SI All-American Candidate Amariyon Howard Highlights and Evaluation

Amariyon Howard is a running back prospect from Starkville High School in Starkville, Miss. Howard is an SI All-American candidate.

Prospect: RB Amariyon Howard
Projected Position: Running Back
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot, 200 pounds
School: Starkville (Miss.)
Committed to: Mississippi State 

Frame: Thickly built. Natural mass, width across upper body. Long arms. Powerful thighs and trunk, with degree of natural size. Plenty of room for additional weight; likely plays around 220 pounds. 

Athleticism: Powerful, with exceptional contact balance. Quick feet in short areas. Good hip, ankle flexibility. Lacks long speed; routinely caught from behind. Adequate burst. 

Instincts: Budding power back. Lowers shoulder to bowl over defenders and keeps on chugging. Very difficult to bring down; normally takes multiple tacklers. Enough wiggle, shift to pop runs outside, make first defender miss. Very good vision. Soft hands; tracks ball well in air. 

Polish: Runs with consistent forward lean. Blocking ability unknown, but has tools to thrive. Comfortable pass-catcher, though likely lacks dynamism to be more than backfield threat. 

Bottom Line: Howard boasts quick feet, great balance and natural power. Needs to gain weight to ensure power translates to SEC, and lacking speed keeps ceiling low. Potential early contributor in short-yardage and on special teams, but likely never the hometown Bulldogs’ feature back.