Justin Frye has added a crucial piece to his offensive line room for the 2025 class.
Ohio State secured the commitment of in-state prospect Carter Lowe on Saturday, giving the Buckeyes their first offensive line commitment in the 2025 class.
— Carter Lowe (@big_carter72) January 27, 2024
Lowe is Ohio State’s seventh overall commitment for 2025. He’s the third in-state prospect in the class to commit to the Buckeyes, joining quarterback Tavien St. Clair and linebacker Eli Lee.
The Lowe File
- Class: 2025
- Size: 6-5/290
- Pos: OT
- School: Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #79 (#9 OT)
It became obvious Ohio State was the team to beat for Lowe after he visited OSU multiple times this fall, including the Western Kentucky, Maryland and Penn State games. He also visited OSU on Jan. 20 and Ryan Day and Frye stopped by Whitmer High School on Friday to check in with him one day before his commitment.
While Lowe is from Toledo, he didn't necessarily root for the Buckeyes growing up. He grew up playing basketball before eventually transitioning to focusing primarily on football. Nevertheless, his recruitment was essentially a Michigan vs. Ohio State battle early on, with Lowe taking multiple visits to each school.
“Ohio State and Michigan is always gonna be at the top for me, for sure,” Lowe said after working out at an Ohio State recruiting camp in June.
The Buckeyes pulled away and eventually won out for the 6-foot-5, 290-pound prospect. He was drawn to OSU based on the successful development of past Ohio State offensive linemen and the connection he built with Frye.
"I love Coach Frye's coaching," Lowe said. "We talk (often). I talk to Coach (Tim) Hinton a lot too, and he usually puts him on the phone. We have a really good relationship and I like talking to him a lot."
The in-state product also built a strong relationship with Day.
"I like talking to him a lot,” Lowe said. “He talked to me about how much he wants me, how much they would care for me if I come here and I really appreciate that.”
With Lowe in the fold, five of Ohio State's seven 2025 commitments are top-100 prospects in 247Sports' composite rankings, with Devin Sanchez, Tavien St. Clair, Zahir Mathis and Blake Woodby being the others.
Though landing Lowe gives the Buckeyes a much-needed premier offensive tackle prospect, Frye and OSU are hardly content to stop there. Other 2025 offensive tackles that the Buckeyes have heavy interest in include David Sanders Jr., Josh Petty, Michael Fasusi, Micah DeBose, Douglas Utu, Lamont Rogers, Avery Gach, Mason Short and Matty Augustine.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | DEVIN SANCHEZ | ★★★★★ | #6 NATL | #2 CB | 6-2 | 170 | North Shore (Houston, Texas) |
| DE | ZAHIR MATHIS | ★★★★ | #40 NATL | #5 Edge | 6-6 | 225 | Imhotep Institute (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| QB | TAVIEN ST. CLAIR | ★★★★ | #56 NATL | #4 QB | 6-4 | 210 | Bellefontaine (Bellefontaine, Ohio) |
| CB | BLAKE WOODBY | ★★★★ | #76 NATL | #10 CB | 5-11 | 180 | St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) |
| OT | CARTER LOWE | ★★★★ | #79 NATL | #9 OT | 6-5 | 290 | Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio) |
| WR | JAYVAN BOGGS | ★★★ | #195 NATL | #24 WR | 6-0 | 188 | Cocoa (Cocoa, Florida) |
| LB | ELI LEE | ★★★ | #483 NATL | #54 LB | 6-3 | 215 | Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports Composite | |||||
Lowe gives OSU a premier offensive tackle in 2025 class
Lowe, who was offered by OSU in late January, is considered the 79th-rated prospect nationally and the ninth-rated offensive tackle per 247Sports' composite rankings.
The Toledo prospect has said he's willing to play any offensive line position at the next level. Ohio State has told him it primarily sees him as an offensive tackle.
“Wherever they put me is where I like,” Lowe said. “But I think they like me at tackle right now. I like tackle, left tackle, specifically.”
Lowe's pure athleticism suggests he'll stay at tackle in the long run and won't move to need inside.
In his prep career, Lowe has displayed a consistent mean streak and physicality at the line of scrimmage. He's been adept in both run blocking and pass protection, though his pass blocking may be further ahead than his run blocking at this point. He is a multi-sport athlete who also competes in track and field, with his main events being shot put and discus.
Like nearly every freshman offensive lineman, Lowe will likely need a year or two to develop before he's ready for a permanent role on Ohio State's offensive line. But he has the talent to be a future All-Big Ten selection and an anchor of OSU's offensive line.
