AUBURNDALE — Anthony Howard Jr. has more than 15 Division-I offers. He is ranked No. 62 in the Florida in the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of ’28 as one of the top juniors in the state.
But none of that matters right now to Howard.
The junior running back, who returned to Auburndale in May after spending is sophomore season at IMG, isn’t worried about rankings or recruiting at the moment. His main focus is to be 100 percent by the time the regular season gets under way after sustaining a knee injury last October.
“I’m kind of just worried about getting back on the field because at the end of the day, the coaches, they’re going to come out and see what I’m doing,” Howard said. “So I’m just worried about getting back on the field, getting healthy and continue to just build that bond with the teammates, help them boys get better because that’s going to make me a better teammate.”
Howard was Auburndale’s top running back as a freshman, rushing for 708 yards then transferred to IMG where he saw limited action in six games. His season ended in October when he injured his ACL and meniscus on his left knee on a kickoff.
Since then, Howard’s focus has been rehabbing and getting ready for his junior season. He originally had surgery in January then had to wait six weeks before he could begin walking. It was slow going at first and he needed his knee scoped in June to get rid of scar tissue. Since then, he’s made tremendous progress.
“It’s been challenging,” he said. “It was hard, but you know, having a family, mom, dad, sisters, siblings, you know, that really helped me in my support system. They really poured into me and made sure I was, good. They checked on me mentally becaus the mental part hasn’t always been checked on a lot. A lot of people miss out on that, but the mental part is definitely the biggest, thing.”
Howard’s summer has been spent at Florida Orthopedic Institute in Lakeland where he goes three times a week for physical therapy. It’s been a lot of work, walking or jogging on a treadmill, stretching along with other workouts to build strength and agility.
Howard’s mental attitude changed a lot when he saw progress and began feeling like he has turned the corner and began seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
“Oh, definitely, it was big,” Howard said. “It was big, man. Like I was really excited, but, then again, like I’m always trying to stay level headed because you don’t ever want to get too up or too, too down. Just kind of just keep moving forward and continue to get better every day.”
The clock is ticking down to the start of fall practice. A healthy Howard, who ran 4.48 in the 40 prior to his injury, makes the Bloodhounds even more dangerous offensively. Auburndale already possesses the makings of a dangerous passing game with quarterback Teo Edwards and receivers like Takeo Edwards and Major McBath. He’s looking forward to joining the unit.
“He’s a big piece,” Auburndale coach Antonio Thomas said. “He’s going to be able to help us out. Getting him back — that’s definitely big for us.”
Having talented teammates around him takes the pressure off him when he returns. He can fit in as he works back to full speed rather than trying to carry the team too early.
“Definitely, I feel like having that pressure release, having a quarterback who threw for 2,500 yards last year that goes overlooked,” he said. “He’s going to get a bunch of offers this offseason after the season. We’re going to make sure these boys get recruited, make sure you boys straight.”
Howard also is looking forward to the challenge of playing in the same district as Lakeland.
“It’s definitely going to be competitive,” he said. “It’s going to be great competition. It’s going to be a great, great team going against Lakeland. I got much respect for them, but we’re going to play Bloodhound football.”
Howard, who also will run track next spring, isn’t the same player he was as a freshman. At 5 feet 11, 175 pounds, he’s obviously bigger and stronger but not just physically. Going through the injury and the rehab process, he said, has made him stronger mentally and fuels is motivation going into the season. He also learned things about himself.
“My resilience, I feel that because a lot of people would have quit,” he said. “A lot of people would have doubted themselves going into this, but I feel like I always got the
confidence, and I know what I’m capable of doing. So I feel like there’s there’s no reason to doubt. You’re going to have injuries, but it’s how you come back from it. I definitely learned patience, because even when things don’t go your way — there’s always going to be some type of adversity — you just got to learn patience.”
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Anthony Howard focused on rehab in return to Auburndale football
Reporting by Roy Fuoco, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Roy Fuoco, Lakeland Ledger | USA TODAY Network
