Blue-chip quarterback Walker Howard enters college football transfer portal

Walker Howard initially pledged to LSU but the high-profile quarterback prospect is taking a chance on the college football transfer portal instead

Walker Howard, one of the more coveted quarterback recruits a year ago, is leaving LSU and entering the college football transfer portal, according to multiple reports.

Howard was ranked as the No. 6 quarterback and the No. 91 overall player in the 2022 recruiting class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Rankings.

He initially pledged to LSU over finalists Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and others.

College football transfer quarterback Walker Howard is leaving LSU

Howard played in two games for LSU this past season, including in the team's 63-7 victory over Purdue in the Citrus Bowl.

Keep up: College football transfer portal tracker for 2023's top players

247Sports recruiting analyst Gabe Brooks describes Howard as having an "adequate frame with lean build that should add some mass in college."

Brooks added that Howard "established a following as an elite camp performer before taking over varsity duties... Consistent, accurate passer to all levels. Steps into throws and gets great zip on balls to the short-to-intermediate range."

The service named Howard as a consensus four-star prospect, the No. 4 overall player from Louisiana, and the No. 5 quarterback nationally.

College football transfer portal

The NCAA Transfer Portal is a private database that includes the names of student-athletes in every sport at the Division I, II, and III levels. The full list of names is not available to the public.

A player can enter their name into the transfer portal through their school's compliance office. Once a player gives written notification of their intent to transfer, the office puts the player's name into the database, and they officially become a transfer.

The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player's request and NCAA rules forbid anyone from refusing that request.

The database includes the player's name, contact information, info on whether the player was on scholarship, and if he is a graduate student.

Once a player's name appears in the transfer portal database, other schools are free to contact the player, who can change his mind at any point in the process and withdraw from the transfer portal.

Notably, once a player enters the portal, his school no longer has to honor the athletic scholarship it gave him. And if that player decides to leave the portal and return to his original school, the school doesn't have to give him another scholarship.

---

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Facebook