Bush Hamdan will not stop landing transfers. Friday night Kentucky landed Nebraska running back Dante Dowdell from the transfer portal. The former blue-chip recruit will have two years of eligibility remaining as he looks to thrive in a pro-style system that will let him get downhill and show off his strength. Dowdell has a lot to offer the Wildcats, so let’s dive into how he got to Lexington.
Player Background
Dowdell was a four-star, top 150 recruit in the country in the class of 2023. Despite being the Mississippi High School Player of the Year, Dowdell went to Oregon where he appeared in six games as a true freshman. After his freshman season, Dowdell transferred to Nebraska and led the Cornhuskers in rushing on their way to their first bowl game in eight seasons. Dowdell had 610 yards on 4.3 yards per attempt while adding 12 touchdowns. Over 64% of his yards came after contact and 11.1% of his carries went for ten or more yards. Dowdell is a bruising back who flashes burst to get through holes in the line of scrimmage.
Program Fit
Kentucky has always preferred strong backs dating back to Benny Snell and Chris Rodriguez, and Dowdell fits that mold. He is huge at 6’2 and 225 pounds and you can tell how big he is when he runs. He consistently finishes runs by lowering the shoulder and punishing whoever ends up in front of him. While he is more of a power back, he does show good burst to get through the line of scrimmage and create explosive plays even if he gets contained in the initial gap. The contact balance stands out as arm tacklers bounce off Dowdell without slowing him down and he drives his legs to get extra yard through the tackle. Dowdell excels in short yardage situations where he can create movement with the short range burst he contains.
Position Outlook
Running back was a position of controversy throughout the 2024 season. BBN showed an affinity for now redshirt sophomore Jamarion Wilcox, but the staff insisted on playing the departing Demie Sumo-Karngbaye in a larger role. Dowdell and Wilcox are about as close as you can get to a true “thunder and lightning” running back duo. Jason Patterson and Tovani Mizell will both be entering their redshirt freshman seasons, but we saw last year how quickly the running back room can be depleted. I would not be surprised to see the staff add another back for depth to the fragile position room, but Dowdell and Wilcox are capable of managing the bulk of the workload in the backfield.
