High School
A consensus four-star recruit … Ranked a top-200 prospect by Rivals (No. 131) in the 247Sports composite (No. 151), ESPN (No. 167) and 247Sports (No. 194) … Rated a consensus top-10 running back, coming in at sixth overall in the 247Sports composite, ranked seventh by Rivals, ninth overall by ESPN and at No. 10 by 247Sports … The consensus top-ranked running back in Mississippi … A consensus top-five player in Mississippi … The third-overall player in the state by 247Sports and in the 247Sports composite while being the fourth-rated player in the state by ESPN and Rivals … Named a PrepStar Top 300 All-American … During prep career, rushed for 5,301 yards and 65 touchdowns as a four-year letter winner at Picayune Memorial High School … In playoffs the last two seasons, rushed for a combined 1,491 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging 6.8 yards per carry and 186.4 yards per game en route to back-to-back state titles … As a senior, selected to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl … Named MHSAA 5A Mr. Football after leading Picayune to an undefeated 15-0 season and back-to-back MHSAA 5A state championships … Chosen by the Mississippi Association of Coaches as a first-team all-state honoree … Selected to the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game roster … Earned second consecutive championship game MVP honor … Concluded prep career on a streak of 21 consecutive games with a rushing touchdown … Ended senior campaign with 2,165 yards and 31 TDs on 257 carries, averaging 8.42 yards per carry and 166.5 yards per game while bringing three catches for 86 yards … In the playoffs, rushed for 688 yards and 12 TDs for 6.81 yards per carry and 172 yards per game … Finished with four games of 200-or-more rushing yards … Had 12 games with 100-or-more yards … Rushed for 241 yards on 26 carries with a career-high five TDs in MHSAA 5A playoff semifinal win over Gautier … Ended with 237 yards on 12 carries with three TDs in a victory against Vancleave … Finished with 225 yards on nine carries with three TDs in a win against D’Iberville … Had 224 yards on nine carries with three TDs in a victory over Pearl River Central … Earned MVP honors with a 190-yard performance on 28 carries with three scores in a state championship victory against West Point … Rushed for 179 yards on 30 carries with four TDs in a win over Gautier … Ended with 156 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns in a playoff-quarterfinal win against West Jones … Finished with 152 yards on 14 carries with a TD in a win over George County … Had 150 yards on 27 carries with two TDs in a victory against Poplarville … Rushed for 123 yards on 16 carries with a TD against Jefferson Davis County … Ended with 115 yards on 28 carries with a TD in a victory against Gulfport … Finished with 101 yards and a score on 22 carries in a win against Laurel … Had multiple touchdowns in eight games … Finished with a TD in all 13 games played … Ended the season with two rushes of 98-plus yards … As a junior, named the MaxPreps Mississippi Player of the Year … Selected by the Mississippi Association of Coaches as first-team all-state … Guided Picayune to a 14-1 record and a MHSAA 5A state title … Had 2,555 yards and 28 touchdowns on 329 carries, averaging 7.8 yards per carry and 170.3 yards per game … In the playoffs, rushed for 813 yards and nine TDs for 6.89 yards per carry and 203.3 yards per game … Ended with five games of 200-or-more yards … Had 13 games with 100-plus rushing yards … Finished with at least 91 rushing yards in all 15 games … Rushed for career-high 283 yards on 37 carries with three TDs against Laurel … Ended with 255 yards and four TDs on 13 carries against Vancleave … Had 223 yards on 27 carries with three TDs against George County … Had 217 yards on 29 carries with three scores against Jefferson Davis County … Rushed for 211 yards and a TD on 27 carries against Hattiesburg … Ended with 179 yards on nine carries with two TDs in a win over West Harrison … Finished with 174 yards on 16 carries with two TDs in win over Gautier … Had 170 yards on 29 carries with three TDs in a MHSAA 5A quarterfinal victory over Brookhaven … Rushed for 159 yards and a TD on 23 carries in a win against Pearl River Central … Ended with 149 yards and two TDs on 25 carries in an MVP performance in a state championship win against West Point … Finished with 125 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns against D’Iberville … Had 123 yards on seven carries with two TDs in a win over Long Beach … Ended with 100 yards on 24 carries in season-opening win over Poplarville … Rushed for multiple TDs in 10 games … Finished with a touchdown in 12 games, ending the season scoring in eight consecutive games … As a sophomore, helped Picayune to reach MHSAA 5A playoffs … As a freshman, helped Picayune reach the MHSAA 5A championship game … Had 67 carries for 466 rushing yards and five touchdowns … On defense, finished with 17 tackles, 2.0 TFLs and 1.5 sack … Had one 100-yard rushing game, a 140-yard performance on 14 carries in a win over Gautier … Finished with a rushing TD in five games … Ended with a score against West Jones in a MHSAA playoff-semifinal win … Rushed for a TD in an opening-round playoff win over Brookhaven … Had regular season TDs against Meridian, Poplarville and Long Beach … Defensively, made multiple tackles in six games … Had a tackle in 10 games … Finished with three tackles against Poplarville … Ended with two tackles, 2.0 TFLs and 1.5 sack in a win over Gulfport … Had two tackles in a playoff win over West Jones … Made two tackles in wins over Hattiesburg and Wayne County … Finished with two tackles against Long Beach … High school coach was Cody Stogner … Also recruited by Akron, Alcorn State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisville, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Temple, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Tulane, UCF, West Virginia and Western Kentucky.

Dante Dowdell