Texas A&M's Cashius Howell Joins Rare Company After Earning Prestigious Honors

Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Cashius Howell joined rare company after earning recognition on Friday night.

Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Cashius Howell reacts after a sack during the fourth quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Every college football program in the country has its own Mount Rushmore of players who have been through the program. For the Texas A&M Aggies, their standout on defense is Myles Garrett, one of the best defensive linemen to have ever played the game of football.

After a decade standing alone, though, current defensive end Cashius Howell has joined him in the inner circle of players to be named to the Walter Camp All-America First Team. Howell earned his recognition during the ESPN College Football Awards Show, a week before their first College Football Playoff game.

Howell isn't done, though, with more football to be played this season; he looks to continue to build upon what has already been an impressive year for the first-round draft pick.

Not Bad Company

Oct 8, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Myles Garrett (15) in action during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Kyle Field. The Aggies defeat the Volunteers 45-38 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Howell continues to accumulate accolades for his 2025 season, having already been named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and has become a household name among NFL fans looking at the top available draft picks for the 2026 draft.

As one of the most feared defenders in the country, Howell led the SEC in sacks and was fourth in the country with 11.5. Once again drawing comparisons to future Hall of Famer Browns defensive end Garrett, Howell has the most sacks in a season by an Aggie since Garrett finished with 11.5 in 2014.

However, he also finds himself in a league of his own, having set specific benchmarks this season. He was the first Aggie to earn SEC Defensive Line Player of the Week honors four times, something Garrett never reached, while also becoming just the sixth player in conference history to earn those honors four times in a season since its introduction in 2004.

While this is only Howell's second season in College Station, he has amassed 15.5 sacks in his two seasons under head coach Mike Elko, and 25 total in his collegiate career, including his time spent at Bowling Green. While those numbers are well short of what Garrett put up for the Aggies (32.5), even being single-digits off from one of the best college defensive players of all time is an immense honor.

Howell was the only Aggie to land on the first or second team, and also finished as a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Trophy, and the Chuck Bednarik Award. With the first round of the College Football Playoff looming, though, the standout Aggies defensive end still has time to continue making a name for himself.

The Aggies will host the Miami Hurricanes on Dec. 20 at 11 a.m. CT