Four-star quarterback commit Mack Howard explains his decision to join Utah
On Saturday, March 26, the University of Utah football program received a commitment from 2023 four-star quarterback Mack Howard from Oxford, MS. After visiting Utah on Friday, Howard had seen enough to be confident in his decision, which he announced via twitter.
Ranked the No. 13 quarterback in the class of 23', Howard held offers from programs such as Cincinnati, Houston and Louisville, while also being actively recruited by schools like Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida State and Miami.
However, just a day after his official visit, Howard was thoroughly impressed with the program being built in Salt Lake City and was confident enough to commit.
According to Howard, he was interested in Utah long before as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Andy Ludwig connected with him early on.
"It was a special moment," Howard said. "Coach Ludwig came to Mississippi, he watched me throw and once he got done, I talked to him for a little bit, he locked in my phone number and told me I had an offer. He said he didn't really do that quite often so, for him to do that and say that was a really special moment for me and its pretty hard to put into words."
During his visit, Howard continued to be impressed by not only Utah's offense, but the way the coaches and staff treated him while on campus.
"I went to a lot of schools, met with a ton of coaches and I never had that home feeling. Where as, when I went to Utah, they greeted me, I sat in the quarterback meeting and that was just unbelievable, and I feel like I was a good fit in that offense. Coach Ludwig does a good job of utilizing his talent every year," Howard said.
"I think the biggest thing for me too is just the way they treated my family," Howard continued. "There's a lot of places you go and it was just a different vibe than anywhere I have been. Just seeing the way the coaches and everybody treated the players. I mean, you can tell those guys love their coaches and love playing for them...they make it a job you love. Seeing that gave me a really good feeling."
As for the quarterback room he'll be joining, Howard was impressed with the versatility of the room with guys like Ja'Quinden Jackson, Bryson Barnes and Brandon Rose who each have their own specific play style. As you can imagine, Howard was also absolutely floored by Cameron Rising and his intelligence.
"Cameron Rising is a genius," Howard said. "Just being able to sit there and he knew every single play. Him and coach Ludwig were just going back and forth between plays just discussing, and that was awesome to see because you can tell he's been in his playbook and been working."
While Utah's recent success in the Pac-12 certainly had an impact on Howard, he's been watching Utah for sometime and has been thoroughly impressed with their growth over these last four seasons.
"Ive seen coach Whittingham grow the program. I know there's been some years where Utah has struggled but these last four years, Utah has been top notch. That stands out. I mean, coach Whittingham has done a heck of a job. Also, seeing how Tyler Huntley was developed and then Cam Rising has been doing a heck of a job. So quarterback play has been pretty good over the last few years." Howard explained.
With long term goals of taking his game to the NFL after his days at the U, Howard feels confident in both the program and Ludwig's ability to help him get to the league.
"I think Utah definitely can," Howard said. "Coach Lud's play calling and offensive schemes are NFL stuff, it's all a lot of long calls...I think that's one of the biggest things for me. I want to go to the NFL and I think coach Ludwig can prepare me for that."
With one high school season remaining, Howard is going to do his best to be college ready when he returns to Salt Lake City. Before then he hopes to add about 10 more pounds and increase his speed.
Howard plans to be an early enrollee and join the program in spring of 2023.
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