The rumor mill has been churning in college football recruiting circles over the past week, and the panic meter for Oregon Duck fans may be on the rise.
It came out earlier in the week that 4-star running back Dante Dowdell, a verbal commit to Oregon, will be taking an unofficial visit to Ole Miss for their game against the No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. There are conflicting reports as to the nature of the visit. Some outlets say that Dowdell is going alongside a few of his friends and teammates who are considering the school. Others say that Dowdell is still seriously considering Ole Miss, and that they have not let up on his recruitment since his verbal commitment to the Ducks.
A source very close to the situation tells me that Dowdell is not in any way considering flipping his commitment to Ole Miss, and remains locked in on the Ducks.
“The visit isn’t even about him,” the source tells me. “He’s going to support his friends just like they supported him when he was going to all the visits. He wants to spend as much time as he can with his friends before he leaves for Oregon in January.”
While there are reports out there that Dowdell has been enticed by the prolific running game that Ole Miss’ coach Lane Kiffin has put on the field this year, I am told that Dowdell, the No. 19 RB in the nation, has never wavered on his commitment to Oregon. He remains close with running backs coach Carlos Locklyn, as he does with head coach Dan Lanning, despite Ole Miss’ efforts to continue recruiting him since his verbal commitment earlier this year.
So while rumors are bound to swirl with one of Oregon’s prized commits down in Oxford for the weekend, I can confidently say that fans should not be worried. Dowdell remains locked in on his commitment to the Ducks.