Cashius Howell validated and vindicated by postseason honors

HOUSTON — Doubt is a conflicting emotion. It can produce positive or negative effects.

Doubt can cause an individual to question self-worth and lose confidence. Yet, it can also fuel a quest for validation and vindication.

Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell feasted on doubt like a predator on prey.

Four years ago, Howell was an overlooked kid from Kansas City who started his collegiate football career at Bowling Green.

But on Wednesday, with muscles rippling under a gray Teas A&M T-shirt, Howell was repeatedly interviewed by media in a Hilton Americas hotel ballroom as a finalist for the Lombardi Award, which is presented to the nation’s premier offensive or defensive lineman.

During those interviews, Howell also learned he’d been named the Southeastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.

The announcement was like a delicious serving of validation and vindication. Howell wasn’t even listed on the preseason All-SEC team, a snub that obviously hurt.

“I just keep going back to the ups and downs of my career,” Howell said. “It really is just an unbelievable feeling to be able to see yourself get doubted by so many people, being under-recruited and not being selected for certain preseason things. To be so resilient and persist through all the adversity and come out on the other side of it, it’s a great feeling.”

Howell had a long track record of being overlooked and underestimated.

He was the 30th-ranked prospect in Missouri coming out of Rockhurst High School. He was listed five spots behind a kid named Kaden McMullen, who signed with Alabama A&M.

Others ranked ahead of Howell went to Ohio State, Iowa, Notre Dame and Auburn. None attained anywhere near the success Howell has.

“It was tough seeing guys coming out of the city — guys that you may feel like you’re not necessarily better than, but you at least compete with — get those big-time offers,” Howell said. “You just kind of feel like you’re left on the back burner.

“The one thing I tell myself is that you’re not crazy. That feeling you had that you can compete with the best of the best… It’s not fake. It’s real.”

Howell proved that over and over.

He posted 11.5 sacks this season to lead the SEC. He had three sacks on three consecutive plays vs. Utah State. He had 2.5 sacks vs. Mississippi State. He abused LSU freshman offensive tackle Carius Curie and terrorized quarterback Garrett Nussmeier en route to a pair of sacks in a 49-25 victory.

His powerful pass rush is a major factor in A&M’s surge to an 11-1 finish and a berth in the College Football Playoff. The Aggies face Miami on Dec. 20 in the first round of the playoffs.

The ability to dominate and disrupt is why Howell joined Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech defensive end David Bailey and Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor as finalists for the Lombardi, an award he didn’t know existed.

“This is something that I just kind of learned about,” he said. “I knew about the (Vince) Lombardi Trophy — the Super Bowl trophy. I didn’t know there was like an actual award in his name.”

Will Huffman, TexAgs

If Cashius Howell wins the Lombardi Award on Wednesday night, he’d join Dat Nguyen as just the second Aggie to receive the honor.

He knows about it now. He knows Dat Nguyen is A&M’s only previous Lombardi Award winner. He knows there is prestige in winning the block of granite that is the trophy. That would bring even more vindication and validation.

In reality, though, Howell was validated every time he played. Indeed, he proved himself when he wouldn’t let doubt drag him.

He aims to keep proving himself with a simple goal.

“To just continue to keep going,” he said. “To keep fighting through adversity like you always have and come out on the other side on top.”

That’s what Howell does. He fights through blocks and comes out on the other side of the line of scrimmage on top … of quarterbacks.