Defensive tackle Lance McDowdell is a transformed man this camp.
A highly-touted junior college signee in the 2014 class, the Mount Vernon, N.Y., native didn't make the impact he would have hoped in his first season at UCF. A lingering back injury slowed his development, plus he had difficulty adjusting to the demands of being a player in a George O'Leary program.
That's not the case this preseason.
"I feel great right now," McDowdell said. "I work on my core every day before practice and after practice. Everything is going good right now. I've got to watch film to improve every day, but I'm good... Being here has shown me what manhood is about. You've got to be a man here. You've got to wake up on time, be at meetings at time. That's hard. In JUCO we didn't really have to. On top of that, you've got to run to the ball and work hard out there. You've really got to man up."
McDowdell is an imposing figure at 6-foot-4, but he is noticeably slimmer than he was a year ago.
"I lost a lot of weight," McDowdell said. "I came here at 325. Right now I'm 300 on the dot. I feel a lot quicker."
McDowdell, who was called one of the most improved players in the spring, has maintained a first-team spot at defensive tackle alongside Jamiyus Pittman. It's important for him to have a strong year considering fellow senior Demetris Anderson may be out for an extended period of time with an undisclosed knee injury.
Even though it's a blow to potentially lose Anderson, O'Leary and defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan have both noted the strength of the defensive line in camp.
"We're looking good," McDowdell said. "We've got some dogs on our line. Jamiyus is a dog. He's a strong, talented young kid. He's gonna go places. We're looking good. You've got me, Thomas Niles, Jamiyus, Monte Taylor, Luke Adams, Tony Guerad. Everything is going well."
McDowdell wasn't always on a path to play football. He declined a coach's invitation to play for a team in middle school, but took his mother's advice when he decided to come out during his 10th grade year.
"I went and dominated in 10th grade against guys who were seniors going to big-time colleges," McDowdell said. "We played New Rochelle and I did real good in that game. I won All Section two years in a row."
Syracuse showed interest coming out of high school, but he had to go the JUCO route to improve his academics. Alabama, Miami, Tennessee and USC were among the schools recruiting him out of Nassau Community College before he opted for the Knights.
Another conference championship is his first goal. After that, he wants a shot at the NFL. When his football days are over he hopes to be involved in the film industry as a writer or director.
"I've seen and experienced a lot of stuff in my life," he said. "I want to put that out there to the world."
