Better Know A Signee: John Howse IV

John Howse IV

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

High School: Brentwood

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 185

Position: Defensive back

Rivals: 3-star recruit, #42 safety, #14 in Tennessee

247 Sports: 3-star recruit, #65 cornerback, #19 in Tennessee, #790 national

Other offers: Arkansas, Boston College, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, NC State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Virginia, West Virginia

Rivals being higher than 247 Sports on our signees is going to become a theme. John Howse IV, the only local player in the signing class thus far (Warren County’s CJ Taylor is currently committed to Vanderbilt, but doesn’t plan to sign until February), is ranked 14th in the state by Rivals but 19th by 247 Sports. In a sign of the times, just three of the in-state players ranked ahead of him are going to Tennessee. The Vols can no longer keep top in-state recruits away from programs like Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, and, uh, Ole Miss.

Anyway, Howse (I’m assuming this is pronounced like “house”) is a defensive back prospect who probably profiles as a safety, though he did play cornerback for his high school team. I’m guessing this based on the fact that tackling and instincts feature more prominently in his skill set than speed, but the two services are in a bit of disagreement over which position he’ll play. That probably just means he’ll end up being the nickel back or something. Clark Lea will probably recruit more players from the Nashville area than this, but Howse should be a pretty good one.