ATHENS- Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs lost what was thought to be an important piece to the running backs room this summer when Dante Dowdell was severely injured in an ATV accident.
Dowdell's social media post on Monday provided a bigger update as to the injuries he has been dealing with, and it was a lot. Dowdell said he was sent the hospital for two months after he broke ribs, punctured a lung, broke both collarbones, had nerve damage in his right arm and had nine staples applied to his head.
Smart told reporters in July that he was not sure when Dowdell would return to the program.
"I don't know when he'll be back," Smart said at SEC Media Days. "He had an off-campus accident back home during our break, and we're praying for him and his family. We expect a full recovery, but the outlook right now is we're waiting to 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."
Without Dowdell the Bulldogs played a slew of running backs in the season-opening 63-3 win over Tennessee State on Saturday. Nate Frazier, Chauncey Bowens, Dwight Phillips Jr., Bo Walker and Jae Lamar all had carries for the Bulldogs. Frazier accounted for three touchdowns on only four carries. UGA ended the game with 272 yards.
During his time at Oregon (2023), Nebraska (2024) and Kentucky (2025) Dowdell accumulated 272 carries for 1,264 yards with 16 touchdowns. His most productive season came in 2024 at Nebraska when he scored 12 touchdowns.
The news broke that he was headed to Georgia in January. No. 3 Georgia will face Western Kentucky Saturday Between the Hedges in Sanford Stadium.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/georgia as Georgia RB Dante Dowdell Gives Update After Severe Injury .
