BREAKING: LSU QB Walker Howard Enters NCAA Transfer Portal
In this story:
LSU quarterback Walker Howard has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal after just one season with the program, sources confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
Howard, a former 5-star recruit in the 2022 class, received tremendous praise from the LSU coaching staff after his lone season in Baton Rouge.
With the LSU legacy “up next,” all signs pointed to Howard taking on a bigger role once Jayden Daniels’ time in Death Valley ended after 2023.
Head Coach Brian Kelly harped on the growth he’s seen from Howard since his arrival to campus last spring:
“I would say every day that he is with us, there's more knowledge because I'm in the meetings with the quarterbacks. He has a great football knowledge. He is mentally strong. He believes he is better than every quarterback we have, which is awesome. I love that,” Kelly said. “I don't mean that in any way other than he just has that kind of make-up, which is what you want. He respects everybody in the room. But, yeah, he continues to develop, and we have a good feeling about him.”
An early enrollee in the spring, Howard sat behind Daniels, Myles Brennan and Garrett Nussmeier while he learned the ropes. Clearly Brennan elected to hang up his cleats, but for Howard to have some time to soak in the knowledge of a quarterback like Brennan, who has been around for quite some time, is crucial.
Now, the Louisiana native will look elsewhere to continue his football career. A highly-touted signal-caller out of high school, Howard will have a running list of suitors to choose from. Howard will have four years of eligibility remaining.
The Tigers return starting quarterback Jayden Daniels for the 2023 season along with backup Garrett Nussmeier. 2023 signee Rickie Collins will enroll early and be with the program this spring.
Brian Kelly’s Transfer Portal Message:
“They have got to be the right fit first,” Kelly said. “They have to recognize the value of an education from LSU. They have to have the right traits. We are not just open for business. We’re not just putting a sign up saying, hey, we are going to take whoever. They have to be the right fit. I prefer that they are from the state of Louisiana if we can find them. And then we are going to address needs based upon how that freshman class marries into it by the particular needs by position class.
“So we are not going to overload a particular position group. In other words, if we have got three or four wide receivers that are freshmen coming in, you may not see a heavy influence in the portal in that position.
“We are going to develop based upon our freshman class, too. So we are doing this at the same time, and also allowing our program to be younger, too. We want to bring both of these along. We don’t always want to be a turn-it-over program where we are bringing in transfers and turning the program over.”
