David Dowell: Ready To Take On A Leadership Role

Michigan State will be without a number of familiar faces in the secondary for the 2019 season following departures of defensive standouts in Khari Willis, Justin Layne and Matt Morrissey.

Senior safety David Dowell is one familiar face returning for the Spartan secondary in 2019 and hopes to help build upon a position group that ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten in pass break-ups (67) and passes defended (81) while contributing heavily to the Michigan State defense that was one of the best in the nation in 2018.

Despite losing a number of seasoned veterans in the back end to the NFL Draft and graduation, Dowell believes the secondary will continue to hassle opposing quarterbacks this season.

"I'd say we've kind of picked up where we left off last year," said Dowell, who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2017 and third-team accolades in 2018. "Xavier Henderson has been doing a great job of filling in at that boundary safety role and we've got young guys behind me in Tre Person, my brother Michael Dowell and Dominique Long. Everybody's working hard. We don't have anybody that slacks off.

"We're just worried about getting better each and every day. That's one thing we really pride ourselves on doing. That's what I pride myself on, so that's all we're really focused on. The rest will take care of itself."

One aspect that the defense is trying to improve on this season is creating more turnovers. Dowell knows the impact that can have on the outcome of a game firsthand. He had five interceptions as a sophomore in 2017, the most by a Spartan in the Mark Dantonio era.

"Just to turn the ball over more," Dowell remarked when talking about his goals for himself and the defense in 2019. "My sophomore year I did a good job of doing that and I had some success. Last year was good, but I want to get some more production and help my team to score off more of those turnovers and put our team in the best position to win."

A two-year member of the team's Eagles leadership council, Dowell has taken on more of a vocal leadership role heading into his final season donning the Green and White.

"Naturally I'm not the most vocal guy," Dowell said. "But with not having Khari (Willis), Matt (Morrissey) or Grayson (Miller) in the room, I've had to step up and be the guy to say something when it needs to be said to make sure we're all moving in the right direction."

Things are changing off the field for Dowell as well. It's the first time he'll be separated from his twin brother Andrew, who spent three seasons as a starting linebacker at Michigan State before signing a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys in April following his senior campaign.

"I'd say things are the most different in our personal life though because we used to live together," Dowell said. "Instead of talking to him, seeing him or being with him every day, I have to FaceTime him a few times a week."

Luckily for Dowell, nothing has changed on the field thanks to a full stable of defensive prospects in the Spartan locker room, including junior Antjuan Simmons, who will likely fill the starting role vacated by Andrew.

"Antjuan has been great," said Dowell. "He brings a lot of energy every single day. That's one thing my brother did as well, so it hasn't really been much of a drop off for me. Antjuan gets me going and we've done a great job of communicating too. That's one thing Andrew and I did as well, kind of playing off of each other, so it's been great having Antjuan back there. I'm excited to see what his first year of starting could be."

It's not only on the football field where Dowell has made an impact on campus. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, he graduated with his bachelor's degree in advertising management last December and is currently pursuing a master's degree in kinesiology.

Family is something that means a lot to Dowell, who cherishes the opportunity he had last season to play with brothers Andrew and Michael. Dowell credits head coach Mark Dantonio for creating a culture that allowed it to happen.

"There are a lot of guys on the team who have brothers that play collegiate sports, but they're not on the same team here," said Dowell. "That's a testament to Coach Dantonio and the family atmosphere that he provides. It's been a huge blessing to be able to play with both of them. Michael and I are both here for my last year and I'm looking forward to sharing that experience with him."

The two may share the field at times this season with Michael entering his redshirt freshman year as a safety. Michael ranked as one of the top prospects in the state of Ohio before arriving at Michigan State and was the No. 26 overall safety prospect in the country by ESPN.com.

In the words of Coach Dantonio, Dowell plans to make his last year his best year. He'll do so for his parents Anita and Will, who paved the way for him and his brothers to share success in East Lansing.

"I'm just really looking forward to it," said Dowell. "Being a fifth-year senior, I've been through everything before. I know what do to, so it's all about executing, making plays and winning games."

Michigan State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

David Dowell

Michael Dowell

Xavier Henderson

Justin Layne

Dominique Long

Matt Morrissey

Tre Person

Antjuan Simmons

Khari Willis

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