Don’t call Clifton McDowell a savior or survivor, he wants to be known as a football player.

He also hopes to be the final and perhaps biggest piece to a puzzle that turns around the Cowboys.

“Everything I have been through was just pieces to my puzzle,” McDowell said. “McNeese is the final piece to my career.”

The new Cowboys’ quarterback will come full circle when he takes the field for McNeese State in the season opener next month.

McDowell started his college career at Louisiana-Lafayette in the fall of 2019 with all the hopes that surround a highly recruited prep star. What has followed is a mix of joy and pain.

“It has been a long journey,” McDowell said.

McNeese will be the sixth school for the 23-year-old McDowell, who has also committed to a total of nine programs in one way or another. After admitting entering the portal was a mistake, McDowell said he learned and when looking for a place he felt comfortable at.

His move to Lake Charles is personal for the 6-foot-4, 224-pounder from Spring, Texas.

“It was all about being closer to home,” McDowell said. “My grandpa’s been in and out of the hospital and I wanted my grandparents to be able to see me play my last season.”

McDowell’s family saw him play in January when he led Montana to the FCS national championship game in Frisco, Texas. But an overwhelming South Dakota State team, along with an early injury in the contest, led to an unhappy reunion.

“It was a tough ending,” said McDowell. “You don’t ever want a season to end like that.”

The 23-3 loss put a damper on a campaign that saw McDowell go from backup to leading the Grizzlies to 11 wins in his 12 starts. That set off a hunt for a new team on the highest college football level.

After committing to Temple, and then rumors of signing with Prairie View, McDowell landed at McNeese, a team desperate for a turnaround and in search of a new quarterback.

On paper, it seems like an odd landing spot, a quarterback looking to finish his career strong and a program trying to bounce back from a 1-10 record, the worst in its history. For McDowell, it is a perfect fit.

“It just feels right here,” said McDowell. “I trust Coach (Gary) Goff and the staff and what they are trying to do. I have been through a lot and trust is a big thing for me. I feel safe here.”

He also credited his relationship with both Cowboy offensive coordinator and QB coach Adam Neugebauer and football chief of staff Aaron Ingram, who was at the forefront of McDowell’s recruiting.

Feeling good around his surroundings is important to the 23-year-old as his long college story enters its final chapter.

After completing just one pass for eight yards as a freshman, McDowell’s world was rocked in August of his sophomore year. D.J. Looney, an assistant on the Louisiana-Lafayette staff and who the QB was very close with, suffered a heart attack and died during a morning practice.

It threw McDowell for a loss. It led him to look for a fresh start at Kilgore Community College in Texas for two seasons. He then went to Central Arkansas in 2022 before moving on to Montana last fall. His time in Missoula went well.

McDowell was named the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year. He completed 160 passes for 2,026 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also ran for an additional 753 yards and nine scores as Montana went 13-2.

He then entered the transfer portal where after a wild couple of weeks he landed at McNeese this spring.

“He is a very talented player; I think a great fit,” said Goff. “He is a proven winner.

“He has meshed well with the team. The kids love having him around. We got a guy who has performed at this level, he has done it.”

McDowell is the most important of all the newcomers on the McNeese roster. The Cowboys have been desperate to find a big-time quarterback to help them get back on track.

And McDowell, he’s been looking for a place to settle into. Both have run out of time.

“This team has a lot of talent and I want to help turn things around,” McDowell said. “I just want to relax, have fun, play football and win.”

If he can do that, McDowell may just be the savior to Cowboy fans whether he calls himself one or not.