All this positive talk about Howell is why I find it so hard to believe that Izzo is putting all his eggs for a three-man 09 class in Jamil Wilson and March 2009. Sure, you could save the fourth scholarship for 2010 but you'd have to be confident that the player who receives that scholarship will be a better fit/prospect than someone you could get enrolled a year earlier, such as Howell in particular or even Riley with a redshirt.
Secondly, if Wilson ultimately turns
MSU down (say in February), are there really four players in '10 all of whom are a better use of a scholarship than Howell?
Obviously, part of recruiting is risk but I'd hate to see this end badly with no Wilson and no Howell.