Spotlight Bull: California Native D.J. Crowther Becoming The Man In The Bulls Backfield
October 01, 2026 | Football
Say this much about South Florida Bulls running back D.J. Crowther. He understands his job description.ย
"This is a man's game,'' Crowther said.
Make no mistake: As the Bulls (4-0, 1-0) prepare for the Temple Owls (1-3, 0-1) in Saturday night's American Conference showdown at Raymond James Stadium, Crowther has proven to be THE man for South Florida.
Crowther, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound graduate transfer from the Ivy League's Dartmouth Big Green, has made a major impact in every game this season.
There's the obvious: He had three touchdown runs (including scores of 39 and 38 yards) and 101 yards on just eight carries against Delaware State.ย
There's the unheralded: On the still-hard-to-believe 38-yard, game-winning touchdown pass from Michael Van Buren Jr. to Joshua Porter on fourth-and-6 at Army, it was Crowther who pass-blocked a blitzing linebacker to give MVB enough time to produce the monumental play.ย
There's the clutch: With the Bulls trailing 6-0 at Bowling Green, Crowther had 72 of his game-high 143 rushing yards in the fourth quarter to lead the Bulls' 14-6 comeback victory. To save off the upset, the Bulls relied on a reliable D and a relentless D.J.
"He just plays all the way through the whistle,'' offensive coordinator Tim Beck said. "He's a complete player. He can catch the ball. He can make people miss. He goes inside. He goes outside.
"He has been the catalyst right now. I think he has earned that. He's playing extremely well and we've got to keep feeding him, right? You ride who's hot. Right now, he's hot.''
Crowther (with a team-high 325 rushing yards and five touchdowns) is pacing to become USF's sixth running back with a 1,000-yard rushing season. Saturday night, he could become the first Bull with three consecutive 100-yard rushing games in four seasons (Brian Battie, 2022).
"He does all the dirty work that a running back needs to do for the offense to be successful,'' running backs coach Elijah Brooks said.
Crowther, mostly a downhill, north/south type of runner, is more stoic than emotional, more substance than flash. He prides himself on being physical and dependable. He can occasionally break one. But when the game is on the line, if three yards is needed, he'll get you those three yards. As he put it, "a man's game."ย
"I challenged him,'' head coach Brian Hartline said with a smile. "I said, 'D.J., you're doing a great job. But a lot of contact. Are you gonna survive all year? You gonna take care of your body? What should I expect?' And he goes, 'Heck, yeah, Coach!' ''
"I have a mindset of conserving myself,'' Crowther said. "I'm trying to be the best version of myself to make the team win. I take my recovery (seriously) and do the right things off the field. When they need me, when they call my number, I'm there.''
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First Trip To Florida
So how did D.J. Crowther get from there to here? How does a California kid migrate to the Ivy League, then finish at South Florida, landing in a football-crazy state where he had never even visited before?
There was a tiny connection. Braxton Chapman, Crowther's running backs coach at Dartmouth, was on Beck's staff at Coastal Carolina. Beyond that, it was mostly timing, faith and a belief in Hartline's vision.
Crowther graduated last December with a sociology degree from Dartmouth, around the time the transfer portal opened. While visiting USF, it was more like speed-dating than a long courtship. He just had a feeling. Sort of like the feeling he had when selecting Dartmouth.ย
After having his junior prep football season reduced to six spring games due to COVID, Crowther mostly considered college options on the West Coast. But when Dartmouth emerged, he couldn't pass up a shot at the Ivy League.
"I feel like going to Dartmouth did a lot to grow me as a man,'' Crowther said. "I just thought, 'Wow, being here could change my life.' Just being around so many intelligent, like-minded people, it gave me a view of the opportunities that could exist for me (beyond football). Living in snow for the first time, that was a shocker. It (snow) is nice to look at, but tough to deal with day after day. But I really liked the whole experience. And the football was good, too.''ย
Crowther was part of two Ivy League championship teams. The education, obviously, was top-notch. Crowther, going for his master's degree in entrepreneurship, said he feels like he has a continuation of both at USF.
"I guess nerds can ball a little bit โฆ schoolboys can ball a little bit,'' said tongue-in-cheek wide receiver Mudia Reuben, who graduated from Stanford University before transferring to USF last season.ย
"That's funny, but I don't feel like a nerd,'' Crowther said. "At the same time, I'm just doing what I've done my whole life. My mom always told me without school and the books, you can't play football. So having that mindset growing up showed me that academics and athletics do go hand in hand.''
Reuben said he respects that approach. And he definitely appreciates Crowther's football ability.
"D.J. blew me out of the water a little bit, even as his teammate,'' Reuben said. "I knew our running back room had a lot of good personnel. But then actually being out on the field with him and seeing some of the runs he continues โฆ we'll think a play is almost over and then you'll see him stiff-arm somebody, a head bounces off the ground, and he's still running. I can't really ask for too much more as a receiver who's on the perimeter, just hoping that my running back gets past me.''
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Do The Right Thing
He's Darius Wayne Gatewood Crowther, named for his father (hence the D.J. or Darius Jr.), while carrying meaningful family middle names to honor his maternal grandfather and paternal great-grandfather.
He's an example-setter and role model for his three younger brothers โ Devin (19), Dylan (11) and Drew (8).
He's the son of a City of Sacramento worker and a teacher, who implemented the values that have carried him into early adulthood.
"My parents did a good job raising me, teaching me morals, keeping me humble and grounded,'' said Crowther (pronounced: Kaw-ROTH-er). "I wear the last name on the back of my jersey (with pride). I'm doing it for the fam and I'm trying to make them proud each and every day. I'm one of those guys who wants to do the right thing.''
On and off the field.
"At running back, I try to make the first man miss,'' Crowther said. "I want to run physically between the tackles. You've got to pass protect. If you can't pass protect, you're not going to play. You've got to stick your nose in there and make it clear that, hey, that dude is not going to get my quarterback. You've got to constantly work hard. There's a lot to the job.''ย
Hartline has constantly told his players he wants the Bulls to be the nation's toughest and hardest-playing team in the nation.
Crowther took the message to heart.
"I truly believe in that way of playing,'' Crowther said. "I believe in giving your all and leaving it all out on the field. That's who I want to be.
"We talk a lot about competitive excellence. When your number is called, you've got to make the play. I want my teammates and coaching staff to trust me. You've just got to go out there and perform.''
He has done just that.
South Florida's backfield has plenty of options, including the shifty Jason Collins Jr., a transfer from Morgan State, plus three holdovers from last season โ Alvon Isaac, Chase Garnett and Tray Kinkle.
Beck said they each have an important role. But clearly, Crowther has risen to the head of the class.
"He's going to give you his best,'' Beck said. "He's a great young man. Usually, a man of few words.''
But he's a man of action. The statistics say so. His teammates witness Crowther's prowess every day in practice.
"Football is a tough game for tough people,'' Crowther said.ย
It's a man's game. Four games into South Florida's unbeaten season, Crowther has proven to be THE man for the Bulls.
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โ#GoBullsโ
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Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
