Defining LSU QB Commitment Walker Howard and His Style of Play

Which quarterbacks does Howard compare to? How is his style of play perfect for the college game?

Who is Walker Howard and what should LSU fans expect from him? Here’s a closer look at Howard’s quarterback traits to help determine which quarterbacks he resembles.

After throwing for 3.430 yards and 42 touchdowns last season, Walker Howard definitively proved he belonged with the class of 2022’s top signal callers. Howard is one of those signal callers that’s embraced not only the sport of football but his own playing style.

Does this young man possess similar traits to recognizable college or NFL quarterbacks? Absolutely. His all-around game, however, leads one to a somewhat surprising comparison.

Walker Howard

Vitals: 6’1”, 190-pounds

Position: Quarterback

High School: Lafayette (La.) St. Thomas Moore

Class: 2022

Recruitment: Committed to LSU over offers from numerous programs including Alabama, Southern California, Penn State, Michigan, Baylor, Nebraska, Arizona State, Arkansas and Houston. If Howard decided to prolong his recruitment (committed to LSU on June 12, 2020), he would have continued to add scholarship offers. With a verbal commitment to the Tigers prior to his junior season of high school, many college coaches knew enough about Howard to pull the trigger. As a player, Howard’s junior film proved why he would have earned more offers.

Consistent Mechanics

A relatively smooth and easy over-the-top throwing motion represents Howard as a quarterback. When he throws from a clean pocket, Howard delivers passes with that same delivery time and time again.

When throwing on the run, as discussed below, Howard also provides advanced mechanics for a high school player. Watching Howard’s film, he seemingly found a way to create a good balance of avoiding the rush, while still finding a way to at least somewhat set his feet to deliver a pass while on the move. That’s not easy.

Stepping up in the Pocket, Eyes Down the Field, and Deliver Accurate Passes

The title of this section defines what Howard did, multiple times, during his junior season. This is the mark of a player that already gained the confidence to trust his offensive line, as well as his own pocket presence, to make passes without being smashed by the oncoming rush.

Most young signal callers fail at this aspect of quarterback play. Many NFL quarterbacks also fail to keep their eyes down the field. Already proven as a player that makes decisions with his head up and ready to deliver the football under duress, Howard will increase his chances of moving up the LSU depth chart sooner than many believe.

Looking Off a Primary Wide Receiver

Playing in a spread offense, Howard displayed an uncanny ability to know where he wanted to go with the football, yet looking at another player just long enough to draw the safety over to a receiver that was not likely to be open. Then, a quick change of where his feet were set and zip! Howard released a strike to a wide open receiver. Howard’s savvy play deserves kudos.

Throwing Against His Body While Rolling Left

Sometimes a quarterback must throw off his spot, meaning he’s been flushed from the pocket and needs to deliver a pass when truly good or normal mechanics simply are not available. Walker ran to his left multiple times as a right handed quarterback, and then threw against his body to connect with receivers that honestly did not create that much separation with the defender. Howard still delivered several accurate passes even when he could not set his feet or could flip his hips around and gain full flexibility with his passes.

This unusual ability will aid Howard and LSU as he climbs to the SEC West and competes against top-notch pass rushers. It’s inevitable that Howard will need to make awkward throws because there’s no other choice. He’s proven he can do it in high school, and he will need those same traits playing for LSU.

Timing

Knowing how to throw a pass would be one thing, but also knowing when to throw the pass to best allow an intended target to make a catch would be another. Howard’s ability to throw back-shoulder fade passes proved to be special. That’s his trademark, as he threw them in the back corner of the end zone, along the sideline, and even to a slot receiver for a touchdown, during his junior season.

That back-shoulder throw creates an opportunity, albeit one with high risk, for an intended target to make a play versus a defensive back that’s next to the player Howard throws the pass. If it’s even a little bit too far inside, it can quickly be an interception. If it’s thrown too late, again, it can be an interception.

Howard showed accuracy in practically everything he tried to do throwing the football, so seeing accuracy did not come as a surprise. His timing with the back-shoulder throws helped prove he’s already understanding football at a higher level than almost if not all high school quarterbacks around the country.

Who is Walker Howard and Who Does He Compare to?

Howard is a spread quarterback that will pick a team apart, regardless of what’s needed on a particular play, yet does so with his own creative genius. Whether it’s how he fools defenses with where he’s looking before making a strike to a different target or simply loading up and taking a deep shot and utilizing really good mechanics, Howard could be labeled as one of several different well known signal callers.

A little Peyton Manning with his cunning, especially with those back-shoulder throws, some Joe Burrow with how he throws the football outside the pocket and does so with really good accuracy, and he also resembles a current quarterback playing on the West Coast.

Kedon Slovis plays for the University of Southern California. He’s operating a similar offense to what Howard runs for St. Thomas Moore, and he’s one of those quarterbacks that continually uses really good passing technique to deliver strikes for touchdowns. Slovis also does pretty well outside the pocket. A likely NFL Draft pick, Slovis would be a solid example of Howard, although probably not quite as athletic as the LSU commitment.

Overall, the best way to describe Howard, however, would be to say that he is himself. He’s Walker Howard. Sure, he possesses pieces of several different quarterbacks around the country, but he already earned the right to simply be called Walker Howard. LSU fans will like watching Howard create his own legacy and then having younger quarterbacks compared to him.