FAYETTEVILLE — The eighth in a series profiling new additions to the Arkansas football team.
Arkansas assistant coach Steve Caldwell came away from scouting an early season game featuring Bearden quarterback and safety Defonta Lowe with an overwhelming impression.
“I think he was in on every play,” Caldwell said. “He either carried it, handed it off or threw it, and on defense he was in on every play.”
Lowe’s instincts, love for the game and versatility were the key reasons why Arkansas extended a scholarship offer to the 6-2, 182-pounder early last fall.
“We wanted his hands on the ball every play,” Bearden Coach Ernie Horstkamp said.
“He’s the total package.”
Lowe is working out this summer as a free safety, taking a criminal justice class and acclimating himself to UA campus life. His summer plans were clear cut.
“I want to have gotten my weight up,” he said. “I’ll want to have gotten my strength up, and my footwork and everything I need going into the fall, so I won’t have to worry about too much when the fall comes.”
The Razorbacks have had success with quarterbackswho were turned into defensive backs, including recently with Tramain Thomas and Eric Bennett. Lowe said he thinks he has a built-in advantage at free safety with his background as a quarterback.
“The vision is the main thing, because I can like feel what the quarterback is thinking,” Lowe said. “I’ve played quarterback since the ninth grade, so I’m kind of already in his head and knowing what he’s going to do.”
Horstkamp said Lowe’s versatility helped him be a dominating player at the Class 2A level.
“One of the biggest things with him, you could take some chances, move people around up front and go one-on-one with him,” he said. “He could cover half the field in cover 2.”
Caldwell returned from his game-day visit to give this report to then-Coach Bobby Petrino and the staff: “He can just play football. I think he could play every position on the field.”
Lowe’s play in Arkansas’ junior-senior camp last summer was one of the biggest stories to come out of those workouts.
“He’d line up at defensive back [for] a snap, then he’d jump on the other side of the ball and go one-on-one,” Caldwell said.
The Razorbacks were considering him as a receiver and defensive back at that point.
“I’d never played receiver ever, but when I came to camp, that’s what I played,” Lowe said. “I didn’t drop a ball. There was somebody holding me and I didn’t drop a ball.
“Then right after I’d run a route, I’d jump into the cornerback position and I’d play that.”
That kind of self-starter’s mentality has won Lowe admiration throughout his football career.
“Football is his love, and he is naturally gifted,” Horstkamp said. “I’ve never been around someone who loves to practice as much as he does.”
Lowe said he was probablyleaning toward wanting to play offense in college before being around first-year Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Haynes.
“Coach Haynes, he wants to play fast to the ball. He wants to play hard-nosed football,” Lowe said. “That’s what I like. That’s what we played at Bearden.”
Lowe, who said he was “blown away” by the atmosphere during a visit for the Razorbacks’ home game against Alabama in 2010, made only one other official visit before settling on the Razorbacks.
“I didn’t really want to go anywhere else to find out what’s going on at that school,” he said. “I went to one place, Oklahoma State, but it was nothing like Arkansas.
“I love Arkansas, and I didn’t want to leave my town.”
Lowe said he isn’t sure about whether he’ll play or redshirt this fall, but he is sure about the skill set he’s bringing to the Razorbacks.
“I think I’m going to bring excitement,” he said. “I think I’ll bring leadership. I think I’ll bring the hat.”At a glance DEFONTA LOWE HT/WT 6-2, 182 CLASS Freshman POSITION Free safety HOMETOWN Bearden LAST STOP Bearden High School NOTEWORTHY Two-way standout at quarterback and safety for the Bearden Bears. Rushed for 986 yards and 13 TDs and completed 29 of 50 passes for 547 yards and 5 TDs as a senior. ... Posted 44 tackles, with a pass breakup, fumble recovery and blocked PAT. ... Named to the Arkansas Super team as a defensive back by the Associated Press. As a junior, rushed for 1,543 yards and 24 TDs, and had 41 tackles and 3 interceptions. ... Rated the No. 3 prospect in Arkansas and No. 20 safety in America by Rivals.
com. ... Rated No. 6 player in the state by 247Sports.com. ... Received interest from LSU, Auburn, Nebraska and Texas Tech. Coached by Ernie Horstkamp.
Sports, Pages 19 on 07/08/2012