Maryland lands local three-star athlete Preston Howard

Maryland has landed a commitment from Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh School three-star athlete Preston Howard, he announced Sunday via social media.

Howard, who had double-digit offers, including schools such as Auburn, Michigan and Penn State, chose the Terps over finalists Syracuse and Virginia Tech.

While a chance to be part of an explosive Terps offense played a part in Howard’s decision. It was actually life after football that helped him decide Maryland was his best option.

“Growing up in Maryland, my mom knows a lot of alumni and people who went there,” Howard told TSR. “The main thing, looking at it, was the job opportunities that come after college and after football. Going to Maryland you get a lot of segues into--you can work in DC for the government, you can work in Virginia for the government, you can work in Baltimore doing whatever you want, so I just feel like there’s a lot of good connections there to help me be successful later on in life.”

Howard’s recruitment was a team effort, but it was his relationship with cornerbacks coach Henry Baker that really stood out.

“It started with Coach Baker, who was a new recruiter this year,” Howard said. “I think he did a good job of keeping up with me and texting me and feeling like I was really wanted in Maryland and they really needed me.”

While Howard had success as a sophomore starting at quarterback in the highly competitive MIAA for the Eagles, some schools recruited him as a quarterback while others see him as a tight end in college. Mike Locksley and the Terps simply recruited him as an athlete with several positions in mind.

“Either tight end, a little bit of tight end/wide receiver hybrid if I get a little faster, a little bigger,” Howard said. “Playing a little bit of quarterback we’ve talked about, but we’ll just see once the time comes. And obviously with their quarterback situation right now, they’ll be bringing in other quarterbacks. So we’ll just see at the time.

“Whatever coach wants me to play, I’ll play. I’m not really a picky type. I’ve played every position on the field. Wherever he needs me at that time, that’s the position I’ll play. I just want to play early and often.”

Howard becomes the fifth member of the Terps’ 2022 recruiting class and the second commit from Maryland, joining Archbishop Spalding three-star linebacker Kellen Wyatt. He is the No. 44-ranked athlete nationally and the No. 11-ranked player in the state of Maryland, according to Rivals.

With the addition of Howard, the Terps’ 2022 recruiting class currently sits in the No. 15 spot nationally. Maryland is looking to finish with a top-20 class for a second straight year after a strong finish to the 2021 recruiting cycle.