OXFORD | Walker Howard was unsure about his transfer destination when he woke up one morning in mid-January.

His father, Jamie, who played for LSU from 1992-1995, told Howard they were going to stop by Ole Miss during their pursuit of his next school after entering the transfer portal following a redshirt season at LSU.

“It’s kind of crazy how I ended up at Ole Miss for the day,” Howard said. “I woke up at 9 one morning and my dad said we’re visiting Ole Miss. I stopped by and fell in love and came here right away. It made me excited and loved Oxford.”

Howard, a former Rivals.com five-star prospect out of Lafayette (St. Thomas More), Louisiana, committed to Ole Miss on January 18 — the Wednesday after the visit — choosing the Rebels over TCU and interest from dozens of schools nationally.

“I made the decision for myself; I made a selfish decision and think of myself in this situation,” Howard said. “See what the best fit for me was, and I thought (that’s Ole Miss) and… I don’t regret it at all.”

Howard is in competition with incumbent starter Jaxson Dart and Oklahoma State senior transfer Spencer Sanders.

Dart is a rising redshirt sophomore and threw for 2,974 yards with 20 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions this past season. Sanders was the Big 12 First Team quarterback in 2021 and started 42 games for the Cowboys during his career.

“(Ole Miss head coach Lane) Kiffin told me he’s going to let me compete, and that’s all I care about. I just want to compete, and that’s going to make me better and all the guys around me better.

“I really like how the offense fits me and I understand it with three-level reads, from the top down and it’s clear and easy for me. The tempo makes things more open, and we get to the line quickly.”

Howard said the offense reminds him of his high school system, where he threw 39 touchdowns and won Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year in 2020-2021. St. Thomas More went 10-0 and won the state championship.

He’s trying to learn from Dart and Sanders while challenging them for the position. He likened it to LSU, when he watched and learned from Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier.

Howard is a pass-first quarterback, but he said on Thursday he can use his feet to make plays. He’s been impressed with the wide receiver group through this initial week and singled out tight ends Caden Prieskorn and Michael Trigg.

“It’s a lot of tempo and spreading the ball, slinging it around,” Howard said. “The offense (was a selling point) and the coaches around me did a great job on my visit. I fell in love with Oxford… I’m excited to compete.”