Thomas Howard was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas. He is the son of Thomas, Sr. and Percilla Howard. His father was a first team All-American linebacker at Texas Tech in 1976 and played 9 years in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs and the St. Louis Cardinals. Thomas has three brothers and his cousin Terry is a member of En Vogue. Thomas played football and ran track at Estacado High School in Lubbock. He was an all-city and all-district defensive back who racked up 100 tackles and 2 interceptions as a senior. Upon graduation Thomas wasn’t a highly recruited player. His father wanted him to stay home and go to a local college without even pursing football. Against his father’s wishes Thomas attended the University of Texas-El Paso where he walked-on as a 200 pound defensive back and redshirted in 2001. By his redshirt freshman season, Howard had put on 15-20 pounds of bulk. He recorded 31 tackles, a pass breakup and returned a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown in just four starts on the year. By his sophomore season, Thomas was a fulltime starter at weakside linebacker. He finished second on the team in tackles with 118 stops on the year, had 2 sacks and returned an interception 56 yards against Sam Houston. The following year Howard moved to strong side linebacker where over the course of his final two seasons he recorded 135 tackles, 11 sacks, 3 interceptions, and two fumble recoveries. He finished his career as one of the most athletic linebackers in the country and one of the top outside linebacker prospects available in the 2006 NFL draft.

Thomas Howard combines the size and strength of a prototypical linebacker with the speed of a defensive back. He is a versatile player who has started at both weak and strong side linebacker, playing both positions at a high level. He has been a very durable player without a single injury during his time at UTEP. He is an extremely hard hitter and a fundamentally sound tackler. Howard is arguably the fastest linebacker in the nation with speed that allows him to make plays sideline to sideline as well as put pressure on the quarterback. He has proven to be an excellent leader both on and off the field. Although he has great speed for a linebacker, his speed can also be a weakness at times—He has a tendency to overrun plays every now and then. He also needs to improve his coverage ability to become a more complete linebacker at the professional level. Thomas Howard has all the tools to become an impact player at the next level. He is a sure first day pick who has a chance to move into the first round of the 2006 NFL draft.