Homegrown Tracy Howard Proud to be a Cane
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes have a long tradition of homegrown talent showcasing itself on the football field.
Canes legends like Michael Irvin, Sean Taylor, Jonathan Vilma, Santana Moss and Bennie Blades are just a handful of South Florida natives who shined while donning Miami’s orange and green.
Each week in the 2014 season, HurricaneSports.com will honor a Hurricane football player with South Florida ties as the Milam’s Market Homegrown Athlete of the Week. This week’s player spotlight is on Miramar, Fla., native Tracy Howard.
Tracy Howard has always been proud of his South Florida roots.
The Miramar, Fla., native was a star defensive back at Miramar High School, but Howard identifies with Dade County, too, having spent nearly a decade playing youth football in Miami Gardens.
Howard, who was one of the top high school cornerbacks in the country his senior year of high school, was recruited by every major college football program in the United States.
The 5-foot-11 corner could have chosen to play at in-state schools Florida or Florida State. Howard could have traveled west and played for USC or he could have followed the long line of Miramar Patriots to West Virginia.
Instead, Howard chose to stay home and play for the Hurricanes.
Howard’s decision to attend Miami is deeply rooted in his pride for his hometown. While the University of Miami offers him a world-class education and the opportunity to play college football at an elite institution, it also allows him to play in front of family and friends and with players he has shared the field with before. He is one of four Miramar High alums on the 2014 roster, joined by quarterback Ryan Williams, receiver Malcolm Lewis and linebacker Jermaine Grace.
After stepping foot on campus as a heralded recruit, Howard wasted little time making an impact. He played in all 12 games as a freshman in 2012, tallying 17 tackles and four pass breakups.
The 2013 season was when Howard really broke out as a college football player. He notched the first interception of his collegiate career in the Hurricanes’ 21-16 win over the rival Gators and finished the season with four picks, 35 total tackles, four pass breakups and a forced fumble while playing in all 13 of Miami’s games.
Howard play a key role in several of Miami’s wins in 2013, picking off two passes in a comeback victory at UNC and jumping a route on the opening play of the 2013 game against Virginia to snare an interception and return it for the first touchdown of his career. He earned the reputation as an instinctive and talented corner and his stellar play was recognized by the ACSMA, who named him honorable mention All-ACC.
Now a junior, Howard has tallied 19 tackles while playing in all 10 of the Hurricanes’ games. A veteran leader on Miami’s defense, Howard picked off a pass at Nebraska and forced a fumble in Miami’s primetime victory at Virginia Tech. The gifted defensive back will look to make some more plays against the Cavaliers this weekend as Miami travels to Charlottesville to face Virginia.
