Before Joe Burrow ran away with the 2019 Heisman Trophy, several LSU quarterbacks built legacies that remain to this day in Baton Rouge. Not everyone put up historic numbers, but ever since Jeff Wickersham was under center in the 1980s, many QBs still hold special places in the hearts of LSU fans.
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Of course, there was Tommy Hodson. Herb Tyler famously upset No. 1 Florida in 1997. There was Matt Mauck and the legend of No. 18. Who could forget JaMarcus Russell or Zach Mettenberger? One name that gets lost in LSU lore in Jamie Howard, but every Tiger fan may want to brush up on their history in the coming years.
In 1992, a freshman quarterback entered games against Auburn and Florida, spurring fourth-quarter comebacks that nearly upset both SEC powers. After that season, the LSU Tigers were Jamie Howard's football team. Over the next three years, Howard started almost every game and set numerous milestones throwing the football. He still ranks fifth in school history in career passing yards (6,158) and seventh in touchdown passes (34).
Howard signed with the Atlanta Braves organization after being a second-round MLB Draft pick in high school, but he stayed in Baton Rouge to lead the football team for four seasons.
There's a great chance his son, four-star quarterback Walker Howard, ends up wearing the purple and gold, too.
4-Star QB Walker Howard
The leader at St. Thomas More High School in Lafayette, Louisiana, is in contention as the best quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class. Entering his junior season, Howard was on 247Sports' recruiting rankings as the No. 4 pro style quarterback in America, the second-best player in Louisiana, and 61st overall recruit in the country.
Offers were flooding in as the 6-foot-1 passer began weighing his options, too. 247Sports' scholarship offer list for Walker includes Arkansas, Arizona State, Baylor, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Penn State, TCU and Texas A&M.
Walker said last fall that the five schools he's most interested in are Notre Dame, Alabama, Texas, Nebraska, and, of course, LSU.
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Howard played behind senior Caleb Holstein last season when the STM Cavaliers went 11-2 and captured Louisiana's Division II State Championship in a 58-10 rout of De La Salle. Holstein was a nationally-recognized recruit who threw for over 3,800 yards and 43 touchdowns in 2019. He committed to play college football at Louisiana Tech.
Walker Howard only threw 25 passes in varsity games as an underclassman, and he's STILL being billed as one of the top signal callers in America after strong showings at offseason camps in Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa, according to 247Sports.
LSU football fans are well aware of head coach Ed Orgeron's recruiting success with NFL-level talent, and with Howard's family ties to the university, another LSU legacy put on that purple and gold hat on his commitment day.
This article was originally published March 19, 2020 before updating.
UPDATE (June 11, 2020): Despite the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19 outbreak postponing on-campus visits during the spring, Howard was ready to make a verbal commitment heading into his junior season. For LSU football fans, it's nothing but good news.
Walker Howard announced his commitment to Ed Orgeron's program with a video honoring his late mother Kathryn, who died of cancer in 2018, with a few simple words.
"My childhood dreams are coming true. I love you and miss you. The legacy continues. Go Tigers."
Walker Howard Commits to LSU
Legacy Continues... Go Tigers 🐯 @ScarboroughMike pic.twitter.com/sd9TBgxfgf
— Walker Howard (@Walker_Howard4) June 12, 2020
Playing high level college football games on ESPN and CBS and throwing touchdowns to wide receivers and running backs is still a couple of years away, but there's no doubt another big-time talent is headed to LSU.
