South Carolina Gamecocks Recruiting: N.C. RB Rico Dowdle commits, should add some versatility to the offense

The South Carolina Gamecocks received a commitment that should help their running back corps. Rico Dowdle, a senior from Asheville (N.C.) Reynolds, pledged to the Gamecocks this afternoon and made his announcement public via Twitter.

Officially committed to the University of South Carolina! #spursup

— Rico Dowdle (@bdowdle10) January 8, 2016

Not only is Dowdle adept at running the ball, he brings a great deal of other skills to the table. This past season, he registered over 2500 yards and 51 touchdowns on the ground. He was also called upon as a signal caller, where he threw for 11 touchdowns. Dowdle is a versatile athlete that, when I saw his stat line, made me think of Pharoh Cooper and the different things the now NFL Draft-bound wideout could do, not only as a receiver, but out of the Wildcat formation. I'd be interested to see how Will Muschamp and offensive coordinator Kurt Roper use him during his time at Carolina.

Along with the Gamecocks, Dowdle holds offers from Appalachian State, Boston College, Charlotte, North Carolina State, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. However, he has referred to South Carolina as his "dream school", so it was probably not a question of "if", but "when" he would make the leap and give his pledge to the staff.

Dowdle isn't the first Asheville player to commit to South Carolina in this cycle: Pete Leota, an offensive tackle, picked the Gamecocks back in September. On the gridiron, Leota's Cougars couldn't stack up against Dowdle's Rockets as Reynolds came away with a 54-21 win over Asheviile back in October.