Why ILB? Althought he can play both ILB and OLB....He's better suited for OLB...Here's a kid thats 6'3" 230....and can run sub 4.4 times....what T.E. can't he cover? He has wide receiver speed....when the last time you heard of a real linebacker running a 4.33 on any track?
"No UTEP player made a bigger impact in the opener than LB Thomas Howard, the C-USA defensive player of the week who set the tone with 10 tackles, two tackles for losses, an interception, a fumble recovery and a sack.
An outstanding performance by Howard, the Miners never let New Mexico State off the ground until it was too late, holding the Aggies to minus-17 yards rushing, forcing four turnovers and recording eight sacks. Facing NMSU's wide-open should help prepare the Miners for Houston, but the Cougars run their offense more effectively with better athletes than NMSU.
"He had five unassisted tackles, five assisted tackles, he's breaking up passes, intercepting passes, recovering fumbles, sacking quarterbacks. He made a huge hit on the very first play of the game and the crowd went nuts. He was all over the field all night long -- just a really impressive game." -- UTEP coach Mike Price on LB Thomas Howard, the C-USA defensive player of the week."