The Bengals selected Howell with the 41st overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The defensive end spent three seasons (2021-2023) at Bowling Green before transferring to Texas A&M (2024-2025), where he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2025.
2025: 1st-Team Associated Press All-American. SEC Defensive Player of the Year, 1st-Team All-SEC.
Finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award (nation's top defender), Chuck Bednarik Award (nation's top
defender) and the Lombardi Award (nation's top lineman). Led team with 14 TFL. Tied for 7th in the
FBS with 11.5 sacks. First Texas A&M player with 11+ sacks in a season since Myles Garrett did so in
both 2014 and 2015. PFF: led team with 41 pressures (8th-most in SEC). Started all 13 games.
2024: Played in all 13 games with 1 start in the Las Vegas Bowl loss to USC.
2023 (Bowling Green): 3rd-Team All-MAC. Led team with 9.5 sacks (T-most in the MAC). PFF: led
team with 44 pressures (4th-most in MAC). Played in all 13 games with 11 starts.
2022 (Bowling Green): Played in all 13 games as a reserve.
2021 (Bowling Green): Redshirted. Played in 4 games as a reserve
Recorded more than 150 tackles in his career at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri, including 21 sacks. Had 14 sacks his senior year and six sacks in one game. Also recorded five rushing touchdowns and a pair of passing touchdowns.
