Former No. 1 Minnesota high school recruit Jaxon Howard receives offer from Gophers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports Nation All Gophers | Last updated 4/16/24

Former four-star recruit Jaxon Howard has received an offer from the Gophers football team.

Howard, the former No. 1 Minnesota high school prospect in the 2023 class, entered the transfer portal earlier in April after just one year at LSU. He appeared in five games for the Tigers, mostly on special teams, during his redshirt freshman season.

Blessed to receive an offer from Minnesota @77williehoward pic.twitter.com/51kd14sG4Q
— Jaxon Howard (@11JaxonHoward) April 16, 2024

Howard was a standout at Robbinsdale Cooper and had considered offers from the Miami Hurricanes, Michigan Wolverines and the Gophers before committing to LSU.

Coming out of high school, Howard was the 18th-ranked edge rusher and the 131st overall recruit in the nation, according to 247Sports.

Recently, the Gophers have been doing a good job of keeping high-profile, in-state talent home, getting commitments from the 2024 No. 1 recruit Koi Perich and the 2025 No. 1 recruit Emmanuel Karmo.

If Howard returns home, that would mean the Gophers coach P.J. Fleck has had the previous four No. 1 Minnesota high school recruits commit, though 2022 No. 1 recruit Trey Bixby just entered the transfer portal after having to medically retire in 2023. It would mean the last No. 1 Minnesota high school recruit to leave the state would be Riley Mahlman in 2021 when he committed to Wisconsin.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports Nation All Gophers and was syndicated with permission.

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