Missouri Football: Interview with Rockhurst 2021 ATH Cashius Howell
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
Rockhurst has a rich history of football in Kansas City as the Hawklets have won nine state championships and produce highly recruited college prospects every season. In 2019, Rockhurst finished 7-4 and reached the second round of the 6A playoffs giving up just 14.5 points a game while scoring 21.5 points per contest. One player who excelled on both sides of the ball for the Hawklets was junior Cashius Howell.
This athletic phenom spent time at defensive end and linebacker while racking over 30 tackles, 13 sacks, and four deflections. Howell also spent time at tight end and wide receiver where he snagged 17 passes for 280 yards.
This 6’4”, 215-pound, playmaker has a great first step at the snap then he uses his athleticism and explosiveness to wreak havoc in the opponent’s backfield. Howell also possesses good speed, strength and athleticism.
This class of 2021 recruit currently has six college offers and is also drawing from several Big 12 programs along with Air Force. Not only does Howell star on the football team but also on the basketball team and in the classroom where he has 3.9 GPA.
In an exclusive Recruiting News Guru interview, I caught up with the Rockhurst star to discuss his monstrous junior season and his recruiting process.
Interview
Cashius, how would you describe your individual performance in 2019 and why?
“I would describe my 2019 performance as a wakeup call to not only people in my city, but for people all across the country. I would say this because that was my first season as a varsity player and it shows that all my hard work and persistence was paying off.”
What are your strengths on the football field?
“My strengths defensively are definitely explosion and my first step off the ball while having violent hands to get the tackle’s hands off of me so I can get to that quarterback, or whoever has the ball. Offensively, my strengths are that I am bigger for a receiver with good speed and athletic ability. I can go up and grab one or run a crisp route and grab it that way too.”
What was your most memorable moment last year?
“My most memorable moment from the season is after we played Jeff city and I realized that I had broken the record for most sacks (5) in a single game by one player in Rockhurst history.”
What kind of challenges did you face in your junior season?
“One challenge I faced last year was injuring my hip pointer in practice.”
How did you overcome this challenge/injury?
“I overcame this by rehabbing it really hard and making sure that I was ready for the game on Friday so I could help my team win.”
Did you receive any individual honors last year?
“As I said before, I broke the record for most sacks in one game in history, I also ended up No. 2 in Rockhurst history for most sacks with (13). I was also named first team All-District as well.”
Do you have any college offers at this time?
“At the moment I have six Division I offers one of those being an FBS offer including Missouri State, North Dakota, South Dakota South, Southern Illinois, South Dakota and Akron.”
Are there any other schools showing you interest?
“Schools like Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Illinois State, Air Force, and North Dakota are interested as well.”
Have you been to any college camps?
“I did last year going into my junior year as a wide receiver. It was the Rice camp in Houston.”
Are you planning to go to more this summer?
“I plan to go to more camps this summer like USC, Kansas State, Missouri, Kansas, Rivals, 810 Varsity, Lindenwood, and Hawaii.”
What are you working on the most this offseason?
“Mostly in the off season I plan on working on gaining more weight in muscle and I am always trying to perfect my footwork. I am also working on my speed, agility, and explosion aspects as well.”
What is your fastest 40-yard dash time?
“4.67.”
Do you play any other sports in high school?
“I play basketball for my school as a shooting guard/small forward.”
What is your GPA?
“My GPA is 3.9.”
What is your favorite subject in school and why?
“My favorite subject is either chemistry or physics, because I am really good with numbers.”
What do you like most about playing at Rockhurst?
“I like the brotherhood of playing at Rockhurst.”
Thank you for your time and good luck in your senior season.
“Thank you, sir.”
Photo credit: Ryan Kelly; Rockhurst ATH Cashius Howell
Photo credit: Ryan Kelly; Rockhurst ATH Cashius Howell