New Tider
Donnie Lowe

Birthday: 5-31-81
High School: LaVergne
HS Mascot: Wolverines
HS Coach: Tom Crawford
HS Position: FB, LB
HS Number: 89
AL Number: 44
Official Visits: Alabama
Second Choice: Vanderbilt
Committed: 11-9-99

A versatile player, Donnie played in 11 games as a senior. He had 145 tackles, including two sacks, and he recovered two fumbles. He had 21 receptions and he rushed for 876 yards and nine touchdowns with an average of 7.8 yards per carry. He was a SuperPrep All-American and the No. 5 player in Tennessee.

What Experts Say about Donnie Lowe

Tom Lemming: "A super tackler, with quick feet."

Forrest Davis: "A hard hitter with over 150 tackles as a senior. He was the No. 12 player on the Knoxville News list."

Q&A with Donnie Lowe

TI: You committed to Vanderbilt last summer. In November you changed to Alabama. Talk about how the recruiting process unfolded for you.

DL: I had a good camp at Vanderbilt last summer. They said they liked my versatility. They felt I could play linebacker, fullback or tight end. They were impressed with my coverage skills and they knew I could stop the run as a linebacker, so they offered me. I also went to the Alabama camp last summer, but they didn't offer me. So I committed to Vandy. I didn't know at the time that I would get an offer from Alabama.

TI: I've heard that you probably had your best game the night the Alabama coaches watched you play.

DL: [Laughing] Yeah, I'd say I had a pretty decent game. We were playing Franklin County in the last regular season game. I had 286 yards rushing and three touchdowns [including a 75-yard TD run]. I also had 19 tackles.

TI: Did you know the Alabama coaches were going to be at the game?

DL: I had talked to Coach Williams and Coach Rouzie and they said they would be there. My dad told me he saw them at the game.

TI: Had Alabama already offered you?

DL: Actually, they offered me the next week.

TI: Because you had already committed to Vandy, was it difficult to change your mind?

DL: I knew in my heart that I always wanted to go to Alabama, but I had given my verbal word to Vandy. I was very concerned about what the reaction would be. I wanted to honor my word, but at the same time I knew that I had to do what was best for me and I wanted to go to Alabama.

TI: How did the Vandy coaches take the news of your change of heart?

DL: It was a very tough thing. I called coach [Dennis] Harrison and told him that I wasn't going to accept their scholarship offer because I had changed my mind and was going to Alabama. He was upset. He said that he thought I was a man of my word. I felt bad about it and I told him I understood why he would be upset over it. But there was really nothing I could do because I was going to Alabama. They stopped recruiting me after that.

TI: Growing up in Tennessee, why did you like Alabama so much?

DL: I always loved the tradition with Coach Bryant, the 12 National Championships and all that. I want to continue that. There's just a feeling down there. It's the tradition. Alabama is one of the top programs in the country and it's an honor to be a part of it.

TI: I've heard that your dad is a big Alabama fan.

DL: He is a big Alabama fan and it rubbed off on me as a kid. I remember Alabama always beating Tennessee. I'm hoping to get that turned back around. I want to roll into Neyland Stadium and leave with a couple of wins before I'm through.

My dad always watches the ESPN Classic games when they replay an old Alabama game. He'll tell me where he was when he watched the game and what's fixing to happen. He's thrilled that I'm going to Alabama.

TI: Talk about your visit to Alabama.

DL: It was a great two days. Going over to the stadium and seeing my jersey with my name on the back was great. Getting to try it on was incredible. They flash your name on the big scoreboard and show your picture. That was pretty neat. It was a lot of fun.

TI: Do you have a favorite play from your high school career?

DL: It was our bowl game against Cookeville. They had just scored to cut our lead to 14-13. They missed the extra point, but we were penalized for roughing the kicker. That moved the ball to our one-and-a-half yard line, so they decided to go for two. They had been running off tackle all night, so I figured that's what they would do. I met the guy a half-yard behind the line of scrimmage and two other guys helped finish him off. We won 21-13.

TI: Describe yourself as a linebacker.

DL: I'm not exceptionally fast or the biggest guy, but I picked up the middle linebacker position pretty fast last year after they moved me from defensive end. My coaches told me to go to the ball and I did that. I don't have good 40 speed, but I have football speed. I have good instincts. I'd say my biggest asset is my heart. I could probably get a little meaner and nastier, but I love to hit.

TI: Do the Alabama coaches plan to use you at linebacker?

DL: They're telling me middle linebacker. I'll play anywhere, but I like linebacker and that's what they're telling me.

TI: How much do you weigh?

DL: Right now I'm doing a lot of running because I want to cut off some body fat. I played last season at 235, but I'm at 220 right now. I want to get faster [4.8], so I dropped 15 pounds. I plan on putting the weight back on before I go to Alabama, but it'll be solid.

TI: How does it feel to be a part of a national top-five recruiting class?

DL: It's exciting to be a part of it. There are a lot of great guys in the class. It's the kind of recruiting class you need year in and year out to be successful the way Alabama expects to be.

Lowe was selected to play in the Tennessee-Kentucky HS All-Star Game but turned down the offer. He will report to Tuscaloosa on July 7th. He plans to attend the Tide's scrimmage on April 8th.