Georgia RB Dante Dowdell’s ATV Accident Casts a Shadow Over Smart’s Backfield Plans

Kirby Smart walked into SEC Media Days ready to talk about championship expectations and quarterback battles. Instead, he spent part of his time updating the status of a running back he barely had a chance to use yet.

Dante Dowdell, the transfer from Kentucky who joined Georgia this offseason, is out indefinitely after an ATV accident at his home this spring. Smart didn’t give a timeline for his return. He couldn’t.

“I don’t know when he’ll be back,” Smart told reporters, including Jake Rowe of On3. “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.”

Smart didn’t explicitly name the ATV in his initial comments, but he did describe the severity of the situation. Dowdell has already been moved between two hospitals and is now back in Georgia for treatment.

“Serious enough that he’s gone from two hospitals,” Smart said. “He’s in our state now, so hoping for a full recovery and trying to respect his family and their feelings and everything.”

Dowdell has been on quite the college tour. He started at Oregon in 2023 with just 17 carries, then transferred to Nebraska where he broke out in 2024 with 614 yards and 12 touchdowns on 143 attempts. Last season at Kentucky he ran for 560 yards and three scores on 112 carries. Georgia was supposed to be his landing spot for a final productive season.

What Georgia still has in the backfield

It’s not like the Dawgs are hurting for talent at running back. Nate Frazier is coming off a 2025 season where he racked up 947 yards and six touchdowns on 173 carries. Chauncey Bowens put together 526 yards and six scores on 103 attempts. That’s a solid 1-2 punch by most standards.

But Smart and his staff have made a habit of stockpiling depth at every position, and Dowdell was part of that plan. Losing him means the margin for error gets thinner, especially if Frazier or Bowens miss any time themselves. Georgia opens the season September 5 at home against Tennessee State, a game that should let the backups get some work regardless.

Smart made it clear the team is rallying around Dowdell. “A lot of our players have been over there to see him,” he said. “It’s just one of those really tough situations.”