When Dante Dowdell left Nebraska for Kentucky, the move was a bit of a head scratcher. Maybe the running back agreed because after one season in Lexington, the former Husker is back in the Transfer Portal. So, could a reunion with Matt Rhule and company be potentially on the horizon?
Dowdell shared the carries with Emmett Johnson in his only season with Lincoln, but still managed to run for 614 yards and 12 touchdowns (both career highs). In 2025, Johnson took over as the primary back and had the kind of season the Huskers haven't seen in quite a while.
For the Wildcats, Dowdell ran for 560 yards but just 3 touchdowns. He also ended up sharing the load at running back once again. However, if he becomes someone Nebraska zeroes in on for its backfield in 2026, he'd have a real chance to be "the man" in Lincoln.
Granted, he had that same opportunity in Lexington this winter. However, it seems likely that Kentucky hiring Will Stein as its new head coach played a part in the back leaving. His first season in college, he played at Oregon and got very spotty playing time. It's possible he still holds that against Stein, who was the Ducks' offensive coordinator when Dowdell was there.
At the moment, there aren't a ton of indicators that Nebraska plans on trying to bring Dante Dowdell back into the fold. However, so far, it's not clear at all who the Huskers are looking at for running back, as they have not scheduled any visitors. NU will almost certainly add at least one, if not two, backs in the portal, as the unit is relatively thin heading towards spring practice.