How family came first in SEC commitment of Jenkins football star Lorenzo Cowan
After committing to a college football team, many high school players talk about how the program had a family vibe that played a major factor in their decision.
When Jenkins senior Lorenzo Cowan made his choice to play for Kentucky on Sunday — family factors were truly considered as the star defensive end will join his brother, freshman Tavion Gadson, on the Wildcat roster.
Cowan had narrowed his choices to USF, West Virginia and Kentucky and he made the trip to Lexington this weekend to see the Wildcats beat Eastern Kentucky 28-7. He announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, he was making his pledge to Kentucky on Sunday.
Cowan had been to Lexington numerous times during he and his his brother's recruitment, so he is quite familiar with head coach Mark Stoops and his staff.
"I've always liked the family atmosphere when I visit Kentucky, everyone there treats my family really well," said Cowan, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound three-star prospect. "And having my brother there definitely gave Kentucky the edge over the other schools that were recruiting me. He's always telling me that Kentucky is a great place to be."
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Cowan and Gadson were All-Greater Savannah first-team selections last season as they helped lead the Warriors to a berth in the Class 5A playoffs. Cowan said he can't wait to team up with his brother, a 6-foot-5, 275-pound defensive lineman, at the college level.
"It's going to be great to be able to play on the same defense with my brother in the best conference in the country — the SEC," Cowan said.
Cowan has 14 tackles this season for the Warriors. He showed up big in a 41-30 road win over Bluffton when he had 2.5 sacks, two tackles for losses and six quarterback hurries, while batting down four passes.
"I think I've improved this year with my speed and my knowledge of the game," Cowan said. "I'm committed to Kentucky now, so I can focus on my senior year. I'm going to do everything I can to show up and be the best teammate I can be."
Jenkins coach Tony Welch said Cowan's character makes him one of those players that coaches love to work with.
"Lorenzo doesn't do a lot of talking, but he is a great listener and very coachable," Welch said. "He's a high character kid, a hard worker who leads by example. He's also an excellent student and he's set to graduate from Jenkins in December, so he can enroll early at Kentucky, and I think that's going to give him a great head start."
Welch said that Cowan is an edge rusher/defensive end, while his brother Tavion is also versatile, capable of playing defensive tackle.
"Coach Stoops has been after both of them for about 2.5 years," Welch said. "It was like one stop shopping with their recruitment serving two different purposes. They have been on so many trips together to Kentucky, and it's going to be special to see them as teammates at the next level.
"I'm really proud of Lorenzo. He's earned this opportunity," Welch said. "And despite all the accolades he has had — he never let it go to his head. He's always remained humble and focused, and it's paid off for him."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Family comes first as Jenkins star Lorenzo Cowan commits to Kentucky
