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STILLWATER — The last thing Trent Howland wanted to do was back out of a commitment.
So, even though he felt like Central Florida was the right place for him coming out of the transfer portal, he wanted to make all his recruiting visits before he finalized his decision.
“UCF, that’s where my head was,” Howland said. “It’s all about being loyal and keeping your word.”
A conversation with new OSU defensive line coach Paul Randolph — who was at Indiana with Howland the previous two seasons — convinced Howland to give the Cowboys a serious look late in the spring.
“He told me straight up, just take my time, come here and see everything OSU has to offer,” Howland said. “It was a quick overnight thing. As soon as I got done with my UCF visit, I was like, let’s go give this a shot and see where it takes us.
“I came and it was real. Coach Randolph kept telling me it was. Once I got here, I realized that.”
More: What Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy said at Cowboys’ media day
Trent Howland (24) runs drills during an Oklahoma State football practice in Stillwater, Okla., on Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
Of course, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Howland knew he was coming into a difficult situation.
OSU already had Ollie Gordon II at running back, returning after rushing for 1,732 yards and winning the Doak Walker Award last year. Extra carries this fall will be sparse, because Gordon will get the majority.
“I’m not worried about Howland,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “I think he’s been hit throughout his career. He’s 242 pounds, so he should be able to handle that side of it.
“The perfect scenario for us would be for Ollie to stay healthy all year long and carry the ball 20 times a game. If that happens, then that means we are successful on offense because we’re allowing some other guys to get…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/running-back-trent-howland-ended-103054241.html
Author : The Oklahoman
Publish date : 2024-08-11 10:30:54
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