Taco Dowler
American football player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
McLean "Taco" Dowler[2] (born June 28, 2003)[1] is an American college football wide receiver for the Montana State Bobcats. He is the twin brother of Caden Dowler, a defensive back for the Bobcats.[3]
| No. 14 – Montana State Bobcats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Class | Junior |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 28, 2003[1] |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Billings West (Billings, Montana) |
| College | Montana State (2022–present) |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at ESPN | |
Early life
McLean Dowler was born in 2003 to Justin and Michelle Dowler, along with his twin brother, Caden Dowler;[4][3] McLean is younger by one minute.[5] At the age of two, the twins were nicknamed "Burrito" and "Taco", though Caden's nickname only stuck "for like six months" while McLean Dowler's nickname carried on into adulthood.[3]
Dowler has not confirmed exactly how he was given the nickname "Taco". Local media outlets suspect one of two stories: Dowler either supposedly earned the nickname "Taco" after a younger him was in a Taco Bell drive-thru with his family when he blurted out, "That's my name", or a young Dowler was sitting at a table one morning and simply stated, "My name is Taco", and then got angry at anyone who called him by McLean instead of Taco.[6]
Career
Dowler attended Billings West High School with his brother in Billings, Montana.[7] He broke numerous school records and was named the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year.[8] Dowler committed to Montana State in 2021 and began attending the Montana State University in 2022. He was ranked as the third-best in the state of Montana in the class of 2022, according to 247Sports.[9][10]
On January 5, 2026, Dowler and the Montana State Bobcats won the 2026 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game 35–34 in overtime; in the game, Dowler had 8 receptions, 111 receiving yards, and the game-winning receiving touchdown in overtime.[11]
