Since Urban Meyer’s arrival at Ohio State prior to the 2012 season, you can probably count on one hand the number of in-state prospects who the Buckeyes wanted that opted to go elsewhere. When Ohio State covets a player from Ohio, in Meyer’s tenure, it has gotten that player almost every single time.
There might be a recruit in the 2018 class who could potentially be added to that list of those to go someplace other than Columbus, though.
Michael Dowell is a rising junior-to-be at the famed St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio. And if the last name sounds familiar, it should. He’s the younger brother of Andrew and David Dowell, who both had somewhat of a roller coaster recruitment back in the class of 2015 before winding up at Michigan State.
“I’ve learned a lot from them,” Michael said of his older brothers last week while at one of Ohio State’s one-day positional camps. “I talk to them probably every week and they just tell me to [take] my time and that I don’t have to rush anything throughout this process.”
They told him to take his time because Michael Dowell’s recruitment is only starting to pick up some pace. His first three offers came from Bowling Green, Toledo and Pittsburgh, but over the weekend, he added his fourth offer.
It came from the Spartans.
“It was exciting to get that offer and it means a lot to me,” Dowell told Scout.com.
An offer from Michigan State to Dowell is hardly surprising given the ties he has and the Spartans are the early frontrunner and odds-on favorite in his recruitment. Putting aside the family ties, however, is something Dowell says he will have to do in order to make the best decision.
“I feel like I’m just going to do whatever is best for me,” he said. “Obviously, Michigan State is going to be high up there because I’ve got blood up there, but at the same time, I’ve got to go where is best for me.”
Michael Dowell is listed as a 6-foot-1, 195-pound defensive back/wide receiver prospect and worked out primarily as a defensive back when at Ohio State’s camp last week. He got some one-on-one time with Buckeyes cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs and said Coombs would be the one recruiting him.
His older brothers never received an Ohio State offer. Had they, perhaps things would be different. There’s still the potential for Michael Dowell to earn one, and should that come the Buckeyes could pose the biggest threat to Michigan State.
“[An Ohio State offer] would mean a lot to me,” Dowell said. “Less than three hours up the road in Cleveland, I’ve always been a Buckeye fan so it’d be real cool to play for the Buckeyes one day.”
And if that were to happen — again, a big if — it would mean a yearly matchup with the two people who taught him the most about the recruiting process.
“I’ll be honest, that’d be a nightmare and a dream come true,” Michael said. “But I’d love the opportunity.”
As for who would win?
“I’d definitely win. There’s no question about that,” Michael joked. “We always used to compete when we were little and whatnot. They may have gotten the best of me then, but I feel like I can compete with them now.”
Odds are they’ll wind up being teammates in East Lansing. If Ohio State offers, however, there’s a small chance the Dowell family will see brothers face off on a Saturday in November.
