2025 linebacker and On3 three-star prospect Austin Howard committed to Vanderbilt back in April. It was a decision that Howard was confident in, even after more Power 4 offers landed on his plate.
But all of that changed this weekend with his official visit to Mississippi State. The Bartlett (Tenn.) High School product flipped his commitment from Vanderbilt to Mississippi State during that visit and explained why. Howard is rated as the nation’s No. 70 linebacker and the state’s No. 17 prospect by On3.
“It’s the people, the environment, the work ethic,” stated Johnson. “It is not a team, it is a family down there. All of the players are together and they are all with each other. It was just a vibe and that’s why I committed.”
Howard camped at Mississippi State earlier in June, which is when he collected his Bulldog offer. Also this month, Howard added other Power 4 offers from Tennessee, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, as well.
But he quickly became a top priority for head coach Jeff Lebby and the Bulldogs’ staff. And his official visit helped Howard to get to know his future coaches even better.
All in all, the way Howard was treated in Starkville left a lasting impression on him. That included his time around the coaching staff.
“Man, it was great,” Howard recalled of his visit. “They showed a lot of love and the love has been the same throughout the staff. That is what I love about this place. They are genuine people and they have everything you want in a coaching staff.
“My favorite part was just being around the people. Like I was saying, that was the biggest factor for me, just the people. They tell you what you need to here and not just want you want to hear.”
As a junior at Bartlett High School, Howard totaled 41 tackles with 14 tackles for loss, nine sacks and nine quarterback hurries. While in Starkville, he was able to learn more about his future in State’s defense from defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler.
“Coach Hutzler is a great guy,” Howard said. “He is a family guy and he tells me what I need to do. He told me what is going to happen and where I need to be at with my game. I know he is going to be great for my future. We talked about where I fit on their defense and he sees me as an inside linebacker, a box guy.”
Before receiving his State offer in early June, Howard had already heard good reports on Lebby and his demeanor. Once he found out all of those things were true, it led to an easy decision for Howard regarding his college future.
“Coach Lebby is great, too,” remarked the 6-foot-3 and 225-pound Howard. “My high school coach talks great about Coach Lebby and he said I needed to get down to Mississippi State to see what Coach Lebby was talking about. And my coach was 100 percent spot on. Coach Lebby is a great coach and just a great guy.”
And for the icing on top, Howard also joined State’s Class of 2025 the same weekend as his prep teammate – 2025 running back Geron Johnson. Earlier on Sunday, Johnson committed to State and now they get to remain teammates in the SEC.
“That just makes it even better,” Howard mentioned. “That is just an extra piece of it. It is great knowing the staff loves Geron, too. No doubt, who wouldn’t want to go play college ball with your teammate and it’s going to be great.”
Howard, the 17th overall commit for State, becomes the third linebacker commitment in State’s current recruiting class, joining On3 composite four-star prospect Tyshun Willis and On3 three-star prospect AJ Rice.
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