey Joseph has taken over for Hue Jackson, who was dismissed at Grambling State after final season. Crawley, although, offers plenty of credit score for his growth to Jackson.
“You’ll be able to simply inform that Coach is a league man,” Crawley stated. “He’s going to carry you to a excessive customary, and simply since you are in school, he’s not going to short-change you on the terminology. If that is the place you are attempting to go, why not study it now so you are ready for the following stage.”
Crawley’s highschool expertise not solely gave him the flexibility to regulate to a distinct teaching staffs, but in addition methods to persevere within the face of adversity. His senior yr was additionally the start of the pandemic, so he completed lessons on-line and went into the summer season throughout a time of uncertainty on this planet.
A short while after commencement, Quarius Smith Jr., a superb good friend of Crawley’s and the beginning working again on the Tucker Excessive workforce, was killed at a park. It despatched shockwaves by means of the group and the soccer workforce.
“It was actual painful for me on the time. That was one in every of my greatest losses I’ve had in my life with a man that was actual near me like that – I checked out him like a brother. He was with me in all places.” Crawley stated, with a photograph of Smith nonetheless on his wall. “All of us had the identical goals, aspirations and stuff like that, so I simply put extra weight on my shoulders to go get this for him.”
Crawley’s stage of dedication meant that after three seasons at Alabama State, the place the 6-foot-3, 215-pound sign caller appeared to be trending upward, he entered the NCAA switch portal, and moved on to Grambling State.
Jackson, GSU’s coach on the time, has an in depth profession within the NFL and is aware of what it takes to make it to the best stage of soccer, so Crawley felt the Louisiana college represented his greatest alternative to make his dream of enjoying within the NFL a actuality.
“I simply felt prefer it was the most effective choice for me,” Crawley stated, “for the place I used to be making an attempt to go so far as the following stage. I nonetheless love and respect these coaches over there at Alabama State, however I simply felt like at the moment it wasn’t the most effective choice for me to remain there. It’s in all probability probably the greatest selections of my life coming to work with Coach Jackson.”
Strain and expectations have by no means been an excessive amount of for the fifth-year senior. Even amid the hectic nature of the school soccer preseason, Crawley can mirror on and respect going by means of the HBCU expertise.
As a legacy, he’s been locked in with the local weather all through his life.
“It’s been nice, man. I inform them there’s nothing just like the HBCU expertise,” Crawley stated. “My dad (Marvin Crawley) went right here to Grambling. So I kinda grew up within the HBCU tradition. So I all the time liked it rising up. You already know I had different presents to go different locations, however I simply didn’t really feel proper leaving HBCU.
“HBCUs all the time felt like residence.”
Now Myles Crawley can have the chance to complete his homestand in Atlanta, the place it began for him, if he’s in a position to lead the Tigers to a SWAC soccer championship and a spot within the season-ending Celebration Bowl on Dec. 14.
Full interview with Grambling State QB Myles Crawley, detailing much more of his journey.
For extra SWAC soccer protection, right here’s our 2024 season preview. Comply with all of our FCS protection, together with on X, Fb and Instagram.
