Delano Howell, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound athlete (running back/defensive back) from Hart High School in Newhall (Calif.), has a scholarship offer from Stanford - and the Cardinal are his top choice.
Stanford leads slightly over Washington, UCLA and California. "The academics at Stanford are great and the campus is amazing," Howell said. "I was really impressed with everything and can't find a downside at all. It's a big campus and has a nice feel to it. I don't know too much about the coaches yet, but from what I saw, I liked them. They seem nice and I have a lot of respect for them."
Howell attended the Stanford Junior Day and says that they are recruiting him as an athlete. "I really like playing running back and prefer offense, but if a team wants me to play defense, I'll play defense. I'm a natural athlete, so I can do it all."
He plans to visit Washington later this month and his brother, Dan Howell, is a senior linebacker for the Huskies. "He loves it there and has great things to say about coach Ty Willingham and all the coaches," he said. "He says they really have a great work ethic and that they just want everyone to work hard and show effort.
"He told me to be patient with recruiting and see who else offers," Howell said. "I want a school that is great academically and that will help me get ahead in life. I also want to play for successful coaches that will help me get better."
Howell finished his junior season with 1500 yards rushing and 600 yards receiving. He had 38 total touchdowns. He benches 320 pounds and runs the forty 4.5 seconds.
"I have great moves and jukes," Howell said. "I run hard and play aggressive. I'm a good lateral runner and like to cut across the field and use my moves. I still want to improve my knowledge of the game and my pass blocking. I'm also working on my strength and being a more powerful runner."
He reports a 4.4 core GPA (with honors classes) and a 1710 SAT.