“Checking the tape” is a weekly series that highlights the Ole Miss football team’s offseason acquisitions. Whether it’s coaches, transfers or recruits, sports writer Owen Pustell goes in-depth and analyzes each individual. This week, Pustell takes a look at transfer quarterback Walker Howard.
Howard is a redshirt freshman quarterback from Lafayette, Louisiana. He prepped at St. Thomas More High School and was ranked as the 40th prospect nationally and the fifth overall at his position by 247Sports. He committed to LSU but entered the transfer portal after just one season with the Tigers.
Height/Weight/Position: 6’1/195/QB
2022 Stats: two completions for seven yards, six carries for 33 yards.
Strengths
Howard has limited college film (four pass attempts and six rushes last season), but there is plenty of material to judge him on nonetheless.
His high school highlight tape is riddled with “wow” plays that justify his lofty ranking. Howard has a terrific arm, and he can make those far-hash throws that offensive coordinators salivate over.
Additionally, Howard brings a flare to the game. He routinely makes off-platform throws, allowing him to torch defenses inside or outside of the pocket.
The aspect of Howard’s game that was best displayed last season was his athleticism. He is no Lamar Jackson, but he certainly has enough juice to pop off a third down scramble every once in a while.
He also uses this athleticism to navigate the pocket. His high school tape is chock full of Howard rhythmically stepping into space, setting his feet and delivering accurate passes.
There’s a lot to be excited about from a talent standpoint, but of course he must display that on Saturdays.
Weaknesses
The obvious drawback is Howard’s lack of experience. He was the third-string QB for the Tigers last season, but given how Jayden Daniels played, that should be no surprise.
Last season, Howard attempted only four throws (of which he completed two for seven yards) and carried the ball six times. All of his snaps came in garbage time, meaning that he has yet to play a truly meaningful amount of football in college.
That being said, those numbers are not unexpected for a true freshman. Rebel fans may be nervous about young quarterbacks given the performance of Jaxson Dart last season, and those are valid concerns. It will be up to the staff, Howard and to a lesser extent the other QBs in the room to make sure that Howard can get up to speed with the college game.
Projection
Ole Miss has a three-headed snake at QB next season.
Dart returns as the starter, Spencer Sanders transfers from Oklahoma State as an experienced vet and Howard comes in as the young guy with tons of potential. Though I don’t know who will start, I am pretty sure it won’t be Howard.
He has the most potential of the group, but it’s still early in his career, and there isn’t a particularly high chance he can beat out both the vets. That being said, I believe he will be the QB with the second-highest snap count next season. His development is the most important part of Lane Kiffin’s future at Ole Miss, and making sure he can get game action is crucial.
Fun Fact
Howard’s father, Jamie, played QB at LSU from 1992-1995. During that time, LSU went 2-2 against Ole Miss.
