USC Football: Scouting 2024 Trojan Commit Lorenzo Cowan

We took a look at the 6'4 225 pounder's Hudl film to project how soon Lorenzo could contribute to the Trojan defensive front.

Jenkins (Savannah, GA) 2024 defensive end Lorenzo Cowan committed to USC just this week after spending much of his senior season as a Kentucky commit. The Georgia product projects as a weak-side defensive end at the next level given his relatively lean frame at the defensive end position. 

247 Sports considered Cowans as a three-star prospect, the 80th-best “edge” prospect in the country in the 2024 cycle, and the 128th-best prospect coming out of Georgia in this cycle. AllTrojans.com took a look at Cowan’s film to better understand what he’s bringing to the table for the Trojan defensive front.

With ideal length (6’4) and enticing size (225 pounds), Cowan is ripe for physical development. USC would do well to try and get Cowan’s weight up to 240/250 pounds so he can withstand life in Big 10 trenches.

Cowan possesses elite twitch and top-tier athleticism at the defensive end position. He’s great at flipping his hips and redirecting to chase down tackles. Seems like more of a speed rusher than anything else at this point in his development, but has shown glimpses of going from speed to power in his pass rush.

While his speed jumps off the page, he is still raw fundamentally. Too often does Cowan give up his chest as a target for offensive tackles to latch on to. I also noticed subtle gaps in his technique like the space between a down-blocking offensive tackles and the mesh point on zone reads where he is the read man. He gets away with it now because of how fast he is, but running backs at the next level will have the burst to be able to capitalize on the space he surrenders.

Cowan is coming into USC with all the tangibles in place as far as athleticism, but time will tell how he will fare against the likes of not only USC offensive lineman in practice but opposing offensive lineman of the Big 10. If he can bulk up in year one and develop into a reliable run defender out on the edge, Cowan will have a chance to be a difference-maker for any power-five defensive front. 

But I definitely think it will take some grooming for him to be able to hold his own out there against the Iowa, and the Ohio State of the Big 10 when it comes to being the guy out on the edge for the Trojans.