It did not take long for Toledo Whitmer High football coach Eric Brown to realize the potential offensive lineman Carter Lowe had. All Brown had to do was look at Lowe, who grew into a 6-foot-6, 300-pound tackle who had the attention of college football programs across the country.

But Brown says he knows size alone doesn’t mean much. And with Lowe, Brown said, Whitmer has a lineman who works relentlessly.

“I quickly realized how crazy his work ethic was and how willing he was to work to actually get to that next level,” Brown said. “Not just to say, ‘Oh, he has potential,’ but to say, ‘Man, this guy’s going to be a dude.’ ”

Ohio State bought into Lowe’s potential and became one of his first Power Five offers. And Lowe bought into Ohio State’s potential for his development, committing to the Buckeyes’ 2025 class Jan. 27 over Michigan, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

Chris Lowe, Carter’s father, has also bought into his son’s potential. That potential, he said, stems from pairing “God-given athleticism” with a work ethic. Carter does not have to be pushed to be successful.

“You can take anybody and, with that size and with that mobility, they still won’t be able to do what Carter does,” Chris Lowe said. “It’s the will that he has. It’s God-given. And when he puts his mind to it, he just goes.”

Carter Lowe develops into offensive line weapon

Carter Lowe has already had firsthand experience of what development at Ohio State looks like.

Lowe worked one-on-one with Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye the summer before his junior season. At an OSU recruiting camp, Frye taught Lowe everything from foot positioning to hand and foot placement to learning how important agility and movement is for an offensive tackle.

Chris Lowe said his son talked with Frye on a regular basis, with Frye breaking down film from that camp session as if Carter was already an Ohio State player.

“When coach Frye is breaking down film … he’s intense,” Chris Lowe said. “When I say intense, I see why he’s coaching because he loves the game, he loves teaching and putting people in a position to learn the game and to be better.

“Carter listens (and) does it to a point where you can see the difference and he can feel the difference.”

Basketball was Lowe’s first love, and he played both AAU and for his school team. Chris Lowe said his son never really wanted to play football.

But after a ninth-grade football season in which Chris said he son looked like "a newborn deer" on the field, Carter's love for sport clicked.

“Here’s a young kid that we couldn’t get him to play football,” Chris said. “And then when he started to play football, he just was going through the motions the first year a little bit, just learning the game and everything. Now colleges are hounding him.”

Carter is listed as the No. 79 player in the country per 247Sports’ composite rankings and is the ninth-best offensive tackle in the 2025 class.

Lowe grew into a utility weapon for Whitmer up front as a tight end and offensive tackle while remaining a focal point blocker for running backs to follow.

“His pass sets are unreal,” Brown said. “He moves so well for his size. He moves people from point A to point B, and he kind of gives us the ability to move him around.”

Relationships brought Carter Lowe to Ohio State's 2025 class

Even before Lowe’s recruitment escalated, his father made one thing clear.

“Relationships are everything,” Chris said.

Relationships are what brought Carter Lowe to Ohio State, and he joined the Buckeyes as their first offensive line commitment of the 2025 class.

“I wanted him to get somewhere where he’s accepted and not tolerated,” Chris said. “You have some programs, you know, you’re just there. But I want him to get somewhere where he’s taught, where he’s trained to the point where he’s pushing himself and they’re pushing him to get to the next level.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Carter Lowe developed into Ohio State first 2025 OL commit