2015 Prospect Profile: David Dowell

HUDL Highlights

Rivals: N/A--2015 Rankings have yet to be released
Scout: Same as Rivals
247: Four-star, #24 WR

Breakdown

Dowell is a long, lean receiver standing at 6'1", 175 pounds. This is certainly a small frame, but keep in mind that the kid is a rising junior in high school. The highlight tape for Dowell is hard to come by these days, but the kid can run and catch the ball, both solid characteristics for a D1 wide-receiver. His game reminds me of that of two of Michigan's 2013 commits: Drake Harris and Maurice Ways.

Dowell parallels Harris in how he relies on his speed a lot when breezing by defenders on vertical routes. Obviously he's not quite the same caliber athlete as Harris at this point and doesn't possess nearly the same speed--Dowell has been clocked at a 4.69 40 via ESPN--but that doesn't discredit his potential.

Dowell is like Ways in how lengthy long-strided he is, characteristics that have made him a solid red zone threat at Lakewood St. Edward High School. He's willing to cut across the middle and fight for a jump ball, but he's not quite as physical, especially right off the line of scrimmage, as Ways, but that will come with added size and experience.

He posses a high football IQ and is very versatile, as his game tape shows. He is experienced with the screen pass, which is something that Borges really should be looking to implement into his system--he should be able to do that with prospects like Dowell, and it's interesting to see the coaching staff recruiting these types of kids. Look for Dowell to continue to sleep in a lot of rankings, but he would be a solid get for the Wolverines and, frankly, any BCS team.

Recruitment

Dowell has very much been an under-the-radar recruit for some time, with things really starting to pick up this spring. He currently holds offers from Toledo and Kent State, but this list is certainly bound to grow. He has had sustained interest from several schools in the Big Ten, among them Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, and Penn State. He grow up a Buckeye fan, but insists that he will give every school the same chance. He has camped at Northwestern, Penn State, Michigan, and, most recently, Penn State. He attends the same high school as current UM guard Kyle Kalis and 2015 offer Shaun Crawford, a clear Michigan lean, so there is clearly a pipeline present that could work to the Wolverines' advantage substantially. As Dowell attends more camps his recruitment should start to pick up--look for him to make a big splash by the end of the summer leading into his junior season.

Prognostication

Right now it's a toss-up between OSU and Michigan, which seems fitting from a rivalry standpoint. Michigan has showed him more sustained interest, but he grew up an OSU fan--take what he said about level playing fields for what it's worth. If Michigan lands Crawford, which they are in good shape of doing, I fully expect Dowell to be a part of Team 136 as well. If Crawford doesn't go blue (Miami is the only other real contender at this point in time), then things get, well, more complicated. To continue the game of "if's," if Michigan offers Dowell, especially soon, I think there's a good chance he may jump on it, making his situation similar to that of Ways. All in all, Michigan's in a solid shape for a more than solid prospect.