Texas A&M Aggies LB Alex Howard To Enter Transfer Portal

Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Alex Howard is the first player since the start of the spring practice to announce his intent to leave College Station.

Sep 09, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Devin Brown (33) is sacked by / Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch / USA

With the spring transfer portal window opening, one Texas A&M Aggies player will look to start elsewhere in 2024.

Linebacker Alex Howard announced his intent to enter the portal on Monday, per his X account. Howard will have a 15-day period to decide where he intends to play next fall starting on Tuesday when the portal officially opens.

A graduate transfer from Youngtown State, Howard was expected to compete for a starting role opposite breakout freshman Tauren York. He was one of the first players offered a scholarship following the hiring of Mike Elko from Duke.

After the Aggies hired Florida's Jay Bateman as the new defensive coordinator, multiple Gators elected to follow him to College Station, including starting linebacker Scooby Williams. Throughout the 11 spring practices so far, Williams has seen a bulk of first-team reps when splitting duties with rising sophomore Daymion Sanford.

It seemed unlikely at this point that Howard would be taking starting reps for the season-opener against Notre Dame come Aug. 31. Since the season hasn't begun, the former Penguin will able to transfer without penalty for his final year of eligibility.

Sept. 9, 2023; Columbus, Oh., USA; Youngstown State Penguins linebacker Alex Howard (3) recovers / Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch

Across his five seasons with Youngstown State, Howard served as one of the top tacklers in the Missouri Valley Conference, totaling a combined 142 tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss, five sacks, one interception, five passes defended, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery across 38 games.

Last season, Howard finished with 76 tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception and three pass breakups. He announced his intent to enter the portal and head to the FBS level in early December.

With Howard's departure, the Aggies have seven linebackers for the upcoming. Behind York, Williams and Sanford are junior Martrell Harris, sophomore Chantz Johnson and incoming freshmen Jordan Lockhart and Tristan Jernigan.

A&M will conclude its spring practice with the annual Maroon and White Game this Saturday at Kyle Field at 1 p.m.