Freshman Trent Howland Recovering from ACL Injury and Striving for Impact

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Like all high school football players in the state of Illinois, Trent Howland did not get a senior season. After a stellar junior year where he ran for 1,401 yards on 178 carries with 14 touchdowns, was the Southwest Prairie Conference Most Valuable Player and led Joliet West High School to its first conference title in 50 years, Howland was hoping for more in 2020. The season was cancelled due to COVID-19, preventing Howland and his fellow players from the 2020 campaign. The impact was a bit different for the 6’3”, 230 pound running back though as he would have not been able to play anyway. Howland tore his ACL prior to the season and knew his high school career was over long before administrators cancelled the Illinois high school season.

“It was not a big impact on me because I already tore my ACL so I was going to be out for the senior season anyway,” Howland told the media late last week. “But when I heard the news, it kind of did affect me at the same time because I knew some of my other teammates that were trying to get college exposure, this would not allow them that opportunity.”

Fortunately for Howland, several schools had seen enough to offer him scholarships and he had already chosen the Indiana Hoosiers as the place he wanted to play his collegiate ball. Before he arrived, Mike Hart left for the University of Michigan and IU brought Deland McCullough back from the NFL to coach the running back position. Trent Howland is fitting in well with his new teammates and coach.

“I’m fitting in good, I mean, the guys are a big help to me and I look up to him (Coach McCullough). Knowing I have those guys who have the experience already playing college football just makes it much easier for me whenever I need help,” Howland said.

Howland is roughly six months past the surgery to repair his ACL and he has begun workouts and being on the field with his fellow running backs. “I’m just going through the motions, trying to get used to get enough feeling back to being back to normal. I’m doing good,” Howland explained.

The Indiana Hoosiers are not counting on Howland to produce much in his first season in Bloomington. Coming off the injury and behind guys like Sampson James, Stephen Carr, Tim Baldwin and David Ellis, it’s very possible he rarely sees the field in 2021. However, most of those players are upperclassmen and Howland fellow freshman David Holloman will be expected to start featuring at tailback in the not too distant future.

“I have to work hard for what I want, Coach McCullough is going to give me opportunities but he’s not just going to throw me a spot to go out there and play right away. I’m going to have to earn everything and he’s going to help me become a good player,” Howland said of his new position coach. “He’s going to do the same with me as he does everyone else. Help us on our footwork, reading the hole, attack the hole, get downhill fast and just make a play.”