McDonogh’s season didn’t start on the right foot as they dropped lost four of their first five games, including a 24-7 loss to Calvert Hall, but found what works midseason and stuck with it to salvage the regular season. To no surprise, three-star athlete Preston Howard played a huge role for the Eagles doing so as McDonogh won four of their last five games, including a 45-6 thrashing over Gilman.
Lining up at tight end, wide receiver, linebacker, and safety at times this season, Howard was Mr. Versatile once more for McDonogh and helped lead his team into the MIAA-A championship against Calvert Hall, one week after a stunning 7-0 upset over Archbishop Spalding. McDonogh ended up falling to Calvert Hall 14-8 in the championship game, but Howard finished his regular season with 12 total touchdowns, over 1,000 yards from scrimmage, three interceptions, and around 20 tackles as McDonogh head coach Hakeem Sule was reminded once more of the versatile weapon he’s enjoyed for four seasons.
“I just really think given he switched positions, I think he really showed his football IQ. To be able to fill in at multiple positions and to excel at those positions is really going to pay dividends for him at the next level,” Sule told Inside the Black and Gold. “He played wide receiver for most of the year because we primarily didn’t have a tight end in the offense at the start of the year, so we just said it’s best for him to learn how to run routes and do those things on the outside where he’d be able to take advantage of that at the beginning of the year. He can do it all.”
Howard opted for Maryland over Syracuse and Penn State in the final stages of his recruitment, but he’s expected to join the Terps’ program as an athlete and fill in as the Terps’ lone tight end this cycle. Sule views Howard as “a kid who just wants to play football,” a big reason why he’s so willing to play so many different positions this fall, but Howard proved he can be a dynamic athlete at the Power Five level.
“His athleticism and size, you take a guy that’s 6-foot-5 and hasn’t even touched the weight room yet and given his ability to run, he has a beautiful long-distance stride and the ability to get in and out of breaks. That’ll help him transition well to the next level.” The weight room is always the first stop for high school prospects as they prepare for the college game, but to Sule, Howard’s development is contingent on how he first fits into the room. “Always when he’s making the transition to receiver or tight end, it’s going to be route running and obviously depending on how they want to use him, whether it’s a tight end or an H-back, blocking so that’ll come down to getting stronger and getting into the weight room. When he gets around those guys and learns more about the culture of Maryland football, I think he’ll excel.”
Aside from the football aspect, Howard’s high school career is complete as Sule explains what he’ll miss most about coaching his four-year leader.
“He’s a selfless individual with the mindset of winning, so he’s willing to do whatever the coaching staff and program will need him to do and at the end of the day, he just wants to win,” Sule added. “Aside from the coaching aspect, he’s been a part of our program for four years and he’s produced a lot of touchdowns so when you think about how you replace that type of impact, it’s going to be challenging. A guy with his leadership, production, athletic ability, it’s tough.”
Howard is rated a three-star prospect and an 88 overall on 247Sports, sitting as the 11th-best prospect in Maryland.