For the first time since leaving his hometown to begin his college career as a five-star quarterback prospect, Walker Howard is having fun playing football again.
In his final two seasons at St. Thomas More, Howard threw for 5,824 yards and 67 touchdowns and was ranked as a top five quarterback nationally.
However, playing one year behind Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels at LSU and two years behind potential first-round draft pick Jaxson Dart at Ole Miss, Howard found himself alienated, missing home and looking for a better opportunity.
He believes he’s found that with the UL Ragin’ Cajuns.
“It’s good to be home,” said Howard, who transferred to UL in December. “This feels great. I’m glad to be with my family.”
Prior to returning home, Howard's first three years of college football were largely filled with closed doors.
“It’s been a tough journey,” he said, “ not everything I thought it was going to be. But I’ve learned a lot in my life. I feel like I’ve lived so many lives already.
“It’s good to home and it’s good to be around people I love. I’m going to continue to grow and it’s going to make me stronger every day.”
Through the dark days, Howard admitted there were moments he wondered if football was worth it anymore.
"I felt like, ‘I’ve tried, I’ve tried,’ but you know, you can’t quit," he said. "It’s going to happen one day. I’m going to continue to push and continue to work and it’s going to work out at the end of the day.”
On the bad days, Howard thought about his late mother Kathryn, who died from cancer in September 2018.
“My mom would never let me quit,” Howard said. “I’m going to keep pushing. Life is tough. Life gets hard, it does. You can’t let life take you down. You’ve got to keep swinging. I’m going to wake up every day and I’m going to keep swinging.
“It’s gotten better. I’m excited where I am and I’m glad I never made that decision. I’m glad to be here.”
His father — former LSU quarterback Jamie Howard — played a huge role helping Howard reach his current comfort level back home in Cajun Country.
“I wouldn’t be here without my dad,” Howard said. “My dad is my best friend. My dad is my everything. He pushes me and he helps me with everything I do. All the decisions that I’ve made and all the highs and lows I’ve been through, he’s been right there with me … he’s gone through them with me.”
And while Howard transferring to UL might have seemed like an unusual move after playing in the Southeastern Conference, it was kind of going back to where he started in Howard’s mind.
As an eighth grader, Howard attended Ascension Episcopal and almost played for the Blue Gators before starring at his father’s alma mater St. Thomas More.
His eighth-grade coach was Bill Desormeaux, father of UL coach Michael Desormeaux, who was Ascension’s head coach prior to joining UL’s staff and whose brother, Matt, replaced him at Ascension.
“They’re unbelievable,” Howard said of the Desormeaux family. “They’ve been great. I ended up going to STM and it worked out. But I loved my eighth grade year with coach Bill … I’ve known them forever and I’m excited. I love the family. I’m very excited about this.”
So Howard attacked his new direction with a whole new perspective.
“Walker has been an outstanding fit for the quarterback room,” Michael Desormeaux said. “It’s like he’s been there the whole time the way he walks in there and just fits in.”
He was no longer the five-star recruit, but just one of UL’s three quarterbacks ready to work for playing time.
“These workouts are tough,” Howard said. “I’d probably say these are the hardest offseason workouts I’ve done. ”
Through it all, he’s trying to rediscover his love for the game again.
“I don’t feel under any pressure anymore,” he said. “I definitely have a very high ceiling for myself, but as it comes to playing, coach Desormeaux has helped me a lot and my dad, same thing. They just want me to go enjoy the game again. They want me to play ball, trust myself and just go have fun.
“It’s football. It’s got to be fun. I get to do it every day and I’ve got to enjoy it.”
For the first time in three years, football doesn't feel like a corporate enterprise. It’s back to being a game again for Howard.
“I really trust this coaching staff,” Howard said. “A lot of places, it’s business. I understand it. These people are running .... these CEOs and all this NIL going around in the world these days, but it feels really good to be here.
“These coaches, they want to be here. This is home for them. They’ve had opportunities to leave and they don’t want to go anywhere. It feels good. ... I’ve known these guys for a long time and I trust these guys.”
Through the first two weeks of spring ball, Howard is also developing trust in his teammates.
“It’s a big thing in getting to know your teammates — working hard and getting in the trenches,” Howard said. “Getting to know each guy and what they’re willing to do for you. That’s how you make brothers.”
He’s currently in a quarterback battle with redshirt freshman Daniel Beale and sophomore Lunch Winfield.
“We’ve got three guys in the mix that I can tell you period to period they’re competing their tails off,” Desormeaux said. “Lunch brings a different dimension with what he does. He does some really good things day to day.
“I think Daniel’s been the most consistent, which is to be expected at this point. But Walker is one of those guys that naturally expect those heavy-install days to be a lot first semester in the system, but as the week goes, he continues to play better.”
