Get to Know Your Orange Man: #16 LB Leon Lowery

Perhaps the next impact pass rushing linebacker is ready

It’s time to start preparing for the upcoming Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get ready for a critical season for the Orange.

Up next is….

Name: Leon Lowery

Position: Linebacker

Year: Redshirt Sophomore

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 225 lbs.

Hometown: Elizabeth, N.J.

High school: North Brunswick

2022 stats: Played in 12 games, starting two. Recorded 24 tackles, six TFLs and 1.5 sacks as a backup linebacker.

2023 projections: Lowery showed flashes last season of the linebacker that excels in the 3-3-5 system. He’s a great pass rusher and caused a disturbance in the backfield as his playing time increased due to the linebacker injuries. He’ll be one of the favorites to start at one of the outer linebacker positions.

How’d he get here?: Lowery got Power Five offers from Indiana and Rutgers. He also got offers from Buffalo, Kent State, UMass and Temple.

What’d recruiting sites say?: Three stars from everywhere. All four major recruiting sites rated Lowery as a top-50 player in New Jersey.

Money quote: Lowery heeded the Babers mantra of “get in the gym” and added 20 pounds heading into his senior year of high school.

“It’s just getting in the weight room, lifting and practice,” Lowery said. “You just can’t get up and say, ‘Oh, I want to be good at football.’ You have to put the work in over the summer – work, lift, run, eat. Conditioning is a main thing. The biggest part is discipline. You have to read your guys. Discipline is part of everything.”

Twitter feed: @leonlowery5

Instagram feed: @leon_lowery_jr

Tweets/Instas of wonder: If Lowery needs to drop back in coverage, his NIL deal can help with grabbing an interception.

Interesting nugget o’interest: Lowery’s pash rushing prowess didn’t develop until his junior year of high school. He bounced around as a wide receiver, linebacker and safety before taking his first snaps at defensive end at the start of his junior season, where he racked up nine sacks in a three-game span.

Let’s get a look at ya: You know Syracuse is high on a player when he gets the hype tape: