Tytus Howard: 'Surreal, Feels Good' As Black College Football Pro Player of the Year
ATLANTA — When Tytus Howard was announced as the Houston Texans' first-round draft pick by Commissioner Roger Goodell, there was a brief moment of silence followed by faint cheers from the attending fans. "When I was drafted in the first round, a lot of people in Texas didn't know who I was because they never got a chance to see me play," Howard said. "But when they got a chance to see me play, their reaction was, 'Wow, we didn't know HBCU schools had talented players like you.'"
Most NFL fans didn't watch Tytus Howard at Alabama State, nor knew the HBCU existed. He was an All-SWAC selection and even Todd McShay (ESPN) had Howard as the 50th-best player in the 2019 NFL Draft class. However, McShay did mentioned Howard's skill that would be proven true. "There is tremendous ability when you study him at Alabama State."
Fast forward to 2023, and Howard has become an anchor on the Houston offensive line, earning an All-Rookie selection in 2019 and starting every game while playing nearly 95% of all possible snaps.
On top of that, Howard was honored during the Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, receiving the NFLPA Black College Football Pro Player of the Year Award.
"It feels surreal," Howard told HBCU Legends about receiving the award. "I'm excited to get this award because of all the legends who have been in this position."
Saturday night was Howard's night, but he's far from the only HBCU alum making noise in today's NFL. Grover Stewart and Shaquille Leonard, both previous award winners, anchor the Indianapolis Colts defense; Javon Hargrave is a Pro Bowl defensive tackle for Philadelphia; even Joshua Williams, from Division II Fayetteville State, made his name with a critical interception against Joe Burrow in the AFC Championship game.
The list continues to grow as more players enter the league, from Jackson State's Isaiah Bolden to Morgan State's Alfonzo Graham. But the push to put more eyes on HBCU talent is still an ongoing effort, and that ideal isn't lost on Howard.
"I've played so many guys that I think could've played in the NFL and had successful careers, but they didn't get a chance to," Howard said. "I'm glad guys are starting to get recognized and be able to play in the NFL because I feel like we produce some of the best football players."
Even as a first-round pick, Howard remembered the early part of his career when the Texan faithful were unfamiliar with him and how quickly they realized how good he was.
"It's not that people think there isn't talent there; it's that they don't get a chance to watch these guys play and see how talented they are."
The visibility of HBCU talent ties into Howard's broader point - that television networks could enhance showcasing HBCU football so fans can see the players' skills instead of being unknown commodities to the majority. He also mentioned how the government could do better at funding HBCUs in the same fashion that PWIs are funded; that way, there isn't such a significant disparity in resources.