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Frisco High School standout corner Chase Lowery pledged his commitment to the University of Arkansas over offers from Michigan State, Iowa State, Memphis and 20 others on Thursday afternoon, becoming the 13th commitment in Sam Pittman's 2021 class and the sixth on defense.
Lowery silently accepted his Hogs offer just a week after receiving it but took a week to make the news public. The Texas native is joining linebacker Chris Paul and athlete Raheim Sanders as prospects in the class who've committed before ever seeing the school or Fayetteville in person.
"I made my decision down in Florida," Lowery said. "I was talking to some of the commits and since I didn't get to go on campus for a visit, I just asked them what made them decide to commit. After I heard some things from them, they were talking the same way about the coaches. I trusted Coach Carter after talking to him and listening to what he was saying and after talking to Coach Pittman for a bit, I learned what he was like.
"I always said from the beginning, I wanted to join a program we were building onto. We're helping build an SEC team which is rare. Terry Wells, Lucas Coley and Keuan Parker, those three helped me make my decision."
Lowery's lead recruiter Sam Carter is in his first year as the Razorbacks' cornerbacks coach and he's made big impressions on almost every recruit he's interacted with so far. Like with Oklahoma corner Parker and nickel hybrid Jermaine Hamilton-Jordan, the relationship formed has been key to getting the players on board during the unsettling, uncertain time.
"I've talked to Coach Carter at minimum once a day," Lowery said. "I think I know him pretty well, we connected on things outside of sports. He's a good guy."
Lowery helped take Frisco to the third round of Texas 5A D2 playoffs and played in all three phases in the game. Defensively, he had 39 tackles, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble, four interceptions, nine pass breakups and two interceptions returned for touchdowns.
Lowery helped shape the Frisco offense as well in his one season on the team. Normally run-heavy, his skills allowed the Raccoons to get the ball moving more in air and he totalled 758 yards on 32 receptions for seven touchdowns.
Last measured at 5-foot-11, 175-pounds, Lowery has a slight frame but he's been putting on good weight and his head coach is confident he'll excel in the SEC once he dedicates himself to the weight room.
"One of my main goals is to set the tone when I get on campus and try to start freshman year," Lowery said. "The coaches see me as a corner and maybe a nickel. Coach Pittman said he saw me doing a little bit of everything in high school, so he told me to expect to do more than just defense.
"I'm bringing someone who is diverse. I can bring multiple positions, not just on defense but on offense, and I can bring something dangerous to the return game. I matchup with some of the best and the fastest in the nation."
So, sight unseen, Lowery is now a member of Arkansas's rapidly growing 2021 class and he is yet another testament to what the staff can do as relationship builders without having put a product on the field.
"It came down to three or four schools," Lowery said. "I got to talk to people at each school and it just felt like Arkansas was the right fit."
As a current 5.5 3-star, Lowery adds 60 points to the Hogs' team recruiting score, moving them up from No. 40 in the nation to No. 37, ahead of Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in the rankings.
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