Georgia’s backfield took a hit on Tuesday when Kirby Smart confirmed that transfer running back Dante Dowdell is out with an injury, a development that could keep him sidelined for a significant stretch.
Smart did not get into specifics at SEC Media Days, but he made it clear the situation is serious. Rumors had been circulating late last week that Dowdell was involved in a serious ATV accident, and while Smart stopped short of addressing that directly, he said the team is waiting to see how things develop.
"We're praying for him and his family,” Smart said via 247Sports.com. “We expect a full recovery, but the outlook right now is we're waiting to see.
We'll go day to day with him and see. I hate that for him and his family, but he's a great kid.
It's been tough. A lot of our players have been over there to see him.
It's just one of those really tough situations."
The timing is rough for Georgia because Dowdell was expected to be more than just another piece in the rotation. Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens are projected to handle the top two spots in the Bulldogs’ running back room, and both were dominant last season. Even so, Dowdell was supposed to bring a different element to the offense.
He arrived at Georgia this offseason after starting his college career at Oregon and then moving on to Nebraska and Kentucky. Across those stops, he has totaled 16 touchdowns. He also flashed in the spring, rushing for 61 yards and a touchdown on only six carries at G-Day, which had plenty of fans eager to see what he could do in the fall.
Now that plan is on hold. With the season less than 50 days away, it seems unlikely Dowdell will be ready for the opener, and there’s even a chance he could miss the entire season. Georgia has enough depth to keep moving, but Dowdell was expected to be the team’s bigger-bodied option in short-yardage situations, and that role will have to be filled elsewhere for now.
Smart has not shut the door on a return later in the year, but there’s no clear timeline yet.
Dowdell’s injury also comes as Georgia is already dealing with another setback in the backfield. Auburn transfer Amaris Williams tore his ACL during spring ball, and that injury was ruled season-ending. Williams has said he’ll do everything he can to make it back by the end of the year, though that kind of recovery is a long shot.
For Georgia, the issue isn’t just one injury anymore. The Bulldogs are already trying to navigate a summer with key pieces unavailable, and the margin for error keeps shrinking.
In Other News...
BYUs In-State Recruiting Surge Feels Bigger Than A Hot Streak
BYUs latest in-state recruiting run has started to look less like a brief spike and more like a real shift in how the program is landing talent. The Cougars have stacked up commitments from several of Utahs better prospects, a sign that the staff is not only holding its own against the schools it has long battled for local players, but also winning some of those fights outright. With the Big 12 platform and NIL resources giving BYU a stronger pitch than it used to have, the program is showing it can stay in the mix for the kind of recruits that once might have felt out of reach.
What makes the surge more interesting is where the help is coming from. BYU has been adding pieces on both lines, the kind of foundation players that tend to matter most when a class is judged years later instead of on signing day. The trend also fits a broader recruiting climate in which early commitments are becoming more common, as high school players try to secure spots before the portal tightens the market even further. For BYU, the bigger question now is whether this is simply a hot stretch or the start of a new baseline. [Read more 🡒]
BYU May Finally Have The Defensive Line Answer Fans Needed
BYUs defensive line will get its first real look of fall practice in early August, and one of the more important names to watch is Justin Kirkland. The redshirt senior tackle arrived from Oklahoma State with a reputation for helping stabilize the middle, and he is expected to be a significant piece as the Cougars try to build more size and resistance up front for the 2026 season.
Kirklands presence matters most because of what it can do for Keanu Tanuvasa, who has been carrying a heavy load at the point of attack. If Kirkland can settle into the interior the way BYU hopes, it would give the Cougars a much-needed answer in the middle of the defense and take some pressure off a unit that has been searching for more dependable line play. [Read more 🡒]
Former BYU Star Still Waiting As Training Camp Opens
Training camps are opening with two familiar names still on the market, and for BYU fans, Bobby Wagner and Kyle Van Noy remain reminders of just how far a Cougar linebacker can climb. Both are Super Bowl winners, both are former Utah college stars, and both are now free agents after finishing last season with the Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens, respectively.
Wagner, 36, has been linked as a possible fit for the Dallas Cowboys or Jacksonville Jaguars, while Van Noy, 35, is drawing interest from teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings. The longer this stretches into camp, the more it becomes a waiting game for two veterans who still have enough name value and production to matter, even if the right landing spot has yet to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]