Texas A&M's Cashius Howell Named Finalist For Major Award

There should be no doubt that Cashius Howell is one of the best defensive options in the 2026 NFL draft.

His 11.5 sacks and 41 quarterback pressures helped him become one of the SEC's most feared defenders in a short amount of time and help Texas A&M maintain their reputation as one of the country's most well-rounded defenses.

For his efforts, he has been put in the running for countless defensive awards, including SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Friday afternoon, his name was put in for another one.

Howell Named Finalist For Ted Hendricks Award

Cashius Howell Texas A&M Aggies Football — Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Cashius Howell (9) rushes the line past Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Markel Bell (70) during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Friday afternoon, the Ted Hendricks Foundation announced Howell as one of the finalists for the Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award, given to just that, the top defensive end in college football.

The award is named after the Hall of Fame linebacker that spent 15 seasons in the NFL with the Baltimore Colts, Green Bay Packers, and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, winning four Super Bowls and being named to six All-Pro teams as well as eight Pro Bowls, later being named to the NFL's 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time teams.

Howell was also named a finalist for the Lombardi, Bednarik, and Nagurski awards while becoming Texas A&M's 11th unanimous All-American.

The Kansas City native ranked seventh in the SEC with 14 tackles for loss, and opened many eyes during Texas A&M's second game of the season against Utah State when he recorded three sacks on three consecutive plays, single-handedly forcing a punt on the drive.

From the September 27 matchup against the Auburn Tigers all the way through the Aggies' incredible comeback against the South Carolina Gamecocks, Howell recorded at least one sack, including a 2.5-sack perfromance during A&M's 31-9 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Howell's upbringing in the college football world has been well-documented, from how under-recruited he was while he was at Bowling Green, how almost none of the big name schools were even looking his way.

That was until the 2023 season, where he recorded 27 total tackles and 9.5 sacks while also forcing a fumble, and would transfer to College Station the following season, where he tallied 40 total tackles and four sacks while playing alongside NFL-worthy talent such as Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart.

The edge rusher has also received high predictions in terms of draft selection, with many believing that both he and teammate KC Concepcion could easily go in the first round.