Clarence “Chip” Howard is a big man with a big assignment: To try and return football glory to the North Side.

At 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, Coach Howard who looks like he could play NFL noseguard, succeeds John Marshall High School’s former coach, Willie Gillus.

“I see great things ahead,” Coach Howard told the Free Press. “There’s a lot to look forward to.”

The Justices, who open at home Aug. 26 (1 p.m.) against Greensville, were 3-7 last season and 1-3 in 2021, when the program was suspended because of dwindling numbers.

There was no JM football in 2020 due to the pandemic.

“When I was hired inApril, we only had six to eight kids coming for workouts ... now it’s more like 25-26,” he said, noting there is no JV program for now.

This is a “country comes to city” scenario.

Coach Howard arrived at JM from rural Amelia High where he led the Raiders to a 13-10 record and two Class 2 playoff appearances in two seasons. Before Amelia, he coached at Southwest Guilford High in High Point, N.C.

There is quality, if not quantity, at the Old Brook Road campus.

Coach Howard is excited about sophomore quarterback Jaylen Williams, who he expects to “lead the team the next few years.”

Senior running back/defensive back Khabeer Adderley has some “18 scholarship offers,” said Coach Howard, who noted that he is the great nephew of former Green Bay Packers cornerback and Super Bowl champion Herb Adderley.

Others in key positions include Marshaun Bega, Jeahvon Singleton, Wayne Williams and Donta Everett. Many of the Justices will be asked to play both offense and defense.

Meanwhile, Coach Howard is focused on the future. That means building a better “pipeline” from the nearby Hotchkiss and Battery Park youth programs.

“That’s something we haven’t tapped into enough and many of those kids are winding up at Thomas Jefferson and the county schools,” Coach Howard said.

“We plan on inviting those kids to our games on Fridays and going to their games on Saturdays.”

While there currently are no field lights at JM, there is a new scoreboard, and the field will be dedicated to longtime former Coach Lou Anderson.

After excelling at Highland Springs High, Coach Howard never played at Virginia State University where he earned his degree.

“I made some bad decisions ... wasted some opportunities,” he said. “That’s why I got into coaching, to make sure the kids coming along don’t make the same mistakes.”