Bush Hamdan Likes the Physicality of Transfer Running Backs

Dante Dowdell (UK Athletics Photo)

After a relatively quiet summer from the University of Kentucky football coaching staff, offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan has done his best to build optimism for the upcoming season.

First, it was the offensive line, which struggled at times last season like most of the offense did.

“This offensive line is going to remind us of the great offensive lines we’ve had here,” Hamdan told Tom Leach at the Lexington Kickoff Luncheon earlier this week.

Okay, put me in the wait and see mode on that.

But he also praised transfer running backs Dante Dowdell and Seth McGowan and if he’s right about them, they could make the offensive line’s job a lot earlier.

“I think the biggest thing about that running back room is just the size and physicality of both those guys,” Hamdan said about the transfers. “I don’t think we’re going to travel anywhere and feel like we can’t bring that type of physicalness to the game.”

McGowan was a big-time recruit at Oklahoma but an off-field incident led to his arrest. He spent time in junior college before playing at New Mexico State in 2024 where he had 823 yards and three touchdowns on 152 carries and three touchdowns receiving.

He did not transfer to UK until after spring practice ended but coach Mark Stoops called him a “big-time player” at his press conference Monday.

“He’s good in a lot of areas. He’s explosive. He’s got a lot of experience. He’s dynamic,” Stoops said.

The 6-2, 225-pound Dowdell transferred from Nebraska where he ran for 614 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2024 — he was rated the best short-yard back in college football last season. He started his college career at Oregon.

“He’s everything we thought,” Stoops said. “He’s a really physical guy and a really good player.”

Stoops also praised sophomore Jamarion Wilcox who had 590 yards and two touchdowns on only 92 carries last year.

Redshirt freshmen Jason Patterson and Tovani Mizell are UK’s other two running backs. Patterson played in four games while Mizell wasn’t fully cleared for contact until the middle of last season due to a knee injury he suffered in high school.

“We’ve got some of those young backs who I think are going to be in a good position to have a role and continue to build it and go from there,” Hamdan said.