Southern Miss QB talks decision to transfer

Keon Howard’s decision to leave the Southern Miss football program didn’t happen overnight, but after months of careful thought and consideration the rising junior is ready for a change of scenery.

Howard tells News 25 that he’ll be in pads somewhere else by the time fall camp rolls around. The rising junior announced his decision to transfer via Twitter yesterday and says Head Coach Jay Hopson supports that decision one hundred percent.

As the all-time leading passer out of Laurel High School, Howard found himself in a perpetual quarterback battle during his time at USM. He started seven games last year and was looking at another back-and-forth affair in 2018. “It’s a bittersweet moment, man. I mean me and Coach Hopson talked about it, and there wasn’t a bad taste in our mouth as we both sat down and talked about the situation. It was more like a business meeting. We both understood where we were both trying to go. That’s something that every competitor wants to know, where does he lie? Where does the athlete lie on the depth chart? With my situation everything was really good, honestly. But there’s a time and place for everything, and just go on with that.”

Howard appeared in nine games last season, throwing for nearly 1,200 yards, eight touchdowns, and five picks. He originally committed to Memphis out of high school.