Sacrificing raising recruiting profile to help his team
Anyone who watched Jaquan Lowman run circles around Apopka’s opposition last fall might find it difficult to fathom that he wasn’t even playing his best position.
The humble, self-sacrificing leader did whatever he had to do to make his team successful. So Lowman, who is projected to play defensive back in college, spent his junior season leading the Blue Darters’ offense as a quarterback and he guided Apopka all the way to the Class 8A state title game.
He never played defense. He never complained. He just wanted to win, so he did what he had to.
He could have been compiling game film playing safety or cornerback, like he’ll be doing in college.
He could have been racking up Power 5 scholarship offers.
Instead, he did what was best for his team. He played defense earlier in his high school career when quarterback Jecoryan Davis-Hamilton was running the Apopka offense. Knee problems ended that for Davis-Hamilton.
So Lowman got the call, and he stepped up in remarkable fashion. Apopka lost a heartbreaker in the title game to Miami Columbus on the last play of the game, but there wasn’t much more Lowman could have done during the Darters’ 12-2 season.
In Apopka’s run-heavy offense, he carried the ball 233 times for 1,396 yards and 23 touchdowns. He threw the ball (49-of-94) for 855 yards and eight more touchdowns. He also had a kickoff return for a touchdown.
But those are not college-quarterbackworthy numbers. He didn’t have the passing stats or the film to back up a scholarship offer. He also lacked experience and it was his only high school season as a
COMMENTARY quarterback, and an unconventional one at that.
So after an incredible season, he had one Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offer from Troy — 2,381 total yards and one scholarship offer.
USF, FAU and Appalachian State have since offered, and so have Football Championship Subdivision schools TennesseeMartin and South Dakota. Overall, however, coaches haven’t exactly been blowing up his phone.
He figured that maybe he could make some impressions during spring football and on the college-camp circuit this summer. The coronavirus got in the way.
“It was kinda frustrating, but really this offseason all I had to do was go to camps and show them that I can play DB and I would have gotten offers, but then corona came and plans didn’t go as I thought,” Lowman said.
Ah yes, the coronavirus.
It has had a big impact on players seeking to make one last impression prior to their senior year.
Still Lowman, never a person to complain, has taken it all in stride.
“It just shows that you never know what’s going to happen next,” he said. “It just tells me I need to go all out every day and just keep working.”
Indeed he never knows what will happen next, but he’ll have his opportunity to show what he can do this upcoming season. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder, who runs a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, will be playing both ways for the Darters.
That brings a huge smile to his face. “I get to show the coaches what they’ve been looking for,” Lowman said.
It will not only give coaches a chance to see him play defense, but he’ll also have to chance to improve himself at the positions he’ll play at the next level.
“I want to work more on man-to-man because some colleges have offered me as a corner and I’m not really used to playing man all the time,” Lowman said.
No matter what, Lowman said, he’ll continue to keep his same attitude. He’ll work hard and hope that’s enough to get what he wants.
“My mom always told me to stay patient and God’s got you,” Lowman said, “so I’m gonna listen to her and just wait it out.”