Jerry Howard’s father knew his son was committed to Georgia Tech before passing away in December.
The 3-star running back from Rock Hill, SC flipped his commitment from East Carolina to Tech on Nov. 19 after he visited Atlanta with his mother La’Kisha Howard to watch the Yellow Jackets play Virginia.
Howard was offered a spot in the 2017 signing class that weekend, but his father, Jerry Howard Sr., couldn’t make the trip because he had to work that weekend.
“He knew I had committed and he couldn't wait to go back down because he enjoyed it when I went to (football) camp that summer,” Howard said. “That's all he would talk about for the next couple months until football season, 'We need to get back down to Georgia to see the coaches and everything.' So, he was very excited.”
Howard, 6-foot, 215 pounds, committed to Georgia Tech on Monday, Nov. 21.
After Howard’s commitment, Tech coaches spoke on the phone with Howard and his father, welcoming them to the Georgia Tech family.
“My dad and them just talked on the phone for like 15 minutes,” Howard said. “Then that Friday, (the coaches) couldn't even believe that it happened because they had just talked to him.”
Howard Sr. was shot and killed on Dec. 2.
While it is painful that his father will never see him play in Bobby Dodd Stadium or hear about the competition at B-back during the preseason and summer camp, Howard will play through the pain of losing his father and sister Ja'Quasha Martin who died in a car accident in January 2015.
Despite the hardship the young Howard faced while deciding where he should take his next steps in his football career, the encouragement from his future teammates and coaches convinced him that he made the right decision in becoming a Yellow Jacket.
“They don't know me at all and they rallied around me and they were there for me and everything and that's how I know that it was my home," Howard said.
Howard signed his letter-of-intent on National Signing Day and plans to enroll after he graduates from Northwestern High School.
Here’s the rest of the Q&A with Howard:
Which school was the greatest disappointment to you?
Howard: "Really no school disappointed me. Because all the ones that I visited seemed great and when I talked on the phone to the coaches they all seemed pretty eager to for me and everything."
What is the funniest thing any head coach said to you during recruiting your junior year?
Howard: "You're bigger than our guys right now that we have at running back. We could use you on the field right now,' ... I forgot which coach it was, but he said we could set you up right now and put you in there."
What's your funniest memory with Paul Johnson?
Howard: "It was in the summer, he said something related to food and I love food, so I just couldn't stop laughing. I think we were talking about barbecue or wings.”
Did you connect with any current Georgia Tech players about good places to find wings in Atlanta?
Howard: “The players took me to a couple good places down there. I'm sure they're not as good as the ones (in Rock Hill, SC) though."
Would you do anything differently in the recruiting process if you had to go back and do it over again?
Howard: "I guess be a little more open. Instead of just closing everything out."
How could you have been a little more open?
Howard: "(I could have) actually given some college coaches a chance to talk to me. When I had my mind made up, I made it up pretty strongly."
What schools would you want to visit and learn about?
Howard: "I've never been further than four hours away from my house, so I probably would want to go visit some places like Texas, Florida, New York and stuff. I would probably try to visit Army, West Point and a couple more places further out."
Which college coach the hardest for you to turn down?
Howard: "Oh, ECU. I was committed to them and when I just told them I was decommitting, that was pretty hard for me, but they were pretty straightforward and saying, 'Thanks for telling us that,’ and everything."
When you look back on withdrawing your commitment from ECU, do you know you made the right choice?
Howard: "Oh, yes definitely for my grades. Definitely for my education. I know I made the best decision of my life."
Did you have any rumors going around about you during recruiting?
Howard: "A lot of coaches thought I didn't have enough top speed. But as you can see from my 40, I ran a 4.54, I believe. For my size you can tell that I move pretty (fluidly), but that was just one of the rumors going around for a while."
What are Georgia Tech's expectations of you as a freshman?
Howard: "I know for one thing they wanted me in shape, but that's all I know for right now."
What do you want Georgia Tech fans to know about you?
Howard: "That I'm on a mission and I will complete the mission."
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