Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the United States are viewed as a family by students and alumni. School traditions run deeply with bands, atmosphere and culture drawing students to the programs.

Mount Saint Joseph wide receiver Ausar Crawley drew interest from several football programs last season. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and time away from the field, the standout had to look toward other options, such as nearby Morgan State.

More importantly for Crawley, Morgan is a historically Black university. It was a school he thought allowed him to be unadulteratedly Black.

“One of the things going into my decision with not just as a city, but as a whole and seeing what the country went through — it was very important when I was narrowing my decision to go to an HBCU,” Crawley said. “[I want] to represent for Black people as a whole and to be honest. That was one of the leading factors of my decision.”

With the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, along with the paralysis of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, athletes everywhere used their voices for justice and equity for Black people. Class of 2020 five-star basketball recruit Makur Maker chose to play for Howard University in Washington. High school basketball guard Mikey Williams included Alabama State, Hampton, North Carolina Central, Tennessee State and Texas Southern in his list of top-10 schools.

Joining Crawley at Morgan State are several other local players — his former Mount Saint Joseph teammate, wide receiver Tyler Wilkins; quarterback Malcolm Brown (Reservoir); running back London Drummond (John Carroll); transfer running back Alfonzo Graham (Dunbar); and offensive lineman Torrance Williams Jr. (St. Frances).

Morgan State’s location, the ability to get on the field and play immediately, history and personal connections factored into their decisions.

Wilkins had several personal ties to the program, even before his former teammate signed with the Bears on Wednesday. Marc Lester, the all-time leading receiver in Morgan State history, trains both Wilkins and Crawley. Wilkins has several family members who attended HBCUs.

It just made perfect sense.

“My parents went there, my sister went to an HBCU and my grandparents [attended an HBCU] too,” Wilkins said. “So it was a big factor. I asked him [Lester] for some advice back when I was deciding on which school and he helped guide me there.”

Each player said they want to help build a local powerhouse under coach Tyrone Wheatley. The former Oakland Raiders running back took over Morgan State’s football program on Feb. 6, 2019, after serving as the running backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2017 to 2018. In his first year as the Bears’ head man, Morgan State went 3-9 and 2-6 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Though the team struggled, Wheatley went to work with building local connections and bringing in a pipeline of talent from his home state of Michigan. The Bears were ranked 167th in the nation and No. 1 in the MEAC for their 2020 recruiting class, bringing in three three-star recruits, according to 247Sports. Wheatley followed up with an even stronger class in 2021, ranking 151st in the nation among all Division I schools.

“It feels good because I feel like Coach Wheatley is building something strong,” Williams said. “The fact that it’s here in Baltimore makes it even more special.”

The recruitment of players from the area wasn’t always a priority for the team, according to Lester. While the former Bear made his mark in Baltimore, finishing with 138 catches for 2,065 yards at Morgan State, he’s a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, native. Baltimore has become his adopted home, where he has encouraged players to build a hometown legacy at his alma mater.

“Even when I played at Morgan for a long time, they kept recruiting outside of Baltimore,” said Lester, who also played for the Ravens. “It’s definitely a new day to actually recruit guys within Maryland — within Baltimore City. They actually are getting stand-up young men. These are guys that are coming in there with the mindset of education first. Tyler [Wilkins] and AC [Crawley] have definitely displayed that education is important.”

It comes down to creating an environment that is akin to a family. Wheatley has seemingly built that culture. Whether it’s from alumni like Lester to recent additions, each of them feels a kinship.

Brown’s situation came down to Wheatley’s relentless pursuit of him as a person and not just a player. Wheatley looked over the future Bears quarterback’s tape and was one of the first Division I coaches to recruit him before the pandemic. Once COVID-19 put Reservoir’s and Morgan State’s respective seasons to a halt, Wheatley continued to make Brown feel that he would be welcomed, especially playing for a Black coach.

“He really did a good job,” Brown said. “We used to have film sessions where we’d watch the film of their season and that’s how I knew that he really cared and he really wanted to recruit me. I feel like HBCUs are underfunded and they play good football, they just need more publicity. It’s going to be big to select and HBCU over a [predominantly white institution]. It’ll be the best option.”

Graham’s trip to Morgan State came a little later. He was a 2017 graduate of state champion Dunbar, finishing with 107 carries for 1,247 yards and 15 touchdowns. He generated a ton of interest from the Bears, specifically from running backs coach Jerome Smith. The two immediately connected from Smith’s ability to “keep it real,” and they developed a deep sense of respect for one another.

Because of his grades not being up to par, he initially attended Arizona Western, which sits 2,453 miles from his high school. Then he transferred to Independence Community College — featured in the Netflix series “Last Chance U.” After coach Jason Brown’s resignation, Graham transferred once again to Fullerton College.

Graham finished with his associate degree and immediately committed to Morgan State because of his previous connection with Smith.

“My coaches understand me [at Morgan State],” Graham said. “So, we’re going to relate in some type of ways because of the culture that we come from and how we grew up. They’re doing a great job of changing the culture and bringing in more good players and also recruiting the Baltimore area because we’ve got a lot of good talent here. They’re doing an awesome job.”

Drummond’s signing with Morgan State came on the same day as Crawley’s. He agreed with Graham’s assessment of the coaching staff, saying “they were real with me as a person and as player.” They were “genuine” and continued to be personable with each player that they came across.

Seeing the sheer number of players from the area staying to play at Morgan State, Drummond thinks the sky is the limit for the Bears.

“It’s a lot of great talent coming in, a lot of local talent,” Drummond said. “I think that we can do anything that we put our minds to as players, as athletes, as a coaching staff like that. The MEAC can be ours in our opinion.”

Morgan State will begin its Football Championship Subdivision spring campaign at home against Delaware State on Feb. 20 at 2 p.m.