How UGA football's Jalen Carter made Christmas special for an Athens-area military family

In early December, Nicholson resident Nikki Dowdy couldn't find the perfect Christmas gift for Army son, Cole.

When Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter lifted LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels off the ground and held up a No. 1 sign with his index finger during the SEC Championship game, Dowdy was inspired to track down an unforgettable present.

Nikki, the Touchdown Club President at East Jackson High School the past seven years, began a mission to notify Carter about her son's love of football, Bulldogs and America.

In some odd way, Carter's theatrics during the SEC championship reminded her of Cole. "Always the protector and defender," she crafted during an eight-paragraph note to Georgia's star defensive lineman. "In the midst of an aggressive and intense game, you both protected and defended for the good of the game. I'm not sure if that was your intention, but as a mom that's what I saw."

Nikki needed to get her letter to Carter to show that he's an inspiration to her family.

She asked for help on her personal Facebook page, and her friends joined the mission to get Carter her letter—and Cole the gift of a lifetime.

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Serving his country

Private First Class Cole Dowdy was deployed to Morocco in June and spent a month in the African country before leaving for Poland, where he's been stationed since July.

A 2020 East Jackson grad who was a two-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines, Cole had dreams of going to college and coaching football in high school. After a semester at the University of North Georgia and COVID-19 forced online-only classes, Cole turned to the military, where three generations of Nikki's family had served.

Now a tank driver and loader, Cole has been a member of the Army since March 2021.

"This makes the second season of Georgia football he has missed," Nikki wrote to Carter. "I know for a fact, other than his family, Georgia football is what he misses the most."

A mission to reach Jalen Carter

Two of Nikki's Facebook contacts are friends with Robert Miles, UGA's Director of Life Skills. Miles' job is to prepare UGA athletes for life following athletics.

A starting defensive end on Georgia's 1980 national championship team, Miles oversees the athletic association's CHAMPS/Life Skills program that aids in the personal growth and development of all student athletes for a life outside of sports.

Behind the scenes, Miles approached Carter and presented Nikki's note to him with a photograph of Carter rushing past a Samford offensive lineman early in the 2022 season.

"Now, with him being in the Army (and deployed overseas) there's not much I can get for him for Christmas that he needs," Nikki wrote in the last paragraph of her letter. "So I was hoping, from one lineman to another, you would be able to autograph a picture for him for Christmas to send him a little cheer and motivation."

Within two weeks of Carter's highlight moment, Miles had the autographed photo returned to Nikki through their mutual friend, Janet Micheletti.

At the bottom, Carter inked his signature. Above it was a special note: "To Cole Dowdy. From one lineman to another! Thank you for your service!"

"It was a quick little signature after practice, and I looked at when they sent out the message on Facebook," Carter said on Thursday at Peach Bowl Media Day. "It meant a lot to me. I see a lot of things going on on Twitter and Facebook, of people wanting me to sign things. I just like giving back to the community."

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Character issues?

A junior, Carter is often projected as a top-five pick, perhaps No. 1 overall, in April's NFL Draft.

Carter's character is questioned by NFL scouts, ESPN NFL Draft expert Todd McShay said during a recent SportsCenter special. "With Carter there's some character issues. Does he get along with everybody? What's he like to deal with in the locker room? Those sort of issues," McShay said during the episode.

Teammates came to Carter's defense. Tight end Ryland Goede tweeted "What’s he like in the lockeroom (SIC) you ask? One of my favorite guys to be around. ALL-AROUND STUD as a player and as a friend/teammate."

Sophomore receiver Jackson Meeks tweeted the same sentiments, and UGA fans castigated the ESPN veteran on the social media platform.

The Dowdys don't know Carter, but his small gesture meant a great deal to them.

"Everything I had heard previously is that he’s just a big kid and a good guy," Dowdy told the Athens Banner-Herald. "Obviously, I haven’t met him but it tells me that he’s a nice young man who is going places but remembers who he is and where he’s from. There’s a lot of players out there who probably wouldn’t take the time, but he took the time."

For Cole, Carter's words meant the world.

"I’m sure he had other things to do with the press or being hounded by scouts," said Cole, who's still stationed in Poland, told the Banner-Herald. "For him to take time out of his day to give my mom that gift for me, I feel ecstatic about that. He could have this arrogance about him, but he’s humble enough to take a few minutes to take time for some person he doesn’t even know."

Best Christmas Gift Ever

Cole has seen the autographed photo. Nikki sent the picture to him through text. He'll officially get the gift when he returns home, although the family isn't sure when that will be.

"I don’t know where I’d be without her," Cole said of his mother. "She wasn’t big on me going into the Army, but when I told her she always supported me, despite her own worries. For her to do little things like this for me, I love it. I don’t know where I’d be without her."

For the UGA-loving Dowdys, Carter made their Christmas. They'll watch closely on Saturday when he takes the field in the College Football Playoff semifinals to lead the Bulldogs against Ohio State in the Peach Bowl (8 p.m., ESPN).

"I don’t know that I could ever top this gift," Nikki said. "I think that all the stars aligned and it worked out perfectly. It was something that was totally unexpected and something that you can’t just go to the store and buy. I don’t think I could ever give a better gift."

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Jalen Carter made Christmas special for an Athens-area military family