When Drew McGee's mother passed away mid-season, Jason Dowell was one of the first people to embrace him.

As a senior defensive tackle at Belleville (Ill.) Althoff, Dowell assumed a leadership role on the football team, but when his friend suffered the loss of a parent, Dowell went straight to McGee to let him know his teammates were there for him.

"That was no surprise to any of us on staff," Althoff coach Austin Frazier said. "That's just the kid he is."

As a sophomore backup, McGee doesn't get many opportunities to play, but in the quarterfinals of the IHSA Class 1A Playoff against Casey (Ill.) Casey-Westfield, he lined up on the defensive line in the fourth quarter.

With Casey-Winfield inside its own 10-yard line, the Warriors quarterback fumbled the snap and saw the ball shoot towards the end zone off the leg of his offensive lineman. Then came McGee, who dove onto the ball for a touchdown.

"The first guy to get him when he got to the sideline was Jason," Frazier said. "It's like the biggest, largest, happiest, 6-year-old celebrating his little friend that you've seen. A big, magnanimous smile."

Frazier has never coached a player as spiritually connected and rooted in faith as his 6-foot-4, 295-pound lineman. Dowell, an Apostolic Pentecostal Christian, attends church with his teammates Wednesday evenings in addition to Sunday services.

"He's extremely caring and a gentle giant, socially," Frazier said. "I guess you could say as vicious and as mean as he can be on the field, like when he's competitive, he's equally not in the classroom and with classmates."

Dowell is grateful for his physical abilities. His smile propagates throughout the halls of Althoff, as his unbridled enthusiasm is evident in his play on the football field.

"It's an infectious deal," Frazier said. "That smile is the way he plays, and I think it's directly connected with how thankful and appreciative he is of the gifts he's received through higher power."

A state-champion in wrestling and football, with success also achieved in baseball, Dowell learned success was only achievable through the commitment to the process and his team.

When it came down to his recruitment, an early offer stayed with him. Missouri extended a scholarship to Dowell in November 2022, marking his third offer and first from an SEC program.

Beginning his high school career at Cahokia (Ill.) High, Dowell befriended current Tigers redshirt freshman Nicholas Deloach Jr., who was a senior when Dowell was a sophomore.

"He immediately felt a family attachment to a lot of those guys," Frazier said. "I think when Jason feels that way about something like that, it's going to be pretty hard to deter or change his mind."

Dowell -- who will enroll in the summer and finish out his wrestling career -- signed with Missouri on Wednesday after verbally pledging to the program in April. Illinois and Indiana both made runs for his commitment, but the four-star defensive tackle never wavered.