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...
Ethan Taylor Is Making Michigan State Fans Rethink His Freshman Ceiling
Ethan Taylor arrived at Michigan State with the kind of reputation that usually comes with a five-star center, but the early signs suggest the freshman is settling in faster than expected. He has looked comfortable in the program and in daily competition, and that matters for a Spartans team that is always trying to build a dependable frontcourt under Tom Izzo.
Taylors development could become even more important as he works alongside Anton Bonke in the post, giving Michigan State a pair of young bigs to shape its interior rotation around. Izzo does not often lean on freshmen in major roles, but Taylors quick adjustment has already put him on a path to meaningful minutes, with the possibility of a much bigger role than many expected when he first arrived. [Read more 🡒]
Why This Finally Feels Like A Different Michigan State Era
There is a different kind of buzz around Michigan State as the program heads into the upcoming season, and it starts with the sense that the roster finally has more pieces in place. Alessio Milivojevic has emerged as the quarterback to watch, while former UConn back Cam Edwards gives the offense a potential workhorse presence it has been missing, and the additions up front and at receiver have added to the feeling that this group is deeper than the one Spartans fans watched a year ago.
On the other side of the ball, Joe Rossi has more familiar building blocks to work with in Charles Brantley and Jordan Hall, which matters for a defense trying to become more reliable from week to week. The bigger question now is whether Pat Fitzgerald can turn that collection of returning talent and portal help into a team that does more than simply compete, because the early signs suggest Michigan State may have enough to make people rethink what a successful 2026 season looks like. [Read more 🡒]
Tre Holloman Is Back Near Michigan State And Fans Have Questions
Tre Hollomans path away from East Lansing has not exactly taken him out of the conversation around Michigan State. The former Spartans guard, who transferred to NC State before his senior year after playing an important role as a junior, recently turned up at the Moneyball Pro-Am near Michigan State, a familiar setting for fans who still remember the way he fit into the program.
The appearance naturally stirred some curiosity, especially with Holloman still trying to sort out his next step after a summer that included a brief look in Summer League play. He has also been pursuing a fifth year of eligibility under the NCAAs five-in-five rule, and while that process remains in the background, his return to the area was enough to get Spartans fans wondering what comes next. [Read more 🡒]