Kentucky lands three-star 2024 Georgia WDE/OLB Lorenzo Cowan
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
Another big piece to the Kentucky Wildcats’ 2024 recruiting class was added on Sunday afternoon when Lorenzo Cowan announced his commitment. The family feel is real for Cowan (6-4, 220) in Lexington with his brother, 2023 defensive lineman Tavion Gadson, on the roster.
The Jenkins High School (Savannah, Ga.) three-star weakside defensive end/outside linebacker worked through 18 offers producing a top three of South Florida, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
Cowan explained the recruiting process with the Wildcats.
“It was pretty cool,” Cowan said. “They all treated me like the little guy who is always around, they were taking me in before I even started being recruited. But everything changed, and the approach was now it is your turn. Now we are all about you.
“It was cool always being around the coaching staff and always staying in contact with them. My communication with them has been consistent since last year.”
Asked how Gadson affected his decision, Cowan replied, “I would say it was a fairly big role. He was a big part of my decision because of the bond that we have. There were definitely a lot of pros in my decision, and certain pros outweighed the others. He was a pro that outweighed a lot of others.
“We grew up in the same household. We check up on each other every day, we check in with each other before each game, and we have always been tight.”
Beyond the real brotherhood in Lexington that is waiting for him, Cowan gave details to how the Wildcats’ staff won him over.
“My big thing was my position coach, coach (Brad) White; their defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach,” Cowan shared. “I have a really good relationship with every position coach that was recruiting me, but what set coach White apart from the others was he’s in the SEC, being a defensive coordinator at an SEC school speaks volume, he will be my position coach, and I had a good relationship with him.
“It made sense to me with his experience and success as a top coordinator in the SEC. To be the best you have to be taught by the best. You have to want it more than everyone else, and I want it. I have an opportunity to be with the best in college football.”
How coach White will use Cowan in the Wildcats’ scheme was explained.
“From my understanding, I would do what I do here – drop in coverage from time to time. I am versatile, athletic, and I am a speed guy; I am certain they will use me as a Jack. Sometimes I will be in the flats and sometimes used as a spy. They will use me in any way to make the defense more of a threat. I believe in their scheme, and I believe in everything they say; however they choose to use me I will do it to the best of my ability.”
Kentucky’s staff has known Cowan was part of the 2024 class for a couple of weeks.
“Actually, I committed to the staff maybe two weeks ago, or maybe a little longer,” Cowan stated. “I committed to coach (Chris) Collins (DB) and coach White at the same time.”
Cowan continued giving insight into his special moment, “It was pretty cool. I was a little nervous, but I did it and I am grateful for the opportunity to commit to a school like Kentucky. To be honest, I wouldn’t change it for anything. I feel everything happens for a reason. I was definitely nervous to do it.
On the staff’s reaction, Cowan shared, “They were excited. They got the whole staff in the defensive room; I was on the phone with them. I went around the table and spoke with everyone. They were excited.”
*Click the link for the Sept. 6 RNG interview with Lorenzo Cowan covering his top schools.