Indiana RB Trent Howland On Right Path Returning From ACL Injury

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — For several reasons, Indiana freshman running back Trent Howland didn't get a senior season at Joliet West High School in Illinois.

Howland tore his ACL before the season started, and because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois high school football season was pushed to the spring.

"When I heard the news that our season was not going to happen, I felt for my fellow seniors because they were trying to get college exposure," Howland said Thursday. "My teammates wanted to get their names out there and there was not the opportunity to do so."

Luckily for Howland, he was already committed to Indiana by the time the fall season was postponed and ACL injury occurred.

It's been about six months since the 6-foot-2, 218-pound running back had surgery, and now he's in Bloomington as he continues his recovery process.

"I am doing good," Howland said. "I am back to running. They are getting me into jumping. They have me on the field with the guys during team runs and still going through the motions of getting back to normal."

Howland admitted he thought it was going to be hard coming into Indiana's running back room with the likes of Sampson James and Tim Baldwin Jr. already there and established. But he credits the experienced players in the room for why it has been an easy transition for him coming to college this summer.

This summer is also the first time Howland has met Indiana running backs coach Deland McCullough. When Howland committed to the Hoosiers, he did so while being recruited by former Indiana running backs coach Mike Hart, who now holds that position at his alma mater Michigan.

All it took was one phone call from McCullough to keep Howland committed to the Hoosiers.

"The connection with coach McCullough has been good," Howland said. "I never had a chance to meet him in person, but we spoke on the phone, and I just knew when we actually met in person we would have a great connection. Everything we talked about on the phone he is giving me now, so the relationship is good."

Coming from the Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff in the NFL, one of the things McCullough told Howland was that he wasn't going to coach him like he's an NFL player. He was going to coach him like a college kid and that he wouldn't "feed him any lies."

The process of earning playing time and becoming a better running back is what kept Howland around to work with McCullough.

"Make sure our IQ is good, help us work on our footwork, reading the holes, knowing how to attack the holes hard, getting downhill and just make good plays," Howland said.

Another key thing Howland wants to work on as he transitions to college is pass protection. Stevie Scott, the Hoosiers' starting running back the past three seasons  who is now pursuing an NFL career with the New Orleans Saints, was praised for his ability to block pass rushers.

Howland admits he wasn't asked to do much pass protection in high school, so that's an area of his game he wants to work on so he's ready to execute it come game-time in an Indiana uniform.

Howland is a rare talent coming out of Joliet West as well. He's the first player to commit to a Power 5 school from his high school in nearly two decades.

"It was a good feeling, honestly," Howland said. "It shocked me at the same time. It was kind of an emotional feeling because I couldn't believe it was me getting the opportunity I got, so it was just a good feeling for me overall and my family."