South Carolina Football: Gamecock freshman receives more preseason accolades
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina football true freshman Grayson “Pup” Howard is a special young man. He is a very talented player (4-star linebacker in the class of 2023), but since his commitment to the Gamecocks, he has become a fan favorite before ever playing a snap for USC. Howard’s leadership amongst his peers and his love for the University of South Carolina have been evident.
Unlike most freshmen, Howard had a head start on most of the class. Instead of being an “early enrollee” who graduates from high school and enrolls in January, the Jacksonville native actually skipped the high school All-American Bowl and joined the South Carolina football program early enough to participate in last season’s bowl practices.
Last week, Howard was named to 247Sports’ preseason Freshman All-American team, and on Tuesday, the talented young ‘backer received a similar honor. On3 released their own preseason Freshman All-American squad, and Howard made the cut.
Howard is joined on the On3 Freshman All-American team by fellow SEC freshman Arion Carter (Tennessee) and future SEC player Anthony Hill (Texas).
The 6’4″ 241-pound Howard is already a big linebacker in modern college football, a trait that will certainly help him hold up against the powerful athletes in the SEC. He is no slouch as an athlete, either, as he was a tackling machine in high school.
Howard’s playing time should be plentiful early in the season, giving him ample opportunities to mark himself as a big-time contributor for defensive coordinator Clayton White’s 2-linebacker scheme. He will be competing for snaps with the recovering-from-injury Mo Kaba (redshirt junior), Stone Blanton (sophomore), Debo Williams (redshirt junior), and a group of unproven players.