COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) 鈥� Cashius Howell heard the same thing repeatedly from power-conference schools when he was being recruited out of high school.
鈥淭hey just didn鈥檛 feel like I was worth it to waste a roster spot on,鈥� he recalled.
Five years later, the defensive end has proven those schools wrong, becoming one of the nation鈥檚 top defenders and a projected first-round draft pick. On Saturday, he鈥檒l lead seventh-seeded Texas A&M against 10th-seeded Miami debut.
When Howell didn鈥檛 get any power-conference offers in Missouri he ended up at Bowling Green. He redshirted in 2021 before earning a starting spot in 2022. His career began to take off in his last season at Bowling Green in 2023 when he led the MAC with 9 陆 sacks and had 10 陆 tackles for loss.
Howell鈥檚 performance with the Falcons helped his confidence grow.
鈥淚t kind of gave me the feeling that I wasn鈥檛 crazy and that the thoughts and intuitions that I had within my mind it wasn鈥檛 like just shooting blanks,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was actually real and it just added fuel to the fire to just continue to see how far I can take it honestly.鈥�
He entered the transfer portal and joined the Aggies where he continued his success last season with four sacks and 8 陆 tackles for loss playing behind current NFL rookies Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart before making a huge jump this season.
Howell wowed ear when he had a sack on three consecutive plays against Utah State and has 41 quarterback pressures this season, according to Pro Football Focus. He also has a knack for batting down passes and ranks second in the nation among defensive ends with six pass breakups.
Howell led the Southeastern Conference and ranked fourth in the nation with 11 陆 sacks to earn the league鈥檚 defensive player of the year honor. He was also a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award.
On Monday, he was named to the first team of .
Coach Mike Elko, who is in his second season as Texas A&M鈥檚 coach, said Howell was one of the first players he and his staff recruited and he values that he believed in their vision from the beginning.
鈥淗e came here to grow and develop and challenge himself,鈥� Elko said. 鈥淎nd then to see him rise to those challenges where he鈥檚 on a plane going to an awards banquet as (a) defensive player of the year in the country鈥� it鈥檚 a phenomenal story.鈥�
Howell remembered how he felt being a 鈥渓ower type of recruit鈥� and said it fueled him.
鈥淎s a 16 or 17-year-old kid, just trying to make a way for himself, it hurt me back then,鈥� he said. 鈥淛ust seeing that these programs, none of them thought that you were good enough. So, it just put a chip on my shoulder going into Bowling Green, because I just had a feeling that I can play, and I will play at the highest level.鈥�
Howell was drawn to Texas A&M in part by the coaching staff and top-notch facilities. But he was also enamored with the legacy of great defensive ends at the school, particularly Myles Garrett and Von Miller, who both went on to star in the NFL.
鈥淲henever A&M first started reaching out to me when I was in the portal the first thing that came to my mind was Von Miller and Myles Garrett,鈥� Howell said. 鈥淚 was obviously pretty ecstatic to know that those are some great, great football players and great, great men that鈥檚 come out of A&M. So, the fact that A&M was interested in me and also A&M sent those guys to the league it gave me hope on what could potentially happen.鈥�
Howell鈥檚 11 陆 sacks are the most at Texas A&M since Garrett had the same number in 2014. Miller, who had 17 sacks in 2009 for the second-most in a single season in school history, said he doesn鈥檛 know Howell personally but has kept an eye on his career.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a really good rusher,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 pay attention to the Aggies. Tony Jerod-Eddie, his defensive line coach, is a really good friend of mine, and I see all the Aggie games, and Cashius is always phenomenal, and he鈥檚 got a really bright future.鈥�
The 6-foot-2, 248-pound Howell went viral after Texas A&M鈥檚 49-25 victory at LSU in October when he was shown ranting at the Tigers鈥� offensive line after dominating them all night in a two-sack performance. In the clip he cuts an intimidating figure, wearing his jersey in signature fashion pulled high up and baring almost his entire midsection as he gets in the linemen鈥檚 faces.
Asked about that moment and other times where he might have gotten a little too hyped up, Howell said it鈥檚 simply him appreciating how far he鈥檚 come since being told he wasn鈥檛 even worth a roster spot.
鈥淚 like to just think about all the hard times and stuff that I鈥檝e been through to get to this point,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I just like to channel that into something positive, and with playing football, I feel like that鈥檚 a good outlet for me to be able to channel it and it helps not only myself, but it also helps the team as well.鈥�
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AP freelancer Michael Phillips contributed to this report.
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