Cornerback Chase Lowery's relationship with cornerbacks coach Sam Carter and desire to play in the SEC led him to commit to Arkansas on Thursday.
Lowery, 6-0, 183 pounds, of Frisco, Texas, announced a top eight of Arkansas, Texas Tech, Purdue, Michigan State, Memphis, Pittsburgh, San Diego State and Oregon State on June 30.
“When it came down to it, one of the big reasons why I chose Arkansas was because I had full trust in Coach Carter and I also wanted join and build an SEC program instead of joining a powerhouse," Lowery said.
"I thought Arkansas was a great fit and allowed me the best opportunity to do that."
The 30-year-old Carter was a three-year starter and a three-time All-Big 12 safety at TCU from 2011-14 before going into coaching. Lowery said Carter’s approach to recruiting made his decision easy.
“Just how upfront he was,” said Lowery, who received an Arkansas offer from Carter on June 13. “He gets straight to the point. He’s not going to sugarcoat anything. He just tells you how it’s going to be. Also, outside of football, I connected with him because he’s a younger DB coach.”
The chance to play in the SEC West attracted him to Fayetteville.
“You’re playing dogs day in and day out. If you can play, you can play, and you have to be ready for each and every game,” Lowery said.
Lowery, who hasn’t visit Arkansas, was involved in group chats with Razorbacks commitments and that helped with his decision after hearing from quarterback Lucas Coley, cornerback Keuan Parker and offensive lineman Terry Wells.
“I asked them some of the factors that made them decide to commit and they told me some of the things I connected on. From there it just felt right,” Lowery said.
Lowery recorded 48 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, 8 pass breakups and 4 interceptions as a junior and was named District 7-5A-II Overall MVP.
He also caught 34 passes for 758 yards and 7 touchdowns, and scored 2 touchdowns on punt returns and one on kickoff return. Coach Sam Pittman likes the idea of Lowery returning kicks.
“Coach Pittman is already talking to me about it,” Lowery said of playing special teams. “I love returning kicks. (It is) one of my favorite things to do actually.”
National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of CBS Sports Network says Lowery brings size and speed to his position.
“Chase is a 3-star-plus prospect with good length and good all-around athletic ability,” Lemming said. “He has good size and runs well, excels in pass defense.”
Lowery is Arkansas’ 13th commitment for the 2021 class and the fourth pledge from Texas.
Verbal commitments are not binding.