Florida Football Recruiting: Jamari Howard is a dynamic playmaker

As Florida football has one of its most important weekends in the 2024 recruiting cycle this week, Jamari Howard was originally supposed to be on campus this weekend but had to reschedule.

The former Michigan State commit will now be on campus June 16 in what appears to be a two-horse race between the Gators and FSU.

His film and legit track speed make him an athlete that Florida is willing to wait on for his visit.

Florida Football: Speed kills

Listed at 6’2″ and 175 pounds, Howard is a top 100 four-star prospect out of Miami. His main position is defensive back, but he also plays little wide receiver and has served as a punt and kickoff returner.

While his junior season film isn’t very long, Howard immediately pops out as the most athletic player on the field. As a kick returner, he can run around Dante Hall style and find the endzone as if he was playing a video game.

As a defensive back, he has a ton of range, and it doesn’t matter if he plays off-man or in a press. His instincts for the ball are great, and he is a sure-handed tackler in the open field.

He also has legit track speed to back up his film. This past season, Howard ran 48.94 seconds in the 400-meter dash to place 7th in the class 3A state championships in Florida.

The only real question is whether that 400 speed will translate to SEC speed. Xzaiver Henderson, for example, was a state champion in the 400, and he never quite felt like the fastest player.

And at 175 pounds, he will need to add at least 15 pounds.

For his senior season of high school, Howard will be with Miami Central. Billy Napier, Corey Raymond, and the rest of Florida football hope that his freshman season of college football with be with the Florida Gators.