Top 2023 Minnesota football recruit Jaxon Howard includes Gophers in his final four
The No. 1 football recruit in Minnesota's Class of 2023, Jaxon Howard of Robbinsdale Cooper, has narrowed his college choice to four schools: Minnesota, Miami, LSU and Michigan.
"The past 3 years I have been blessed to be offered by over 60 amazing colleges. I built genuine relationships with so many coaches & value all the time they have spent with me," Howard announced Monday, noting that he has visited 41 colleges and will now make official visits at his final four options this week.
Howard will start his official visits by heading to the University of Minnesota June 10-12, followed by Michigan June 17-19, LSU June 21-23 and Miami June 24-26.
Howard plays tight end and defensive end at Robbinsdale Cooper in the Twin Cities, but 247Sports analyst Allen Trieu says he's a "rare specimen" on defense who could play up and down the defensive line in college.
247Sports ranks Howard as the No. 87 recruit in the nation for the Class of 2023, and the No. 1 recruit in Minnesota.
Howard announced last December that he was going to announce his decision around Christmas, but he held off and has since received more Power 5 offers, going from 53 in mid-December to the more than 60 that he announced Monday.
In December, he trimmed his list of suitors to 12: Minnesota, Notre Dame, Florida, Michigan, Alabama, North Carolina, Ohio State, USC, Oklahoma, Oregon, Stanford and Arizona State.
Howard helped Robbsindale Cooper finish 9-3 as a junior. The Hawks reached the Class 5A state tournament and made it to the semifinals before losing to Mahtomedi.
Howard's father, Willie Howard, is the head coach at Robbinsdale Cooper. He played at Stanford and spent one season in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings.
