Cashius Howell has had a massive breakout season for the Texas A&M Aggies, recording 11.5 sacks so far this year as the main pass-rushing force on the nation's best defense at getting to the quarterback. For that achievement, he's being recognized in a huge way across the sport, and his name is shooting up draft boards.
Howell was named yesterday as one of four finalists for the Bronko Nagurski award, presented annually to the nation's best defensive player by the Football Writers' Association of America (FWAA) and is one of the most prestigious awards in the sport. The Aggies have never had a Nagurski award winner, so if Howell were to win the award, he would be the first in Aggie history to do so.
Cashius Howell can cap off historic season with Bronko Nagurski Award win, which no Aggie has ever done
That said, the competition for this award will be tough indeed. Howell has made the list alongside players like LB Jacob Rodriguez of Texas Tech, CB Leonard Moore of Notre Dame, and S Caleb Downs of Ohio State. Howell is the only defensive line player to make this list, but these are some of the luminaries on the defensive side of the ball throughout the nation that he's up against.
Rodriguez in particular has a grassroots Heisman campaign going thanks to the rabid Texas Tech fanbase, so his clout will be tough to top. The good news for Howell is that he'll have a real chance to make some noise here in the final two weeks: Samford presents a huge opportunity for him to add some sacks to his ledger, as does Texas— both schools have struggled mightily to protect the quarterback.
He also showed his versatility last weekend with a couple of passes defended, as well as making the game-sealing tackle on a LaNorris Sellers scramble when he dropped into coverage. He has been one of the top pieces on an excellent Aggie defense, and for that reason, he stands a great shot of taking home the hardware in this one.