LSU defensive end Jaxon Howard, once a Gophers recruiting target, enters transfer portal

Jaxon Howard was flooded with offers coming out of Robbinsdale Cooper and considered the Gophers before selecting LSU.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
April 11, 2024 at 12:42PM
Jaxon Howard has entered the NCAA transfer portal after picking LSU comping out of Robbinsdale Cooper. (Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Former Cooper star and LSU defensive end Jaxon Howard, one of the most highly touted high school football recruits from Minnesota in recent years, is on the market again.

Howard played five games as a true freshman at LSU last season and participated in spring practice, but he’s entering the transfer portal, according to multiple reports Wednesday.

A 6-4, 240-pound Minneapolis native, Howard was a four-star prospect and the No. 1 player in the state of Minnesota’s 2023 class.

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck received an official visit from Howard in high school. The Gophers were among his finalists with Miami and Michigan before he signed with the Tigers in July 2022. Howard’s most productive game for LSU came against Wisconsin in the Jan. 1 ReliaQuest Bowl, when he had one tackle and a quarterback hurry against the Badgers.

Fleck and the Gophers will be looking in the transfer portal to add depth on both sides of the ball for the 2024 season.

about the writer

about the writer

Marcus Fuller

Reporter

Marcus Fuller covers Gophers men's basketball, national college basketball, college sports and high school recruiting for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

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