Cooper football standout Jaxon Howard picks LSU over the Gophers, Michigan and Miami

One of the most speculated upon college football commitments in Minnesota history was decided Friday, when Cooper defensive end/tight end prospect Jaxon Howard announced that he will play for Louisiana State.

Howard, a 6-4, 245-pound prospect, is the most sought-after player in state history, at least in the amount of offers he received from Division I Power 5 conference programs. He made his announcement at Cooper High School with the coverage streamed live on CBS Sports HQ.

According to the 247Sports recruiting site, Howard had received 60 confirmed offers, with most of the Big Ten and SEC programs in the mix.

"My parents are sending me to LSU to become a better player and a better man," Howard said. "LSU is the perfect place. I feel like LSU fits me."

The son of Cooper athletic director and football coach Willie Howard — a former defensive lineman, himself, at Stanford and a second-round 2001 Vikings pick — Jaxon's recruitment was followed closely by recruiting experts such as Allen Trieu of 247Sports.

Trieu said Howard "looks physically ready to compete early in his career" and believes his future is as a defensive end, saying Howard is a "Power 5 prospect at either position, but he may be more of a rarer specimen on defense."

In early June, Howard announced he had narrowed his list of finalists to Minnesota, Michigan, Miami and LSU. He took official visits to each in June and each believed they were strongly in contention for his services.

Howard stressed how excited he is to play for new LSU coach Brian Kelly. "I called him to let him know and he was ecstatic," Howard relayed. "He brings energy to the table. He's an amazing guy."

Miami was considered an early favorite, Michigan made a strong late push and P.J. Fleck and his Gophers staff had made the wooing of Howard a priority.

Howard said that telling Fleck he was going elsewhere was one of the difficult aspects of his decision.

"It was very tough. P.J. Fleck is an amazing man and their staff are amazing people," Howard said. "It wasn't the right school for me, but they're doing things the right way. I'd love to see them be successful."

Despite not landing Howard, the Gophers still have received commitments from five of the top seven ranked players in this class from Minnesota, per the 247Sports composite of the top ranking services.

That includes the No. 2-ranked player in the state (Osseo tackle Jerome Williams), the No. 3 (Prior Lake tackle Greg Johnson) and the No. 5 (Prior Lake defensive lineman Martin Owusu).

Entering Friday, the Gophers' class ranked 18^th nationally in the 247Sports composite rankings.