Midyear enrollee joining South Carolina for Gator Bowl practices
South Carolina’s Gator Bowl matchup against Notre Dame on Dec. 30 will be in the proverbial backyard of Gamecocks commitment Grayson “Pup” Howard.
The four-star linebacker is from Jacksonville, Florida and attended Andrew Jackson High School.
“That’s how I know it was meant to be,” Howard said in a radio interview with 107.5 The Game.
Howard will get a preview of his future in Columbia when he’s with the USC football team for bowl practices, he said Monday in the radio interview.
South Carolina is expected to start bowl prep later this week. Howard is graduating from high school early and plans to be in Columbia starting Monday, he told 107.5 radio hosts Bill Gunter and Jaime Bradford on Monday. He’ll head back home to Jacksonville before Christmas.
NCAA rules allow for athletes to work out with their colleges as long as they meet a few qualifications.
“Provided the (prospective student-athlete) has triggered student-athlete status and certified as eligible to practice by an institution,” per the NCAA, “a midyear enrollee may practice at the institution and/or bowl location, may travel with the team to the bowl location, and may receive complimentary admissions to the bowl game. They may also be present on the sideline subject to football playing rules/bowl rules.”
Howard has been committed to USC for more than a year and will be joining the team full time starting in January. He’s also set to play in this year’s Army All-American Bowl.
He got the “Pup” nickname from one of his coaches in eight grade while he was practicing with the varsity team in the spring.
“I’m gonna call you Pup because I know one day you’re gonna be a big dog,” his coach told him.
Howard is a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports. He put up 188 tackles and five sacks at Andrew Jackson in his senior season.
Howard, in Monday’s radio interview, said he had confidence in his decision to come to South Carolina because he trusted the staff.
“I think the biggest thing is relationships,” Howard told 107.5. “At South Carolina, I have a relationship with everybody. Coach (Clayton) White, we have a strong relationship. Coach (Shane) Beamer, we have a strong relationship. The strength coach, we have a strong relationship. The dietitian, we have a strong relationship.”
Howard also cited Beamer’s ability to turn South Carolina’s program around as a reason for his commitment. Howard also has experience being on a team that underwent a trajectory change.
Andrew Jackson was 3-7 overall during his freshman year of high school. But under head coach Christopher Foy, the team won the district this season.
“Just the momentum of the program,” Howard said of South Carolina. “I’m really excited about it, to come in and keep it moving.”
