BOWLING GREEN — Before he was the coach at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Kelly Donohoe was on a rival sideline at Blue Springs.
Even as an opponent scouting Rockhurst, the player who kept sticking out to Donohoe was Cashius Howell, who seemed to constantly disrupt what the offense was doing.
No matter where the ball went, the film showed Howell affecting the play, one way or another.
Howell, listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and rated by 247Sports as a three-star prospect, is among the rare breed of high school players who can play just about anywhere — he played four positions in high school — but is likely to be an edge rusher in college.
Donohoe said he believes Howell is "Kansas City's most destructive defensive football player," and though Kansas City isn't typically Bowling Green territory, the senior is on track to become a Falcon when the early signing period officially begins Wednesday.
“Looking around to the local schools — [Kansas], Missouri, K-State — I really felt he could have gone there and really helped them,” Donohoe said. “For him to go to Bowling Green, I think they've got a guy that can play immediately for them.”
Howell, who could not be reached for comment, is not the highest-rated recruit in Bowling Green's projected class — an honor that belongs to Central Catholic wide receiver Tae'Shaun Johnson — but is likely the most versatile.
Upon taking the job at Rockhurst, Donohoe said he came up with an idea for Howell beyond the regular duties for a defensive end.
The coach reasoned that if Howell's athleticism made him a menace for offensive lines to block, he was likely just as difficult to tackle.
“We were sitting in there the summer watching how quick and explosive he was, and we're like, ‘My Gosh, why don't we give this guy a chance to play to play tailback?’” Donohoe said. “We had a big, old fullback, so we started giving [Howell] the ball in the summertime and realized we were onto something.”
An ankle injury prevented Howell from playing a full season, but a small sample size showed his range. In the first game, he sacked the quarterback five times, then ran for 150-plus yards and two touchdowns in the second.
Bowling Green projects Howell as a defensive end, but one with hybrid potential who can hold up in the running game like a lineman but play in space like a linebacker.
Howell drew a wide range of offers late in his high school career, and ended with more than 20. Howell drew offers from two Ivy League schools — Cornell and Dartmouth, two of the service academies, and the top FCS program in North Dakota State in addition to offers from MAC schools like BG, Central Michigan, Ball State, and Akron.
Despite the variance of college choices, Howell picked Bowling Green largely because of his relationship with special teams coordinator Jake Schoonover. With many programs chasing Howell, he committed to the Falcons earlier this month after visiting previously.
“He and his family went up there and liked it and felt comfortable,” Donohoe said. “Credit to Coach Schoonover and that staff up there for staying on him and not giving up on him. They've got quite a gem, for sure.”
First Published December 15, 2020, 10:56 p.m.
