In a crowded linebackers room, Leon Lowery stands out

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Leon Lowery and Caleb Okechukwu have a bet. They’re competing throughout the season to see who can get more sacks. They aren’t competing for any prize. The only thing they can earn is a “Good job. Do it again,” Okechukwu said.

Heading into last Saturday’s matchup with Clemson, Okechukwu was winning. But Lowery changed that.

On a 4th-and-2 with just over six minutes left in the first half, Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik dropped back to pass. Lowery lined up on the left edge, bursting off the line of scrimmage. Clemson’s offensive line misread its blocking assignments and gave Lowery an open shot at Klubnik. While Klubnik escaped at first, Lowery eventually knocked him to the turf.

Lowery finished with 2.5 tackles for loss and a game-high two sacks. But he had never been SU’s premier blitzer, staying behind pass rushers like Stefon Thompson.

In 2022, Lowery started at edge twice, filling in for Thompson, who was out with an ACL tear. But this year, Lowery beat out the more-experienced Thompson in fall camp. While playing at North Brunswick Township High School in New Jersey, Lowery became one of the school’s most prolific pass rushers ever. The results are now paying off, with Lowery leading the Orange in sacks (2.5) and quarterback hits (four), per Pro Football Focus.

When SU released its first depth chart of the season, head coach Dino Babers made it clear that Lowery was starting over Thompson because the latter was recovering from his ACL injury.

“Right now, Leon is playing better. And that’s why he’s in front,” Babers said on Aug. 28.

“It felt rewarding knowing that the hard work I put in has paid off,” Lowery said of earning the starting position. “But I can’t get comfortable.”

Lowery has gone through this before. When Lowery began at North Brunswick, he didn’t start as a junior. Nick Cipot, defensive line coach for the Raiders, first noticed Lowery in the school’s weight room, asking the head coach where he would play. Nick’s twin brother and head coach of North Brunswick, Michael Cipot, said Lowery should play at safety. Nick had other ideas.

“I was like, ‘I don’t know, man. I might be able to use him as a d-end,’” Nick said.

Michael said as lanky as Lowery looked in high school, he was explosive off the line. He added that Lowery had gained speed and was proficient at running “sideline to sideline” by running track and field and participating in North Brunswick’s offseason speed training program. Lowery did this program with teammate and future Central Michigan running back Myles Bailey. The two constantly competed during the program, pushing each other to get faster, Michael said.

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Under Michael, who also served as the team’s defensive coordinator, Lowery played in various 3- or 4-man defensive fronts, but especially in the base 3-4 defense. While Lowery was considered a defensive lineman, Michael said the position, “a rush, outside backer,” that he now plays at SU is similar to the one he played at North Brunswick. Nick said Lowery “definitely” felt comfortable transitioning to SU’s 3-3-5 defense because of his experience with the 3-man front.

Lowery’s defensive end background has created a bond between him and Okechukwu at Syracuse. The two played on that same weak side, constantly discussing how to rush the quarterback. When Lowery has two offensive blockers assigned to him, then Okechukwu would only get one, and vice versa, Okechukwu said.

“Me and him watch stuff together,” Okechukwu said. “So we talked about how we can attack o-linemen.”

Nick said that Lowery’s pass rushing skills made his life as a position coach easy. Along with making Nick look good, he also wanted to surpass his coaches’ records. When Nick played at North Brunswick, he finished among the program’s top 10 sack leaders.

When Lowery found out, he made it known to his position coach that he would pass him.

“I was jokingly like, ‘No, you’re not. Like, you’re not gonna beat me,’” Nick said. “And he goes, ‘Yes I am. Watch.’”

That moment came in September 2019 against South Brunswick. Lowery told Nick, who stayed in the booth during games, that once he passed him, he would point to him. The opposing quarterback was still on his knees when Lowery turned back to his sidelines and pointed both of his hands toward Nick.

“(The sack) was just something we always talked about in practice,” Lowery said. “…So that was a pretty cool moment.”

In that same game, Lowery scored a 98-yard catch-and-run touchdown to cement a 26-0 victory over South Brunswick. Lowery finished with 26 career sacks in two seasons with the Raiders.

Lowery made a competition out of anything. While Lowery was in the weight room, where players can easily get distracted, Nick said that Lowery was always someone who stayed focused. Nick said when the future SU linebacker saw someone lifting 225 lbs. on the bench, Lowery would try to do it twice. It’s translated to Syracuse as well, with Okechukwu noting Lowery’s improvement over his three years with the program.

“I love his progression,” Okechukwu said. “He’s been, ever since he first came in, getting extra work in the reps and I’m just proud to see how far he’s come.”

The extra work made its presence even after Lowery took the lead in his bet with Okechukwu against Clemson. As the Orange attempted an ill-fated comeback, Lowery made multiple stops in the fourth quarter.

Tigers running back Will Shipley took a run to the left side with just over 12 minutes left, but Lowery anticipated the play and tackled him for a one-yard loss. One play later, Lowery slammed Klubnik to the ground again. Unlike his first sack, Lowery got a full grasp on Klubnik.

But Lowery’s sack didn’t affect the final score. Babers was obviously unhappy as he left the JMA Wireless Dome. After finishing his postgame press conference, SU’s head coach was about to drive away. But Lowery’s mother, standing with her son, saw Babers and yelled out “Coach,” Babers said. He rolled down his window.

“I said ‘He’s doing really good. Don’t you worry about it,’” Babers said. “She got the biggest smile on her face. It’s all true. He’s doing extremely well.”