Howell attended William S. Hart High School in Newhall, California where he played football for the Indians as a running back and ran track as a sprinter, long jumper, and triple jumper. Rivals.com selected him as the number 16 all-purpose back in the country and was chosen by PrepStar to be part of the All-West Region for the class of 2008 as well as a first-team all-state selection. Howell set multiple school records in his time at Hart, including rushing yards, total touchdowns, points scored, and yards from scrimmage. He was named the 2007 CIF-Southern Section Northern DivisionOffensive Player of the Year.
Collegiate career
Howell competed in both football and track & field at Stanford University where he wore number 26 on the field. In track & field, he owned Stanford's best mark of 2011 in the long jump at 23-8 3/4. As a freshman, Howell played football as a running back where he had a season best 59 rushing yards and 94 passing yards against San Jose State and as a kickoff returner where he averaged 25.8 yards per return. In his second year, he transferred to defense as a strong safety and totaled two interceptions, three pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. When he played the University of Washington he became the first Stanford player to have two interceptions in one game since 2007 and had a career-high 15 tackles against California. Junior year Howell made the All-Pac-10 second team and had 60 tackles, including 8 against USC, 11 against the University of Arizona and 12 against Notre Dame. Against the University of Oregon, Howell picked up 8 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery. In his final year at Stanford, Howell missed three games due to a hand injury. He went on, however, to total seven tackles against Oklahoma State in Cardinal's 41-38 loss in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl. He was awarded the Jack Huston Award for "the player who best exemplifies aggressiveness, exceptional performance and unheralded efforts" and was named to the All-Pac-12 Conference first team. Howell ended his career at Stanford with 190 total tackles and seven interceptions in his 34 games.
Professional career
Howell was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Buffalo Bills in April 2012 as a strong safety — the same position he played for three years in college. He is the seventh Hart High School graduate to play professionally after MiamiquarterbackMatt Moore and former Oakland quarterback Kyle Boller. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts on November 28, 2012. On October 6, 2013, Howell returned a field goal blocked by Lawrence Guy 61 yards for a Touchdown, with the Colts trailing 12-7 at the time. The play turned out to be one of the key moments in the Colts 34-28 win over the eventual Super Bowl XLVIII champion Seattle Seahawks.
