Source: Walker Howard plans to visit Ole Miss, TCU

Former LSU quarterback Walker Howard officially entered the Transfer Portal on Friday afternoon. Now the former On3 Consensus four-star recruit has started the process of finding his next school.

A source close to the quarterback told On3 he plans to pick a school before the Transfer Portal window closes Wednesday. Howard plans to visit Ole Miss and TCU the next few days, too.

He signed with LSU in 2021, honoring his previous commitment to the Tigers before Brian Kelly took the job. And he enrolled early, too, joining the team in January. But he saw minimal playing time this fall. He did play against Purdue in the Citrus Bowl, completing 2 of 4 passes for seven yards.

Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels won out the quarterback competition, leading LSU to an appearance in the SEC title game. And even though Daniels was injured against Georgia, redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier entered the game and impressed.

Both quarterbacks will return next season, leaving Howard with an uphill battle in the quarterback room. Kelly said just a week ago he expected all three to return, but Howard decided to enter the portal and evaluate his other options.

“I absolutely, 100% believe that all three quarterbacks are going to be with us,” Kelly said. “And all of them we’ve had conversations with and feel that that’s the direction we’re going.”

Evaluating Walker Howard’s options

Now in the portal, the quarterback will begin to evaluate his options and make some quick visits.

The obvious fit is TCU, which lost in the national championship game on Monday night. Since news broke Wednesday of Howard’s intentions to enter the portal, the Horned Frogs were linked to the quarterback. Before the College Football Playoff, Max Duggan announced his plans to enter the NFL Draft.

Howard was also hoping to team up with offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. The younger brother of Lincoln Riley, however, took the Clemson job on Thursday night after Dabo Swinney fired Brandon Streeter.

Ole Miss has been on the market to add a quarterback throughout the entire Transfer Portal cycle. The Rebels lost backup quarterback Luke Altmyer, who transferred to Illinois. Former USC quarterback Jaxson Dart won out the job in Oxford this past fall, but bringing in Howard could re-open a quarterback competition.

While Lane Kiffin‘s offense has been known for its pass-first style, the Rebels rushed for 256.6 yards per game this season.