Wagner College isn’t necessarily a dream school for elite high-school football prospects, but for James Howell III, Staten Island may as well have been Southern California. The Fort Hamilton standout drew serious interest from Fordham and Stony Brook, but Wagner was where he wanted to be.
“It was really easy when they offered me a scholarship,” said the versatile senior, who recently verbally committed to the College Football Subdivision program and plans to put pen to paper next Wednesday on National Signing Day. “Wagner had been recruiting me since my junior year. They were always around. The coaching staff showed me so much respect and love.”
The speedy 5-foot-11 Howell, who had a team-high 92 tackles, four sacks and scored seven touchdowns in helping the Tigers to their third city championship in six years, was nervous scholarship offers may not come along. He was often overshadowed by other teammates, such as Syracuse-bound senior Brandon Reddish, The Post’s All-City Player of the Year. Fort Hamilton coach Danny Perez figured his time would come. Howell, the coach always said, was the team’s leader as its captain, three-way player and link between coaching staff and players.
“I knew what kind of player he was and something would open up for him,” Perez said.
Adding to the accomplishment, Howell has battled Type 1 diabetes for three years. He would wear an insulin pump when he wasn’t playing and have his blood sugar tested five times a game — before warmups, before the first quarter, before the second quarter, at halftime and before the fourth quarter.
“It means everything to me,” he said. “It solidified the kind of player I am to receive a Division I scholarship.”