Guess who the fastest prep high school football player in Florida was last fall? Here’s a hint: he stands 5-foot-8, weighs 160 pounds and starts practice as a Gopher freshman today.
Minnesota football coach Tim Brewster told Sports Headliners on Saturday that Harold Howell, from Jacksonville, was the fastest football player in talent- rich Florida last season. Howell, who runs about a 4.3 40 yard dash, figures prominently in Brewster’s plans as a punt and kickoff returner. Brewster said on Saturday the coaching staff probably will look at Howell today as a possible cornerback.
The Gophers are thin at cornerback and Howell will be considered, even if it’s only for one day, as a replacement for Dominic Jones who recently was dismissed from the team. Howell played defensive back and receiver in high school where he also starred as a return man, scoring three touchdowns on kickoff returns and four on punt returns.
“If we give Harold Howell a crease, if we give that young guy a chance, he is out (gone), in a hurry, right now…,” Brewster said. Running back Jay Thomas, another game breaker, also figures in the kick off and possibly punt return plans.
Can he play cornerback in the Big Ten Conference as an 18-year-old, 160-pound freshman? Brewster said “we’ll have an idea (today) whether it’s something physically that he (Howell) wants to do.”
There’s been talk, too, the Gophers may look at another true freshman at cornerback, Curtis Thomas from Aldine, Texas. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Thomas is listed as the starting free safety, is one of the team’s more highly anticipated recruits, and already has a reputation as a leader and player who badly wants to win.