Rambler to Watch: Charlie Dowdle

If one of Charlie Dowdle’s teachers gave him some extra credit when classes at Loyola Academy start in a few weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising if he tried to share it with his classmates.

Heck, it isn’t much different on the football field this summer.

Compliment Loyola’s 6-foot-4, 195-pound receiver and he’ll talk about the entire receiving corps. Ask how he’s able to stay in such good shape for the season, he defers all credit to the strength and conditioning coach.

But make no mistake, on game days this fall Dowdle won’t be nearly as bashful.

“He’s going to have a huge year,” Loyola head football coach John Holecek said. “We’ll depend on him at times but when everything else fails, when he’s one on one, it’s highly favorable. He’ll jump up, he’s got great hands.”

Dowdle had a productive junior year when the Ramblers lost in the state semifinals, but this year he will be counted on even more. His hands are as reliable as any of the Loyola receivers and, at his height, he’ll have a decided advantage over opposing defensive backs.

He’s one of four returning starters on the offensive side of the ball and a captain, who will face his first opponent of the season, Evanston Township High School, on Aug. 26. He is using summer football to add speed and strength to his game.

“We’re putting in a faster offense this year,” Dowdle said. “We’re looking to get a lot more snaps in, a lot more plays in a quicker period of time. So, we’re getting used to that and I think I’ve put on some strength and speed.”

As much as he has focused on this year and committed to winning the Catholic League and state championships, adding weight and improving speed will help Dowdle as he looks to play football at the next level.

Though he was named an All-American water polo player on Tuesday and has prospects of playing the sport in college, he said he was leaning toward a collegiate career in football.

He may change his mind when water polo season starts, but Dowdle has made an effort to enhance his college football prospects this summer. He attended camps at Dayton and Northwestern universities and has spoken with football coaches at Dayton, Cornell and Northern Illinois.

“He’s a couple tenths of a second away from a Division I scholarship,” Holecek said. “He’s not a blazer but someone’s going to love him.”

If Dowdle is able to put up big numbers this season as Holecek predicted, it will be hard for any college coach to use any measurable to downgrade him.

Loyola plays in the Catholic League, which boasts the Illinois’ best high school football. Most conference games, the Ramblers will face teams with multiple Division I college prospects.

While it puts pressure on Loyola’s high-caliber players, it allows a stage to showcase their talents.

“Every game, you can’t underestimate any week to week,” Dowdle said. “You have to come in with a mindset like this game means going to the playoffs, this game means winning the Catholic League championship because everyone can compete with us. There’s no team that won’t be able to play on the field with us.”

What’s scary for opposing defensive coordinators is Holecek struggled to find anything negative to say about Dowdle’s junior season. As the season progressed, he reported that Dowdle’s confidence grew exponentially.

“He was pretty damn good last year,” Holecek said. “Now it just seems like his confidence is so high that he’s not going to drop any. There were games where he wasn’t perfect. He dropped some things that he should have had. Now he’s making those catches that he shouldn’t make.

“He’s everything you want. He’s got high character, high effort, everything. He’s a coach’s dream,” the Loyola coach added.