Isaiah Howard went from off the radar to a priority target in one week

Grayson Grundhoefer and Colt Barber contributed to this report.

Isaiah Howard‍ (Loganville, GA/Grayson) was one of five prospects from the powerhouse program in Georgia to receive an offer from Baylor last week. The offer from Baylor was his first Power 5 offer and his first division one offer.

Baylor assistant coach Evan Cooper was the assistant coach to extend the offer to the Grayson prospects including Howard, but a visit with Baylor assistant Fran Brown was possibly the most important part of his recruitment so far.

Howard, who recently made the move along with his family from Delanco, New Jersey to Georgia with his family, received a call from Brown to discuss the offer. Howard said there was no prior relationship with Brown, but he and his mother felt a connection immediately.

"No sir," Howard said. "It was crazy because me and my mother were talking to him last night and he was talking about how he came from up north and how he has a lot of family up in Jersey. I understood that he was just someone I could relate to mainly because we come from the same place, same area."

While the question might arise if Baylor truly wants Howard as part of their program or if the offer was simply to entice his teammates and friends to possibly join him in Waco, that is definitely not the case. After seeing the 6-foo-4, 285-pound defensive linemen in person, the Baylor staff sees a clear fit for Howard on the defense moving forward and belives he will be able to succeed in Waco.

“We’re getting to know each other well and they have said nothing but great things thus far," Howard said.  "They said they’re impressed by my size and how well I get to the ball. They run a 3-4 defense and right now we play a 3-3 stack. So I would fit right into their defense because it’s what I’m already used too, but I can adjust to anything."

With his natural power, strength, speed and impressive size (6-4, 285), Howard fits the mold of what Baylor continues to search for on the defensive line. Though his name continue to fly under the radar at the national and even local level despite playing at Grayson, he could be a real difference maker up front.

He overpowers everyone he faces with his strength but still has some work to do technique wise as all high school prospects do. Like several early Baylor evaluations, Howard is the kind of prospect that will end up getting a ton of offers when it is all said and done but Baylor has left their mark.

Outside of Baylor showing faith in him first, a part of his recruitment that will likely be a factor is his faith, something that is very important to him. Baylor could be a place that allows him to grow in this aspect of his life.

“I think that Baylor being a faith based school is a huge plus for me," Howard said. "Also, yes, I believe Baylor will provide many unique opportunities for not just myself if I commit, but everyone who attends.”

The faith aspect could be a big selling point for the Baylor staff, but Howard has some additional qualities that are going to be extremely important to him for whichever school he ultimately chooses. He will not only choose the school that displays these qualities he also wants to embody them himself.

“This might sound like something everyone says, but the most important things to me are leadership and toughness," Howard said. 

"I really mean it. Throughout my life I played with a group of guys who did drugs or the coaches would be thinking they’re one person but I know they’re not who they presume to be. Guys who are looked upon as leaders but they aren’t. And guys who flip on their teammates when things get hard.

"God has spoken and said, “blesseth the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” Due to what I’ve been through in my life and everything given, I know I’m the meek and I will be that leader I want to be, and I will be a God fearing man until my last breath.

"If I decide to go to Baylor, I wanna bring something to that school that nobody has seen before. My Father shall make his prophecies known. The face of man will never overlap the face of God. Unto all nations of this land of milk and honey, so I say lean towards me! For I will represent my Father’s righteousness and his holiness like no other has done before me. Like no other will do after.

"This is the most important thing that I’m bringing to the school I commit to," Howard stated.

Along with the offer from Baylor, Howard has also received interest from Texas and Clemson. 

Howard plans to take an official visit to Baylor around Dec. 6.