Marcus Dowtin (born January 22, 1989) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
. Dowtin was signed by the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2012. Dowtin played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
before transferring to
North Alabama
North Alabama is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Several geographic definitions for the area exist, with all descriptions including the nine counties of Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The North Alabama Industrial Development Associ ...
during his senior year.
Dowtin has also been a member of the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
,
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
,
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, and
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
.
Early years
Dowtin attended
Bishop McNamara High School
Bishop McNamara High School (BMHS or McNamara) is a private, Catholic Church, Catholic Mixed-sex education, coed high school in Forestville, Maryland, Forestville CDP in unincorporated area, unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland. in
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, and later
Fork Union Military Academy
Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private, all-male, college preparatory military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is considered one of the premier military boarding academies in th ...
High School.
Dowtin was selected to the 2008 SuperPrep All-Mid-Atlantic team and Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super Southern 100.
He was selected to the
PrepStar
''PrepStar College Recruiting'', known also as ''PrepStar'', is an online magazine at www.prepstar.com, which was established in 1982. It provides information on the top football and basketball prospects in the United States. The online magazin ...
All-Atlantic Region.
He recorded 76 tackles, two sacks, three fumble recoveries and one interception in his senior season in 2007.
He also had 1,202 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in high school as a running back.
He was ranked 10th on State of Virginia Top 30 list and was ranked as the 7th best weakside linebacker in the nation by Scout.com.
College career
Dowtin played college football at the University of Georgia until he transferred to the
University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama (UNA) is a public university in Florence, Alabama. It is the state's oldest public university. Occupying a campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes ...
for his senior season. On January 3, 2011, Dowtin was charged with second degree assault for his involvement in an altercation at a Maryland bar on May 29, 2010. On January 11, 2011, he was given an unconditional release by the University of Georgia.
In his freshman year, Dowtin played in 13 games in which he recorded 17
tackles
Tackle may refer to:
* In football:
** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football
** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football
** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...
and a
forced fumble.
In his sophomore year, he played in 11 games and started 4 of them in which he recorded 57 tackles and 2
sacks.
On September 5, 2009, in the season opener against
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...
, Dowtin recorded 8 tackles but
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
lost the game 24-10. On September 12, in a game against
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, he recorded 6 tackles helping Georgia win 41-37. On September 19, he recorded 3 tackles and a pass deflection against
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
as Georgia won the game 52-41. In 2009, he was selected for the Col. Robert L. Jackson Family Scholarship.
In his junior year, Dowtin played in 11 games and started 2 games in which he recorded 57 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an
interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
for the season.
He was a recipient of the Robert P. "Yunk" Ludwig Football Scholarship.
On September 4, 2010, in a regular season game against
Louisiana-Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...
, Dowtin recorded 4 tackles as Georgia won by the score of 55-7. On September 11, he recorded 4 tackles against No. 24
ranked
A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than" or "ranked equal to" the second.
In mathematics, this is known as a weak order or total preorder of ...
South Carolina but Georgia lost the game 17-6. On October 2, in a game against
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, Dowtin recorded 4 tackles, one sack and an interception but Georgia lost the game 29-27. On October 9, he recorded 3 tackles and 0.5 sack against
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
as Georgia won 41-14. On October 30, he had 10 tackles against
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
but the Georgia lost in
overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...
34-31. On November 13, in a regular season game against No. 2 ranked
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
, he recorded 10 tackles but Georgia lost 49-31.
In his senior year, he played at North Alabama. On September 1, he had 9 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception against
Central Oklahoma
Central Oklahoma is the geographical name for the central region of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is also known by the Oklahoma Department of Tourism designation, Frontier Country, defined as the twelve-county region including Canadian, Grady, ...
contributing to
North Alabama
North Alabama is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Several geographic definitions for the area exist, with all descriptions including the nine counties of Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The North Alabama Industrial Development Associ ...
's 31-10 win. On September 10, he had 3 tackles and a half sack against
Glenville State helping North Alabama win the game 48-21. On September 17, he had a team leading 10 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, a sack, a
pass deflection
In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...
against
Abilene Christian. On November 12, in a game against
Valdosta State
Valdosta State University (VSU or Valdosta State) is a public university in Valdosta, Georgia. It is one of the four comprehensive universities in the University System of Georgia. , VSU had over 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students. VSU a ...
, he had 10 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble helping North Alabama win the game 30-23. He was named Defensive Player of the Week twice (9/5/2011, November 14, 2011).
Professional career
New York Jets
On April 30, 2012, Dowtin signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent. On August 31, Dowtin was released on the day of final roster cuts. On September 1, Dowtin re-signed with the team to join the practice squad. On October 17, Dowtin was promoted to the active roster after the team released
John Conner with an injury settlement. On October 21, he made his NFL debut against the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. On November 2, Dowtin was fined $15,750 for unnecessary roughness on
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Matt Moore. On November 20, 2012, Dowtin was waived.
Philadelphia Eagles
Dowtin was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad on December 24, 2012.
He was released from his contract on April 11, 2013.
Buffalo Bills
Dowtin was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills on April 12, 2013. On October 8, 2013, he was released.
New York Giants
On November 13, 2013, Dowtin was signed to the New York Giants' practice squad. On March 12, 2014, Dowtin was waived by the Giants.
Seattle Seahawks
Dowtin signed with the Seattle Seahawks on August 1, 2014. He was released on August 27, 2014.
Toronto Argonauts
On October 7, 2014, Dowtin was signed to the practice roster of the
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
. He was released by the Argonauts on November 11, 2014.
References
External links
Georgia Bulldogs bioNew York Jets bioBuffalo Bills bioSeattle Seahawks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowtin, Marcus
1989 births
Living people
American football linebackers
Fork Union Military Academy alumni
Georgia Bulldogs football players
North Alabama Lions football players
New York Jets players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Buffalo Bills players
New York Giants players
Seattle Seahawks players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people
Sportspeople from Hyattsville, Maryland