Grayson Howard Will Forgo Adidas All-American Game

South Carolina's highly touted linebacker signee Grayson Howard will be staying in Columbia earlier than expected.

While the Gamecocks were down an abundance of key players on both sides of the ball in the Gator Bowl, the loss down in Jacksonville showed that South Carolina is still in the stages of building competitive depth at certain spots on the roster. Recent signings like linebacker Grayson Howard will help solve this problem.

What head coach Shane Beamer and his coaching staff need to accomplish next is figuring out who's coming back in general and what their spring roster will look like, which means sorting out who from the 2023 recruiting class will enroll early. 

Beamer noted at his press conference recapping early national signing day that he believes at least 15 to 16 signees would be in Columbia for spring practice. Howard was assumed to be one of those players since he practiced with the team down in Jacksonville.

Like other Gamecock signees, Howard was a high school all-American slated to play in the Adidas All-American game this Saturday. However, he announced that he plans to forgo the game and stay in Columbia to prepare for spring practice.

It’s a blessing to be named an Adidas All- American 🇺🇸, a real tribute to my hard work, but I will not be participating & will be staying home in Columbia. Thank you to the AAB and staff for your prestigious invitation and All American name status ❤️.

— Grayson “PUP” Howard (@decaphobia) January 1, 2023

Through an objective lens, participating in the Adidas All-American game would've been more of a luxury than a necessity for Howard. He was a highly-ranked recruit, knows where he's going to play college ball, and, if anything, would've been risking injury by playing in San Antonio this weekend.

It indicates Howard's unquestionable loyalty to Beamer and the football program. Considering the years of hard work and dedication he devoted to his high school football career, it's an impressive sacrifice for a young player to make

You Might Also Like:

• What The Gator Bowl Meant For Wells and Rattler
• A New Portal Target Emerges In Marcellus Johnson
• Dakereon Joyner Returns To School

Join the community:

Follow Evan Crowell on Twitter: @EvanVCrowell

Follow Andrew Lyon on Twitter: @ALyon_SC

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @GamecocksDigest & follow us on Twitter at @GamecocksDigest.