Texas A&M DE Cashius Howell Receives Extra Motivation After All-SEC Snub

When the SEC released its preseason All-SEC football team a couple of weeks ago, six Texas A&M Aggies found themselves named on one of the three teams, which included running back Le'Veon Moss landing on the first team at his position.

One Aggie, however, who was not selected to the teams was edge rusher Cashius Howell, and after the year he had in 2024, he didn't take too kindly to his name being left off.

But instead of letting it consume him with doubt, the Kansas City native is letting it have the opposite effect on him as he heads into his senior season at College Station.

Howell Said His Snub 'Adds Fuel to the Fire'

Before the 2024 season, Howell transferred to A&M from Bowling Green and made quite the name for himself in his first season in maroon and white, recording 40 tackles, four sacks, forcing a fumble, and snagging an interception, which included a tackle against his former team when the Falcons came to Kyle Field last September.

Texas A&M edge Cashius Howel — Nov 30, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) is sacked by Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Cashius Howell (18) in the third quarter of the Lone Star Showdown at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

And when the Aggie was asked about the snub in an interview on Wednesday, his response was still a positive one, coming across as motivation for the upcoming year.

"I'm not necessarily surprised that I wasn't picked to the preseason team," Howell admitted to the media. "You're talking to a guy who was once rated, like, the 2,000th best player in my class, so I'm used to not getting picked and overlooked, and so it just adds fuel to the fire for me. It makes me want to set more goals and strive to achieve those goals."

Howell certainly would have been hard to overlook in 2023, his final year with Bowling Green, where he notched 27 total tackles and 9.5 sacks, and again forced a fumble.

The senior defender showed a breakout stretch over the last three games of the 2024 season, securing 16 total tackles, two sacks, and his one forced fumble on the year in the stretch of games that spanned over Auburn, Texas, and USC, all of which unfortunately ended in losses for the Maroon and White.

Though Howell did not make his way onto the preseason listings, fellow defenders Will Lee III and linebacker Taurean York were named to the third team, and offensive linemen Ar'maj Reed-Adams, Trey Zuhn III, and Chase Bisontis were also named to the preseason All-SEC team, in addition to Le'Veon Moss's first-team running back naming.

The Aggies open up their 2025 campaign against the UTSA Roadrunners at Kyle Field on August 30.