LINCOLN — The second fastest man in Alabama, Lincoln’s Brandon Howard, has found a home for the next two years. On Tuesday afternoon in the school’s library Howard signed a track scholarship to Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, IA.

“It is a relief off of my shoulders,” Howard said. “They offered it to me and I was willing to take it. This is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Howard had other junior colleges such as South Plains in Texas and Chattahoochee Tech in Georgia interested in him. Howard said his mother helped him make his decision.

“She told me that it was the best place for me. After talking to the coaching staff and some of the track members from up there, they made me feel like I was at home.”

After his impressive showing in the state track meet, Howard caught the attention of a track coach at a major university. Lincoln head coach Skylar Manfield believes he has the opportunity to be a star.

“A Division I coach brought to the attention to the coach in Iowa that he was unsigned and that he was a prospect,” Mansfield said. “He got in touch with me about Brandon. He really wanted him. He had a kid that was going to transfer and they saw an opportunity to get his schooling paid for, get an education and run track. It is a community college which he will have the opportunity once he graduates from junior college to walk on to a major university and be a track star one day.”

Howard put on a show at the state track meet as he won the long jump, the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.61 seconds and the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.52.

Howard earned the second fastest times in the 100 and the 200-meter dash in the state this year. Howard came in second in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.71.

“All my events were back to back at state,” Howard said. “The long jump, the 100, the 200 and the 110 hurdles. If it wasn’t for my teammates, coach Mansfield and coach (Mary) Rivers I don’t think I would have made it. I was ready to give up, but they pushed me to it and we came in second.”

Howard’s older brother DJ Howard was a part of the Golden Bears team that won the state title in 2008. Brandon said he took the advice that DJ gave him and ran with it.

“(DJ) told me to go out there and do what I have to do and leave all out there on the track and don’t look back,” Howard said.

Brandon said the Clemson University running back doesn’t want to race him.

“He said when he comes home he will race me, but he never will,” Howard said. “I have been waiting on him, but he wont race me.”

Mansfield believes Howard is the best athlete he has seen come through Lincoln.

“Brandon is a phenomenal athlete,” Mansfield said. “I don’t think we every had one to come through that run likes he runs and jumps like he jumps. Brandon did the hurdles and he didn’t have any feel of the hurdles. He never jumped a hurdle ever. He didn’t have confidence that he could do the hurdles, but once he tried it and competed against other people that do it, it was like a light switch went on: ‘OK I can be real good at this.’ That was his mindset; he did what he had to do. He was second in the state, but he posted his best time in an event that he barely ran.

“In his first year in track that is unheard of.”

Contact LaVonte Young at lyoung@dailyhome.com.