There aren’t too many prospects from the state of Mississippi that are hotter right now than Class of 2023 running back Dante Dowdell. Since the start of February, Dowdell has picked up several FBS offers. Southern Miss was the first to offer him back in the beginning of December. Dowdell, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, was selected as the 2021 MaxPreps Mississippi High School Player of the year. He carried the football 304 times for 2,406 yards and 26 touchdowns. On top of that, Dowdell helped lead his team to a state title in Mississippi’s 5-A class.
Dowdell received his first Power 5 offer from Florida State on Feb. 5. He then picked up another offer from Tulane on Feb. 7. Western Kentucky and Oregon both offered on Feb. 10. Boston College offered Dowdell on Feb. 11 and Georgia State offered on Feb. 14. Akron then offered on Feb. 15, followed by Arkansas State on Feb. 17 and Alcorn State on Feb. 19. There’s no question that his offer count should reach double-digits before the spring evaluation period.
The improvement in Dowdell’s game within the past year has been remarkable. He showed glimpses of how much he had elevated his game last spring. Dowdell then took it up several levels during the 2021 season. He had five games where he rushed for over 200 yards and nine games of two or more touchdown runs. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Dowdell is a big back who has a north-south running style, powers through tackles with ease, has a beautiful stride, and has that home-run speed. He also has the quickness to beat defenders to the outside and show that burst that makes him an elite prospect. Dowdell’s hits the whole quickly and is able to make defenders miss at the second-level. He’s a physical runner who punishes would-be tacklers.
Dowdell gets a lot of yards after contact. He’s patient behind the line of scrimmage, showing a good feel for run lanes. Dowdell is very impressive at getting on top of tacklers before cutting at the second level. I think he sometimes surprises second-level and third-level defenders with his speed and that causes them to take bad angles when they try to tackle him. For a back his size, he does a good job of not running upright.
One of the more respected coaches that I know is Coach McCann from King2King Mentoring. King to King Athletic Training & Mentoring is located in Buffalo, NY. King to King Athletic Training & Mentoring specializes in helping athletes with their development on and off the field. Here are his thoughts on Dowdell.
Dante’s film is 8 minutes and 15 seconds of just TALENT! Within the first four plays you can see his instant 4 star caliber talent running, jump cutting, stiff arming, and running past defenders! You catch yourself watching all 8 minutes just due to its PLAY AFTER PLAY!!! Dante showcases all his 28 Touchdowns in his film where you can instantly see a star being born in front of you. Dante has great bounce, cutting ability, vision, and stuff arm that reminds you of a Baby Derrick Henry. One of his most impressive runs come later in his film around the 3 minutes and 35 seconds mark! He showcases his power and ability to drag guys that are in his way. His film showcases all his true abilities that can and will change any recruiting class that he signs to next season.