Football | May 30, 2018
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The Western Michigan football program and head coach Tim Lester have officially announced the addition of transfers Drake Harris (Michigan) and Juwan Dowels (Syracuse) to the 2018 roster. Both players have one year of eligibility remaining and will be pursuing master's degrees at Western Michigan.
Harris is a 6-foot-4 wide receiver who was one of the nation's top prospects in 2012 after a dominant career at Grand Rapids Christian High School. Despite missing his senior season with a hamstring injury, Harris totaled 136 passes for 2,966 yards and 33 touchdowns during his prep career. As a junior he became one of only 12 players (at the time) nationally to surpass the 2,000-yard mark in the season, making 91 catches for 2,015 yards to lead Christian the Division 3 state title. His 243 receiving yards in that title game is a state record.
Harris redshirted at Michigan in 2014 and went on to earn three varsity letters over the last three seasons (2015-17), but again was slowed by injuries. He concluded his U-M career with nine receptions for 60 yards in 25 appearances. He also briefly played on the defensive side of the ball for the Wolverines at cornerback.
"We are excited about the size and athleticism Drake brings to our wide receiver corps," said Lester. "He played his high school ball just up the road in Grand Rapids and I know he is excited about showcasing his skill set in Kalamazoo."
Dowels is a 5-foot-10 cornerback and a native of Sunrise, Fla., near Miami. He attended American Heritage High School where he helped lead his team to a Class 5A FHSAA State Football Championship and was the 2013 Sun Sentinel Broward Class 5-A-4A-3A-2A Defensive Player of the Year.
Dowels redshirted his first year at Syracuse in 2014 before settling in as one of the team's top defenders in 2015. During his freshman season he played in 12 games, starting the last five, and led the Orange in passes defended (6) and pass breakups (5), while registering 40 tackles (29 solo) and one interception. As a sophomore in 2016, he suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss the last 10 games of the season. He returned in 2017 to post 25 tackles, including one for a loss, one interception and one pass breakup. For his career he recorded 69 tackles, eight passes defended and two interceptions.
"Juwan brings valuable experience to a young secondary unit, having played in the same defensive scheme as ours in his freshman and sophomore seasons," Lester added. "His 24 starts in the ACC will help solidify the back half of our defensive in 2018."
Both Dowels and Harris will get to face their former teams this upcoming fall. Western Michigan hosts Syracuse in the season opener on Friday, Aug. 31 in Kalamazoo. The Broncos travel to Michigan for game two, taking on the Wolverines in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 8.
