Better Know a Badger: 2023 DT Jamel Howard
After welcoming in six members of his first Wisconsin recruiting class earlier this year, Badgers head coach Luke Fickell saw the remaining nine members join the program in mid-June to begin summer conditioning, the next step building up to the highly-anticipated 2023 season opener against Buffalo. One of those players is Chicago Marist defensive lineman Jamel Howard.
A 6-foot-3, 320-pound three-star prospect, Howard committed to Wisconsin last summer over offers from Illinois, Iowa State, Western Illinois, and Central Michigan, among other schools. He de-committed following the firing of Paul Chryst before spurring late interest from LSU, Miami, and Michigan to rejoin the Badgers class in February.
The only defensive line prospect in the Class of 2023 for Wisconsin, Howard’s decision filled a major need at a high-value position for Wisconsin. Before arriving on campus, Howard spoke with BadgerBlitz about his journey to Madison and the expectations of his Badgers career.
BB: Your time playing varsity football was one of the reasons you were recruited by several colleges. How do you feel your game changed and developed during that time and what impact did it have on you?
Jamel Howard: I definitely switched up my style from my junior year to my senior year, just because I wanted to showcase a different skill set. With my senior year tape, I feel I showed my versatility in my pass rushing as I became better as a player.
BB: Your versatility has been lauded by high school and college coaches, as well as talent evaluators. Where do you think your strength lies – at the nose position or on the edge?
JH: Honestly, right now, I could probably rush the one through the five because I have had enough time to play everything.
BB: College football is a step up from all your previous levels. How have you spent the time since you committed preparing your body for summer conditioning, fall camp, and moving forward?
JH: That will be my main focus. I am already big, but not too big. That’s really the key for me now, just making sure I am big in the right places. I don’t want to be a big slob. I want to make sure I am more compact and can just move.
BB: In addition to your versatility, what would you list as some of your other strengths and what are some weaknesses that you know you need to address in order to see the field early in your career?
JH: I would say that my hips and my bend need to get a little bit better, for sure. Another thing that I think is a strength for me is my hands and my feet. I have good hands and feet, but my bend is something that definitely needs improvement.
BB: The recruiting process is stressful enough. How difficult was it when Wisconsin made a coaching change and you had to just wait to figure out who they are going to hire, while all these other schools are reaching out to restart that recruiting process?
JH: I have a really good support system in people who trust me and honestly chose to let me make the decision. I would say it wasn’t as hard as people would think it was because I had already been through the recruiting process. I knew what to expect. With the head coach change and Wisconsin, I initially fell in love with Wisconsin and the people there. The fact that I chose Wisconsin again really didn’t surprise me in the end.
BB: What’s the attraction to Coach Fickell and his ability to coach, teach and develop players like you?
JH: One, he’s an OL-DL-type of guy. Two, he’s coming from a program that didn’t have a bad season last year or the last couple of years. He knows how to win games, and that’s important for me coming from a program in Chicago that knows how to win games. I definitely like him coming to Wisconsin. Him coming to Wisconsin didn’t steer me anywhere else but Wisconsin honestly.
BB: I would also imagine Fickell’s choice to hire Greg Scruggs as your position coach was important to you, especially considering he’s been coaching in the NFL for the last three seasons? What has it been like building a relationship with him and how do you think he can push you?
JH: He has the blueprint. He’s been and he’s done that, and all I have to do is follow it. I don’t think any player at the collegiate level is this lucky (with) a new coaching staff, new strength staff, and everybody is the new guy. We have the blueprint to get you where you want to be. It honestly feels like it’s made up because you can’t build these types of things. I am really lucky.
BB: When do you think you knew you were good enough to play college football? When did it become more than just a hobby for you?
JH: It came pretty late for me. I’m not going to sell myself short, but I realized I was good enough to play at the college level was week three when we played Nazareth. This was against JT (Justin Taylor), one of my Badger brothers. He didn’t play because he had an ankle injury and we beat them by at least three scores (31-3). A week after, his coach (was quoted in) an article about me that said every year that they played me I had progressively got better. He told me that this year, they could tell that I switched my conditioning program, which I did. That was my focus that year, and I completely changed everything from how I was running and working out. He noticed and he told the reporter that he thought I could play college football right now. That’s when I realized I could do it.
BB: How did you get close with Justin Taylor?
JH: We kind of knew each other going into high school. You kind of knew all the guys in your class because I had seen him at a bunch of camps. We got together on some competitive things on the football side of things. We were competitors but we both clicked and became friends.
BB: Do you think you get your biggest support from your family, friends, coaches, teammates or somewhere else?
JH: Right now, I think it comes a little bit from everywhere. The people that I call my friends ultimately become my family. That’s just the way I’ve been brought up. My friends and family that support me really helps me.
BB: How excited is your family that you are playing college football in the Big Ten just a couple hours drive from your home?
JH: Man, they are really excited. They are really happy that I am going to be two hours away living my dream out.
BB: People in Madison are really excited about the direction of the program. You committed to the old staff and affirmed your commitment to the new one. What has you excited about the direction of this program now?
JH: It’s a blessing to be a part of something new and different, but something I definitely think that’s important with the new staff is bringing new opportunities. Some stuff that the tradition Wisconsin didn’t have they now have, so it’s bringing that old and new culture together and making it all work with the new day and age of the collegiate level. Wisconsin is always going to be Wisconsin, but the staff is here to amp it up, make it a little bit better, and make it fit.
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