Seth McGowan’s path to the 2026 NFL Draft is one of the more unusual stories in this class. Early in his career at Oklahoma, he looked like the next talented running back to come through that program. Instead, a legal incident nearly ended his career before it really started. What followed was a long road back through smaller programs and multiple stops before he finally returned to the SEC and put himself back on the NFL radar. A Promising Start That Fell Apart In 2020, McGowan showed real promise at Oklahoma. The former four-star recruit played in eight games as a freshman, rushing for 370 yards and catching 13 passes for 201 yards. His 143 total yards in the Cotton Bowl showed the kind of playmaking ability that had people believing he could become the next productive Oklahoma running back. That momentum ended in April of 2021. McGowan was arrested following an armed robbery investigation and was dismissed from the Oklahoma program. He later pleaded guilty to felony larceny, served three months in jail, and received a year of probation. Just like that, his football future was suddenly in doubt. The Long Road Back McGowan did not play football for two seasons while rebuilding his life and career. His first stop was Texas College, an NAIA program where he never appeared in a game. From there, he transferred to Butler Community College in 2023, where he played 6 games and began rebuilding his football reputation. In 2024, McGowan returned to the FBS level at New Mexico State. The talent was […]
Seth McGowan: The Long Road Back
To access the rest of this post, you must login or purchase a DFF Membership.
