LISTEN: I went to Ole Miss spring football practice. Folks, Walker Howard can ball.
Ben Garrett of the Ole Miss Spirit (On3) is riding solo again for another practice-report edition of Talk of Champions.
Ben on Tuesday finally got back out to a Rebel practice. Folks, LSU transfer and former four-star quarterback Walker Howard can ball.
Plus, thoughts on Michael Trigg, Brandon Buckhaulter, Pete Golding’s coaching style and much, much more. Lane Kiffin and Jaxson Dart audio included.
PRACTICE REPORT: Our first impressions of a work-in-progress Ole Miss defense during spring football
Here’s a brief excerpt from today’s extended, all-Ole Miss-football podcast.
BEN: On Tuesday I finally got back out to another Ole Miss football practice and kept coming back to the quarterbacks.
Surprisingly, though, it wasn’t because of Jaxson Dart and/or Spencer Sanders.
Sanders was again limited in his throwing as he slowly builds back up from a shoulder injury that, quite frankly, had many in the Manning Center worried would cost him most, if not all, of the spring. I can’t really speak on him, because he just didn’t do much. He ran more than he threw. All the throws were short or intermediate. Typically against air or in 7-on-7 all quarterbacks (even the walk-ons) kind of look the same. They’re meant to in technical drills like that.
Unless you’re Walker Howard.
Folks, Walker Howard can ball.
I’d heard he had deep-field arm talent reminiscent of Matt Corral. But, honestly, I think his may be stronger.
Yes, I know. We have to keep reminding ourselves here we’re only talking about one practice. Maybe he just had his best day as a Rebel to date. I don’t know.
I just know all I wanted to do was watch his next rep. And the next one. And the next one.
Now, Howard is a former four-star and Top 100 recruit. This isn’t some Little Engine That Could. David taking down two Goliaths. He’s got real skill and enough of a resume that he should be a real factor in this race, even allowing the overall program commitment Ole Miss has made to both Dart AND Sanders.
Ole Miss QB Walker Howard
But Howard fit a ball into Brandon Buckhaulter in team work that was next-level in its accuracy.
Buckhaulter was covered up. Actually, the Ole Miss defense writ large had strong coverage on the play. Howard only had a bunch of bad options in deciding where to go downfield.
On an absolute laser of a line Howard fit a perfect ball into the chest of Buckhaulter for a 30-plus-yard completion on a crosser. Buckhaulter made a great play on it, to be sure. Still, my biggest takeaway was how Howard couldn’t have placed the ball better had he literally walked over to Buckhaulter and handed it to him.
And that completion came a few periods after Howard, in 7-on-7, floated a beauty of a post-corner from 50-plus-yards out for a touchdown … again to Buckhaulter.
I’m sensing a pattern.
They look comfortable together. Buckhaulter high-pointed the ball (again, against tremendous coverage, this time by Markevious Brown) and pulled it down.
Buckhaulter is a former three-star recruit who has always had good hands, even if he’s still developing as a route-runner. It’s going to be hard to break what is a quite-crowded Ole Miss wide receiver rotation, but he’s got some juice to him and shouldn’t be forgotten.
Neither should Walker Howard.
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