College Football: Top 50 players for 2017

As a defender in the Big 12 you have to do a lot to earn individual recognition. You have to do even more to be seen when playing for a defense that allowed 28 points and 426.7 yards per game. That’s the quandary that Travin Howard found himself in last season.

The Big 12’s leading tackler, Howard was one of two Horned Frogs to cross the 100 tackle mark, the other being fellow linebacker Ty Summers. You can’t hold that against Howard, who also finished tied for the lead in the conference in solo tackles. In a league where runaway touchdowns have become the norm, Howard did everything he could to keep the Frogs in position to compete.

That didn’t become any easier when a Kenny Hill interception would set up short field situations. TCU’s red zone defense was horrific. They allowed a score on 90.7 percent of red zone opportunities. However, the Frogs ranked 29th in the nation in touchdown percentage allowed in the red zone. Their opponents didn’t seem to struggle to drive down the field, but when they got close the TCU defense clamped down.

A short field limited opportunities for the TCU secondary to get burned deep. With the ball in front of him Howard made play after play. His tackle for a loss numbers were modest (just four of his 130 total tackles), but it’s hard to get must pressure in the backfield in a defense playing on their heels. Howard is the heart and soul of the TCU defense. He’d like some help, but he’s proven he can do it all if he has to.