Receiver Koby Howard missed part of his sophomore season due to injury, and how schools handled the situation influenced his college decision.
It was several months before his sophomore season. Koby Howard suffered a broken leg while performing at Miami’s Legends Camp in June 2022.
It took a year for the Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna receiver to feel like himself again, and how colleges handled and reacted to the injury had a significant impact on his recruiting.
For the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Howard, the recruiting road ends Sunday at 3 p.m. when he picks either Penn State Florida, Florida State or Ole Miss.
Howard’s recruiting was influenced by how programs responded to him during and after his recovery.
“I’ve been through a lot breaking my leg and things like that,” he informed me. “You can tell when people are there for you when circumstances are tough and you face adversity, and when they aren’t. You can see who truly loves and wants you, and who doesn’t.
“I feel like going through this whole recruiting process taught me a lot about things like that.”
The injury cost Howard most of his sophomore season — 13 receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns in two games — but he bounced back with a big junior year in which he caught 65 passes for 1,065 and eight touchdowns at Davie (Fla.) Western. He is now at powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna and excited for the season opener Aug. 24 against Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, but he is grateful for the support he received from his family during his injury and recovery.
“My parents helped me through everything,” he explained. “Through all the adversity I went through, through some of the coaches falling off because of my injury so I would say helped me through it.”
Howard paid official visits to Ole Miss and Penn State, and he returned last week to camp and spend additional time with the coaches.
He also paid unofficial visits to Florida State and Florida, which he intends to officially visit in the autumn if he chooses the Gators.
“I was looking for a great relationship with coaches, a quarterback and a pass-friendly offense,” Howard told me. “Those are the major things I was looking for in a school.”
