Howell believes defense can continue its hot streak

Seventeen.

That’s the Texas A&M record for sacks in a season since sacks started counting as an official statistic. Von Miller holds that mark, having tallied 17 sacks in 2009. If Cashius Howell continues on his current pace, he’ll match that record this season, putting him in rarified air with Miller and Myles Garrett as one of A&M’s elite pass rushers.

“That would definitely be an honor for Aggie Nation to give me that type of title,” he said. “I just got to continue to keep trying to perfect my craft and just put in the hard work and … just hoping for God’s grace and God’s mercy.”

During the 2024 season, Howell’s time on the field was limited by the presence of Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton, both of whom went in the first 51 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. But Howell shined in the Las Vegas Bowl with a sack and an interception, then went into the offseason with tremendous motivation.

“Every aspect — run defense, pass defense or pass pass rush, physicality, weight room explosion,” he said when asked what he focused on in the offseason. “Just every facet.”

It has paid off, as Howell’s 7 sacks are the most in the SEC and second most in the FBS. He has racked up hat tricks against Utah State and Mississippi State and leads the Aggies with 8 tackles for loss. While his performance may have grabbed the attention of people from outside of the Texas A&M program, Howell is taking his success — including an SEC Player of the Week and Defensive Lineman of the Week awards — in stride.

“I can’t say I’m surprised. I mean, this is something that I’ve really, honestly been doing. You know, I had the same mindset and the same, you know, the same everything since I was 16 years old,” he said. “I’m thankful to God, but I can’t say I’m surprised.”

The ability of Texas A&M’s defensive line to get to the quarterback has certainly surprised observers after it struggled to do so in 2024 in spite of the presence of Scourton, Stewart and Shemar Turner. Howell said the entire group, once it was assembled, had the same mindset during the offseason.

“The whole D-line group … we put a lot of emphasis on perfecting our craft and, you know, just just doing the hard work necessary to just to finish the sacks and to ultimately, you know, help produce, to ultimately help win games for the team,” he said. “So I think just, you know, just just keeping that same consistent mindset through and through is helping us this year.”

The Aggies have racked up nine sacks in their first two SEC games, but the defense as a whole has been dominant, holding Auburn and Mississppi State to a total of 19 points. Howell said several prominent players came out of the bye week after the Notre Dame win and took their games to the next level.

“I think a couple of guys: Taurean York, Will Lee, Dezz Ricks. But I think a guy that really stands out s Daymion Sanford,” he said. “Definitely in the past couple of weeks, he’s made major strides as a ball player, just within this last two weeks that definitely helped us win.”

Now the Aggies face the Florida Gators, coming off their best win of the season in a 29-21 conquest of Texas. Quarterback DJ Lagway threw for 298 yards and new arrival Dallas Wilson caught 6 passes for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns, but Howell said the objective of the A&M defense is for everyone to do their jobs every play.

“You know this is an SEC quarterback, SEC offensive line, SEC everything that we play. So, you know, obviously they’re going to have some talent. They’re going to have playmakers. They’re going to have people that can, you know, do good things on that ball, or if they wouldn’t play there,” he said. “Our mindset is mor so worried about, you know, the things we have going on, and making sure that we all do our job. And, you know, hopefully we can come out with a victory in the end.”

When asked if he thought the Aggie defense had a ceiling for its performance, Howell said the group could still get better.

“There’s no ceiling,” he said. “I feel like as long as we just come every day and just continue to have the same work ethic and the same mindset that we had, you know up to this point, who knows?”