Someone earned themselves a rankings bump! Representing St. Paul Public School competitor St. Paul Johnson, 2027 WR/DB AJ Howard AJ Howard 6'2" | 160 lbs | DB St. Paul Johnson | 2027 State MN came into the summer as the most underrated of these eventual under-the-radar winners, making his ascension into D1-offeree and eventual commit even more special. As you can see from the current ranking, PRZMN had no clue how athletic this 651 product is, and Howard put us, as well as the regional coaches in attendance at this summer’s UWRF Mega Camp, popping off a 4.7 flat in the 40, a 9’8″ broad, and 32″ vert at UWRF Mega Camp, where he also earned a shoutout from PRZMN for his performance during 1v1s, where he was dynamic and competitive from his DB spot and more than able to contain even the most explosive wideouts in attendance. Big, long, and always around the football, Howard is able to make plays at all three levels of the field defensively thanks to his overall range, can play 1v1 man-coverage out of the slot, and really looks impressive running the alley and making tackles behind the LOS. Thumper of a tackler from his safety spot as well. Came into the summer with a lone offer from Augsburg but added St. Thomas after the UWRF camp, MSU-Moorhead joined in later with a D2 offer as well but committed to the Tommies around a month and a week after his Tommies opportunity joined the fray. Good land for UST right out of their backyard as well.

In PRZMN’s opinion and perspective, the biggest winner of the 2026 UWRF MNWI Mega Camp was St. Paul Johnson’s AJ Howard AJ Howard 6'2" | 160 lbs | DB St. Paul Johnson | 2027 State MN . Reppin’ the 651 and reppin’ it well, Howard elevated himself from D3 offeree to D1 offeree thanks to a camp performance over the border in Wisconsin that I’m sure he’ll remember for a while. Howard kicked things off with a 4.77 40, 4.65 shuttle, 9’8.5″ broad, and 32.9″ vert that really turned the heads of the college programs in attendance, and the 6′, 155 lber. transitioned very well to 1v1 to boot. Howard did a great job of showcasing his suddenness as a route runner, as well as his ability to shut down in a blink, drop his hips when breaking at the top of the top, and generally working and running routes with quickness and twitch. Howard was earning good win after good win at the UWRF camp and was creating separation against some mighty good DB competition. Someone is due for a ranking’s bump!

A two-sport athlete (Football/Basketball) who impressed at the PRZ Stockup Showcase in December, Howard racked up 50 ttcks, 2 PBUs, and 1 INT during his junior season. As a safety, Howard plays a very heads-up brand of football. He capitalizes on receivers’ mistakes and creates problems for wideouts running routes across the middle of the field. I like his closing speed a lot, which ties hand in hand with his physicality when tackling. Howard doesn’t shy away from contact and can lay the wood on a QB rolling out of the pocket, or a wideout turning upfield. His utility in the run game makes him a valuable safety valve for the Governors, and I expect him to play a large role on that defense in 2026.