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ESPN Senior Writer- College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.
LSU freshman quarterback Walker Howard is planning to enter the transfer portal, sources have confirmed to ESPN.
Howard was the No. 42 prospect overall in the 2022 class and one of the first important prospects for coach Brian Kelly after he was hired at LSU. TigerBait.com was first to report the news.
Howard had already been committed to LSU when Kelly was hired, but he reaffirmed his commitment once Kelly was brought in as coach. Howard had been recruited by Kelly at Notre Dame and was intently listening to the pitch from the Irish until Kelly arrived at LSU.
He was the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the class and the No. 3 prospect in the state of Louisiana out of St. Thomas More High School. Howard had not officially entered the transfer portal as of Wednesday night, but sources said that once he does, TCU and Florida could be potential landing spots for him.
With Howard transferring, the Tigers will return starter Jayden Daniels, who threw for 2,913 yards and 17 touchdowns with three interceptions this season. Backup Garrett Nussmeier is also returning, and the staff signed ESPN 300 quarterback Rickie Collins in the 2023 recruiting class.