Look: Picayune 4-star running back Dante Dowdell talks about committing to Oregon Ducks
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. — One of the Magnolia State’s highest-rated tailbacks plans to leave the South.
Four-star rated Picayune tailback Dante Dowdell announced Friday he has verbally committed to the University of Oregon.
“It felt like the right place for me," Dowdell said Friday. "I feel like the RB coach and the head coach have a good vision. I wanted to do my own thing. I didn't want to do the Mississippi thing. I also wanted to show that you don't have to stay in the SEC.”
Whatever the reason, one things for sure — the Oregon Ducks are adding a dynamic player to the backfield.
Dowdell rushed for more than 2,500 yards with 20 touchdowns as a junior in Picayune’s run-happy offense, averaging better than seven yards a carry and often punishing the defender unfortunate enough to bring him down. He recently bench pressed 250 pounds for 19 reps.
Dowdell received his first offer from the Southern Miss before Picayune’s state championship showdown with perennial powerhouse West Point in mid-December.
After they knocked off the big bad Green Wave, the offers started pouring in. Dowdell said Ole Miss started recruiting him and offered a scholarship, which led most recruiting services to predict he would eventually sign with the Rebels.
But Dowdell said Oregon rolled out the red carpet when he visited Eugene in April.
“I’ve been knowing I wanted to go to Oregon since my visit,” he said. “I ended up talking to them more, and that solidified it.”
Dowdell’s father, Lawrence Hopkins, said he was impressed with Oregon as well.
"Oregon truly treated us like family," Hopkins said. "We didn't have any say in his decision, but we felt Oregon wasn't just another football team. It all just felt right. They treated Dante right. Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss did a great job of recruiting Dante as well. It came down to those two."
Now that he’s got the decision out of the way, Dowdell and the Maroon Tide can focus on the season. The season kicks off for the defending MHSAA 5A Champions on August 26 at Poplarville.
For his part, Dowdell said there’s still parts of his game he’d like to improve as a senior.
“I’ll be working on running routes and catching the ball this off-season,” he said. “The running comes natural, you know what I'm saying? So mainly stuff I'm not asked to do in my offense."
