Georgia Bulldogs

Missouri, South Carolina battling for JC running back

Published Jan. 19, 2016 10:46 p.m. ET

foxsports

On Tuesday, SEC East Division foes South Carolina and Missouri both extended official scholarship offers to junior college running back Justin Crawford.

As of today @datcrawfordboyy top 5 schools are 1 South Carolina 2 Missouri 3 West Virginia 4 University of Georgia 5 Texas A&M @leprepsports
— coach sanders (@a3sanders1) January 19, 2016

Hailing from Northwest Mississippi Community College, the 6'1", 202-pound back was a JUCO All-American in 2015 -- rushing for 1,610 yards and 16 touchdowns. Throughout the course of his two-year career, Crawford broke 15 school records -- including career rushing yards (3,161), rushing scores (30), and all-purpose yards (3,993).

According to Rivals.com, Crawford will visit Missouri officially on Jan. 22. He then will head to South Carolina on Jan. 29.

With the Gamecocks garnering Crawford's last visit, they may be perceived as the leader in this race. However, Missouri has a gaping hole at the running back position due to Russell Hansbrough's departure. As such, play time is likely available.

At his size, Crawford is a dynamic athlete. His Hudl account indicates Crawford being clocked with a sub-4.5 40 time (4.47). This sort of speed truly does translate when looking at his film. This late in the recruiting season, Crawford would be a major boon for either school.