Former Georgia running back Isaiah Crowell has decided to transfer to Alabama State, Hornets coach Reggie Barlow said Thursday.

"We got an opportunity to recruit Isaiah, and I imagine a lot of other teams were recruiting him as well," Barlow said. "But his family, they've made a decision that they are going to come to Alabama State University. He has been admitted into the university. He's registered for class and he will be starting class on Monday."

Alabama State is a Football Championship Subdivision-level program, so Crowell will be eligible to play this season, instead of sitting out the required year if he transferred to another Football Bowl Subdivision school.

Crowell, 19, was arrested Friday and charged with a felony count of possessing a weapon in a school zone, a felony count of altered identification mark and a misdemeanor count of possession/carrying a concealed weapon.

According to a police report, the serial number on a 9-millimeter Luger found under the driver's seat had been scratched off, but Crowell denied knowing a gun was there, saying other people drive his car.

Police said the altered ID-mark charge stems from the tampered serial number.

Crowell could face a fine of up to $10,000 and a prison sentence of two to 10 years if found guilty of weapons possession in a school zone, while a guilty verdict for criminal use of an article with an altered ID mark carries a sentence of one to five years.

"The court system is the court system, and those guys get paid a lot of money and they're smart," Barlow said. "They have made decisions on guys in his situation before, so we'll let that play out. Our main focus was just giving a guy another opportunity to continue to be a student-athlete.

"He's a great talent, comes from a really good family and a good support system. Now it's just about him restoring his credibility."

Crowell, ranked as the country's No. 1 running back and No. 4 prospect by ESPN Recruiting in 2011, had a rocky first season with the Bulldogs. He ran 185 times for 850 yards with five touchdowns as a freshman but was dogged by disciplinary problems throughout the previous summer.

Information from DawgNation's David Ching was used in this report.