Coming off the bench against the Brigham Young University Cougars and completing 17 of 20 passes, throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns and earning himself the highest rated quarterback title from Pro Football Focus, redshirt junior quarterback Lowell Narcisse has set the tone for the Roadrunners offense in the 2020 season.

Serving as a pivotal asset to the ‘Runners’ offensive front, Narcisse, a multidisciplinary studies major, plans for the future as a business owner following his graduation in 2022.

“I want to start my own business,” Narcisse said. “My future plan is to be a multi-business owner. I want to own a funeral home, start a food truck business and get into real estate. Those are my three main goals.”

Beginning his football career at age 5, Narcisse became a top four-star recruit in the nation by his senior year of high school, resulting in offers from Division I programs, such as the University of Alabama, Clemson, Auburn, Arizona State and Louisiana State University (LSU), the last of which being where he played his freshman season.

“My main reason for sticking with football is because I have a lot of people back home that look to me for hope, so I feel like I have to keep going to keep inspiring the people that look to me as a role model,” Narcisse said.

Before his transfer to the ‘Runners in 2019, Narcisse played for LSU and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Bulldogs. 

“I wanted to get out of my comfort zone a little bit and get away from home for a little bit,” Narcisse said. “Last year, when Coach Frank [Wilson] was here, I had heard a lot of great things about him and about San Antonio. I just wanted to try something new.”

Beginning the 2020 season 3-2, Narcisse utilized the off-season and fall training to improve his agility and endurance by sticking to a conscious diet, boxing, training twice a day and using sand endurance training to maintain his level of athleticism in preparation for the season.

“I prepared for this moment, I can honestly say that,” Narcisse said. “To see, going forward, all of those things pay off is a beautiful thing.” 

Training himself to prepare for the unexpected was Narcisse’s main focus in his physical and mental game training, improving his accuracy while working on his passing options.

“A lot of times in a game when you expect a play to break down … you have to make plays and get off the script,” Narcisse said. “That is the hardest thing to train for, so to try to make those things come to life and try to play off platform [is difficult]. Not every time your pocket is going to be clean, and you might have to break pocket and move around to try to make throws off platform.”

Starting in 11 games for the ‘Runners last season, Narcisse averaged 152.6 offensive yards per game while conducting the offense. He focused on team attitude and mentality leading into the new season as an upperclassman. 

“2020 has been a crazy year, so you have to be expecting the unexpected,” Narcisse said. “My main thing is to let the guys know that we have to be grateful for the day because there was someone who didn’t wake up and get to play the sport they love. To make us more appreciative of being in the moment and trying to enjoy those things.” 

The leadership role and accountability of playing as quarterback are the driving forces in Narcisse’s passion for the game. He credits his little brother, who stepped up as the leader on their high school team after Narcisse suffered a knee injury, as his inspiration to play the game.

“The most important thing is just being able to be the heartbeat of the team and the offense,” Narcisse said. “You have to be resilient and thick skinned because when it is good, it’s good, but when it’s bad, it is awful. You have to be able to take the blame when everything is going wrong, and you have to be able to make everyone around you feel special when things are going good. That is the biggest challenge.”

Representing the city of San Antonio, Narcisse’s favorite part of playing for the ‘Runners is the connection to the fans and his love of the city that is home to the ‘Runners.

“This is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been in, and I think the success we are having this year is a great tribute of getting the city of San Antonio to rally around us,” Narcisse said. “It is a beautiful thing to be able to change the culture.”

Despite the cancelations of the spring season and summer trainings, new head football coach Jeff Traylor has established a strong sense of culture among the players on the team, looking to upperclassmen, such as Narcisse, to aid in the implementation of the pillars of culture Traylor utilizes with his team.

“All of the things we have dealt with, COVID and not spending a lot of time with the team, [and] to be able to come out and play the way we have been playing, that goes to show how much of an inspiration he is and how much we see him as a great leader,” Narcisse said. “Who would have thought that a coach that just got here and only getting to spend a couple weeks with his guys would be having us playing the way we are playing? It is all credit to him, and I feel like he has this program going in the right direction.”

Team focused, Narcisse gives credit to his teammates’ mentality and perseverance as the most monumental moment of his career as a ‘Runner.

“I think being able to get the guys to rally around, being able to push themselves to their breaking point [is my favorite moment],” Narcisse said. “Football is a hard sport, and to see the guys getting to see themselves as more than an athlete, that is one of the biggest things I felt like I have accomplished.”

One week away from beginning Conference USA (C-USA) competition, Narcisse’s goals for the season include earning a team title, keeping his teammates first and winning C-USA Player of the Year.

“My main goal is for us to win a bowl game,” Narcisse said. “From this point on, I feel that we can win out and finish the season 10-2. These moments go by fast, and I just want to enjoy being in the moment.”