Pup Howard bringing the bark and bite at Mike LB: ‘He’s a dog’

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators had a new player manning the middle of their defense in the Orange & Blue Game — and throughout spring ball. Starting at the Mike linebacker position was Grayson Howard, better known as Pup.

Don’t let the nickname fool you. There’s no puppy in him.

“He’s a dog,” Florida linebacker Shemar James said of Howard. “He’s big. Like, I don’t know if you’ve seen in person, but he’s a big guy. Great player.”

Howard is an imposing defender, standing at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds. He’s at least two-and-a-half inches taller than UF’s entire room of inside linebackers, all of whom are under 6-foot-1.5.

Howard is one of the players you want walking off the bus first.

“He’s got an edge to him,” Gators coach Billy Napier said. “He’s got height, length. He certainly looks the part. He’s still a somewhat inexperienced player, but I do think he’s a mature young man.”

A sophomore in his first semester at Florida, Howard spent his freshman year at South Carolina. He made 19 tackles (10 solo), a tackle-for-loss and a forced fumble in 11 games played.

Despite having just one season under his belt, Howard learned UF’s defense in a hurry and communicated well in camp at the Mike LB position, where Scooby Williams started last year.

“He’s smart, he can communicate,” Napier said of Howard. “He’s really done a nice job of picking up the system. At that position, you gotta communicate and you gotta do that with confidence, and I think you gotta be decisive. I think he’s done a good job doing that.”

Pup isn’t all bark and no bite.

Howard made several plays during camp, leading the Gators in tackles in the first scrimmage. He showed up again in the Orange & Blue Game with a team-high 6.0 tackles.

Howard made half of his tackles on the Blue’s opening drive. He capped the series with a pass breakup on third-and-6 in the red zone, forcing the Blue to settle for a field goal.

Howard was in coverage on the play against redshirt sophomore tight end Arlis Boardingham and reached out with his right hand to tip the ball away.

“That helps a lot,” James said of Howard’s size and length. “Being in the box, playing out in space. He’s got a unique build, and I can’t wait to play with him.”

James is the returning starter at the Will LB position but was non-contact all spring as he recovers from surgery for a dislocated left kneecap. The Gators had two seniors at Mike LB with Howard, but Mannie Nunnery entered the transfer portal.

Howard started over Nunnery in the spring game along with Derek Wingo, who was non-contact throughout camp but played in the last two scrimmages. With James and Wingo (shoulder) limited, Howard took charge at inside linebacker.

He received the Will Marshall Linebacker Award this spring from Napier.

“He’s taken advantage of the reps that are available because of Shemar and Derek being out,” Napier said. “He’s done a good job. I think the other players around him benefit from his communication. He had a lot of production in the (first) scrimmage. It’s been a good spring, good offseason for him.”

Howard picked South Carolina over in-state Florida after officially visiting both schools in June 2022, along with Georgia. The Gamecocks had emerged as the frontrunner for Howard well before Napier arrived at UF, hosting him on five unofficial visits prior to Napier’s hiring.

Howard took a trip to Gainesville in early March 2022 and returned to campus the following month before making his official visit to Florida. The Gamecocks remained the favorite for Howard in the weeks leading up to his commitment, but the Gators made a late surge.

Howard transferred from South Carolina on the last day of the winter portal window (Jan. 2) and committed to UF two days later, deciding to take a second bite of the apple.

“That’s a good way to put it,” Napier said. “We were just a new staff. We were behind in the relationship part upon arrival. I think that he’s the type of kid where I think that’s important to him. Ultimately, he’s a Florida kid. I think he cares about the place. He liked the University of Florida.

“Sometimes things don’t go the way you thought they were going to go, right? So, when he did enter the portal, we certainly had a great respect for him. We evaluated him as a player, and he came back. I think he’s had a good experience and we’re excited about him for sure.”

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