Newly-Offered WR Justius Lowe Scheduling Florida Gators Official Visit
As Billy Napier and his coaching staff reassemble the Florida Gators' recruiting board for the class of 2022, new scholarship offers have emerged across the country as February's National Signing Day approaches.
Just before the new year, Lake Oswego (Ore.) wide receiver Justius Lowe earned an offer from Napier himself. Currently committed to Utah, Lowe continues to hear from schools nationwide and that includes UF, as Napier hired former Southern California assistant Keary Colbert as the Gators' wide receivers coach in December who possesses a connection to Lowe from the west coast.
Lowe committed to Utah the day before the early signing period began, however, he did not sign his letter of intent at that time. The conversation with Florida began roughly a week later when Napier texted Lowe and expressed an interest in his talent.
Not long after, Lowe joined Napier and Colbert on a Zoom call, when the coaches extended his offer.
"They offered me over a Zoom call, I was on a call with coach Napier and coach K.C. and it honestly shocked me because, you know, one of my dreams was to get an SEC offer," Lowe told AllGators. "It kind of caught me by surprise, honestly, because I haven't heard from any east coast schools, so hearing from Florida was definitely a big one."
Napier and Colbert offered Lowe a vision on the Zoom call as to how he'd fit within the Gators' offense if he opted for Florida. With a 6-foot-1 frame and 11.08-second 100-meter dash speed, Lowe is a candidate to operate on the outside, make contested catches and pose a threat to score at any given time.
"Wherever the ball gets placed, whether it be a good ball, a bad ball, or you know, a duck or whatever, I'm always there to make a play on the ball regardless," Lowe said. "Just being able to be a playmaker and catching the ball wherever it gets placed, and not only that but break a couple of tackles and score. That's something that shines about my game, which they told me about."
It has yet to be scheduled, however, Lowe intends to officially visit Florida "sometime in mid-January" to get a better feel for the university and the Gators' coaching staff now that he has an offer under his belt. A move across the country wouldn't be easy for Lowe or any recruit, which makes this visit a vital aspect of his recruitment in case he would like to attend UF or any school in the SEC.
"Definitely some things I'd have to consider," Lowe pondered. "For me, the environment out there, the area that college is located in, it's a very popular area, so just knowing I have a lot of outlets out there and a lot of people I can contact, you know, to keep my head on straight. Because football is really the only thing I'm looking forward to in college, not all the parties and all that. So, just making sure I stay focused out there is a good thing.
"And then also, probably for me and my mom, academics is number one for me and my mom. So, just seeing how they treat their athletes outside of football and how they take care of the athletes, the academic side of things."
Lowe remains firmly committed to Utah at this time. However, he has only used one of his five official visits so far and is open to hearing the pitch that other programs have to offer. That includes UF as well as Oregon, USC and Notre Dame, as each school has entered his recruitment recently, although Lowe made note that he has most frequently been in communication with Utah and Florida.
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