Home calls him back: Jaxon Howard joins Gophers after getting his first chance at LSU

One can understand why Jaxon Howard, about to enter his junior season at Cooper High School back in the summer of 2022, found it hard to resist the allure of Louisiana State. After all, the Tigers were a consistent contender in the SEC, had rolled to the College Football Playoff championship in 2019 and had 31 players selected in the NFL draft over the previous three years.

So, when Howard went on a national recruiting show to reveal his choice among LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan and the hometown Gophers, few were surprised that he’d be calling Baton Rouge.

Two years later, though, it turns out home has a strong pull, too, and Howard is back in Minnesota with the Gophers after transferring from LSU in April. He said several factors played in his decision, but one stood out.

“I knew I wanted to play at home,” Howard said this summer during a homecoming celebration in New Hope. “I know I was doing the things that I needed to get done down south, but there was an itching feeling in the back of my head that I ... wanted to play for my state and my team. ... And there was the fact that I could be close to my family.”

On Monday, Howard, a former four-star recruit and the top-ranked player in the state’s 2023 recruiting class, began his first training camp with the Gophers. He’s a 6-4, 245-pound redshirt freshman defensive end who retained a year of eligibility by playing in only five games at LSU last year. Howard could give the Gophers valuable depth at rush end behind senior Danny Striggow.

Willie Howard, Jaxon’s father, was a third-team All-America defensive end at Stanford and a second-round draft pick of the Vikings in 2001. He spent two seasons in the NFL before an injury ended his career. He now coaches Cooper and was a valuable sounding board for his son in his decision to transfer.

“If anybody knows Jaxon and how we operate, we are a spreadsheet family. We’re data-driven in decisions,” Willie said.

Head coach Brian Kelly had arrived from Notre Dame in November 2021 before Howard committed. But Jamar Cain, LSU’s defensive line coach who recruited Jaxon, left for the NFL following the 2022 season. After playing one season at LSU, Jaxon, with input from his family and others, determined he would be better off with the Gophers under coach P.J. Fleck and defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III.

“Before getting to Sundays,” Willie said, “we’ve gotta get to play on Saturdays.”

While Howard didn’t make a huge statistical impact at LSU — he had a sack in the Tigers’ spring game in 2023, then capped the season with one tackle against Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl — he felt he learned from the experience.

“They set me off on a good path and a good foundation,” Howard said of LSU’s coaching staff. “Now that I’ve made the transition, Minnesota has helped me out.”

On this overcast Saturday night in late June, patrons pore over the menu and wait for their food at the Arizona Taco Company in New Hope. The restaurant is a favorite for Howard, who spent several lunch periods there when Cooper’s open campus policy allowed. And now it helps pay the bills.

His homecoming celebration was organized with the help of Team IFA, the Minneapolis-based sports agency that has several Gophers as clients. In this era of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals, players are taking advantage of opportunities. Howard wants to make sure his NIL deals are the right fit.

“It’s more of an exchange of what can we do for each other?” said Howard, a communication studies major. “I believe being back in Minnesota, we’ll be able to help me out with that aspect.”

Added Willie Howard: “If [money] is the only thing that motivates you and triggers you, you might be doing it for the wrong reason. As for him, it was absolutely the opposite. It was, ‘Dad, I need to make sure I can be at a place where I can enjoy life rather than just money because money can be here today and be gone tomorrow. Friendships, family, faith and football can be forever.’ ”

Football is the vehicle Howard used to explore a big-name program like LSU, and it’s the vehicle that delivered him back home, too. He’s aiming to make the most of it.

“I have nothing but respect for everyone down at LSU,” he said, “but I’m just glad to be a Gopher.”