THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. It’s been quiet for UT commit Hayward Howard, but that’s about to change
Cornerback Hayward Howard committed to Texas back in early May, and since then, things have been extremely quiet. Howard has stayed out of the media spotlight while he’s gone about his summer, but things are about to heat up for the New Orleans Edna Karr product.
Howard and his teammates will have two scrimmages over the next couple of weeks before opening their season on September 5 against Archbishop Shaw. In week two, a match-up with American Heritage and fellow Texas commitment Dia Bell awaits.
“It’s good. I’m excited for real. It’s my last season. I’m just ready to lead my team,” Howard said. “I’m ready to see what we’ve got, let it all come together. We’ve been all killing each other in practice. Now we’re ready for our first opponent.”
It will be a different Howard than the one opponents saw last year. In 2024, Howard played at about 6-0 and 165 pounds. He’s had a growth spurt in the offseason and is now at 6-3 ½ and 185 pounds, while still running in the 4.4 range. Howard will use that size and speed to play all over the secondary, on offense and in the return game.
“It’s going to be a good season. I’m looking forward to it,” Howard said.
Looking back at his decision to commit to Texas, Howards said he just felt at home when he visited Austin, including in the spring. It was on that trip that he really made up his mind to be a Longhorn.
“When I went out there, for the first time, in the spring, I just fell in love with the culture, with the practice, how they practiced, how they prepare,” Howard said. “I fell in love with the campus, the coaching staff. Everything was good. I never had a dull moment with Texas. As time passed on, I was talking to the coaches every day. I thought, why make them wait for me to commit? So I went ahead and did it.”
Howard will come to Texas with his mind on playing cornerback, but said he understands that the coaches want their DBs to be versatile, so he’ll likely dabble at every position in the secondary.
“At Texas, they usually have this tradition of the corners, they play nickel first and then go to corner. That’s what Jahdae (Barron) did. That’s what I was looking at too,” Howard said.
Mark Orphey and Steve Sarkisian were Howard’s two main points of contact throughout his recruitment. Howard loves what he’s seen from Orphey on the field, and he also loves Orphey’s long-term vision for Howard’s development.
“I’m not going to lie. Coach Orphey, he knows game, he knows ball. They’re switching the culture around. They’re focused on getting long, rangy DBs,” Howard said. “Once I figured that out, they gave me my prediction of how they see my future, I just fell in love with it.”
Howard plans on attending UT’s home game against Texas A&M and he’s trying to make the Red River Rivalry in Dallas as well.
