5 things to know about UGA OL commit Aaron Dowdell

Dowdell told the AJC recently he's up to 6-foot-4 and 292 pounds. He's also working on UGA targets Marlon Character, Mecole Hardman, Jr., Elijah Holyfield and Nigel Warrior to join him.

“I keep telling a couple of those guys to go ahead and commit,” Dowdell said. “A couple of them I know have Georgia as their top school, but I think they are just trying to hold out. But I am still trying to get them to commit.”

He said Holyfield, the 4-star from Woodward Academy, was the UGA target he’s working the hardest.

“He was my running back in the Rising Seniors game,” Dowdell said. “He’s the real thing. He scored like two touchdowns on the right side running behind me that game. He reads the holes very well when he runs.”

The agile lineman with the size-44 waist feels some guys just enjoy the recruiting process.

“To me I just see a school that I really want to go to then I go ahead and commit,” Dowdell said. “Its not really that hard to figure out where you want to go.”

His father, Darius, is also an educator and a coach. He wants him to enjoy the entire high school experience before he moves to the next level. He will not enroll early at UGA, he said.  Aaron’s older brother plays college football at East Carolina. He’s a tight end.

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT AARON DOWDELL

1) Solid with UGA — "Right now I am fully committed to Georgia," Dowdell said. "Schools like Mississippi State are trying to get me to visit. I'm not going to go unless one of my coaches take me or something. And then really I am just going to really use that to help my other teammates with their recruiting process."

2) Projected to play offensive guard — "I don't think I am going to redshirt," he said. "(UGA) told me when I get there that they are going to need me immediately. It depends on how hard I work for a spot, but I don't plan on redshirting."

3) UGA is his dream school— Dowdell was impressed by his visit to UGA for the Troy game last year. He got the chance to bump into former UGA running back Terrell Davis. Dowdell was high on Clemson, but said that the Tigers never offered him. He said UGA's tradition was big on why he committed so soon. He also prioritized his relationship with several UGA coaches. His former head coach at Creekside (Olten Downs) is now on the football staff at UGA.

Dowdell was also a late-bloomer. His first offers didn’t come until after his junior season.

4) He has high hopes for the Class of 2016  — "I think this class is on its way of being one of the best recruiting classes Georgia has had in a long time," Aaron Dowdell said. "We've got some good guys right now, but I am still trying to get more guys to commit."

5) He's got a heck of a pitching arm — It sounds very much out of the left field, but his father Darius Dowdell told the AJC his son used to be a tremendous pitcher. "He was throwing about 80-85 miles an hour when he was about 11 years old," Dustin Dowdell said. "He was a power pitcher back them. He was just all power throwing the heat"

Jeff Sentell covers UGA recruiting for AJC.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges.

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