Mississippi State Linebacker Austin Howard De-Commits Following Tennessee Official Visit

Austin Howard has backed off his verbal commitment to Mississippi State after his OV to Tennessee.

Caleb Sisk | 2 Hours Ago

Austin Howard at Mississippi State / Austin Howard

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Tennessee Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers received some huge news in the 2025 recruiting cycle today.

Earlier today long term Tennessee recruit inside the state Austin Howard who is currently committed to Mississippi State de-committed from the Bulldogs. Howard is from Bartlett High School and took an official visit over the weekend as the Vols defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Tennessee seems to be the early favorite following the visit. Tennessee will be joined by an in-state program that has had some success this season compared to past performances. That program is Vanderbilt in Nashville.

The Vols have been pursuing Howard for a good bit and this only leads the Vols one step closer to what they are hopeful to do. Howard will likely be a November commitment with the possibility of something changing.

Howard spoke with Tennessee on SI for a visit recap article earlier this week. He confirmed that he has hopes to make it back to Knoxville despite it being a long trip from Memphis. This is a great sign for Tennessee's chances to land the linebacker which is a position Coach Josh Heupel and Tim Banks have been looking to add to this class.