By now most of you have heard of Central High School All-Everything senior Jamal Howard. He’s been one of the most watched young athletes in the Columbus Valley area for a long time. He can do it all, and he can do it all on just about any playing surface, from the football field to the baseball diamond to anything else you can think of. Last year, however, Howard felt as though he needed to make a decision. With his senior year looming, he wanted to focus on one sport and one sport only. In the football crazy South, Howard went against the grain and chose to concentrate on baseball.
“When I was younger, I didn’t even like baseball. But once I saw what I could do, all that changed. I fell in love with the game. That happened when I was about 10 or 11 years old,” recalls Howard, Central’s centerfielder. As he matured, the writing was on the wall – Howard was an exceptional athlete who had a future in football, baseball, or both. He put up good numbers during high school as Central’s quarterback, but he felt the irresistible tug of baseball. “I wanted to get really serious about baseball. I had been thinking about playing football in college for a while. People tell me I need to be somewhere running the football,” he says. Just how good of a football player was Howard? He played 10 games under center and threw for 1,270 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 358 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns.
The decision to leave football behind wasn’t that difficult for Howard. He had an offer to play for an SEC school and he is a potential early-round draft pick in the upcoming Major League Baseball draft. He wanted to get all of this squared away prior to his senior year so he could devote all his energy into becoming the student-athlete he could be. “It was important for me to do this before my senior year. I wanted it out of the way. I chose Alabama after my official visit last summer. I know some of the guys who play there and it just felt like home,” he says.
Howard, who hit .355 with six homeruns, 27 RBIs and 18 stolen bases last year, was 11 games into the 2014 season when he spoke with In the Game. His goals were to hit over .400, steal at least 25 bases, drive in at least 25 runs and hit 15 or more home runs. At the time, he was hitting .330 with a home run, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases. He would also like for Central to make a strong run through the playoffs. His sophomore year, Central went to the semifinals. He would once again like to be one of the last teams standing at the end of the year. “I’ve never won a state title before. I’d like to that this year,” he says.
The big question is whether or not Howard will even make it to the University of Alabama. He is the 159th-ranked baseball player in the country, the nation’s 35th outfielder and the top-ranked outfielder in Alabama. Getting drafted isn’t the issue – it’s where he will get drafted and if the money will be enough to lure him away from the Crimson Tide. “I’m not sure what will happen then. I try to block out all the attention and just play baseball. I want to go to Alabama but we’ll see where I end up in the draft. We’ll decide then,” he says.
Jamal Howard’s football career might not be over. At 6’3” and 215 pounds, he already has the size and athleticism to play at the next level. Would he consider trying to make the team at Alabama? He hasn’t talked to head coach Nick Saban but he isn’t ruling anything out. “I love football and I think I’m pretty good at it. At Alabama, they mess with me a little about playing football again. When I get there, anything could happen,” he says.
Favorites:
• Major League team: Los Angeles Angels
• Player: Mike Trout
• Bat: Black Marucci
• Sport you wish you could play: Golf
• Person to meet: Mike Trout
• Favorite thing to do outside of baseball: Fish
• Superpower: Fly
• Place to travel: Paris
The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer and www.rolltide.com contributed to this story.
Player Spotlight/Columbus Valley/March 2014
Jamal Howard
Central High School
Phenix City, Alabama
Robert Preston Jr.
Central High football standout headed to Alabama – to play baseball
