As the sun peaked over M. M. Roberts Stadium early Wednesday morning — the first day of fall football practice for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles – the summer air began to heat up.
So did the battle for Nick Mullens replacement at quarterback. Mullen, who remained undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft following his senior season with the Golden Eagles, signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a undrafted free agent. He finished his four-year campaign in Hattiesburg with 11,994 yards and 87 touchdown passes. His absence leaves big shoes to fill. Mullens currently remains the program’s all-time leading passer.
Among the quarterbacks in contention for the vacant role is sophomore and former Laurel signal-caller Keon Howard. While at Laurel, Howard led the Golden Tornadoes to three-straight Class 5A South State Championships and a state title, its third in school history, in 2014.
Battling Howard for the position is former Itawamba Community College standout Kwadra Griggs. Griggs threw of 2,138 yards as a sophomore in 2015.
“It’s a battle,” said Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson. “I think when you just watch, it’s easy to see it’s a battle.
“They both compliment each other well. They both can do a lot of things. That is a battle that I can see going all the way up to the wire. We will continue to evaluate it each step of the way. If it’s still a back-and-forth battle near the beginning of the season, then both will play.”
While the battle for signal-caller carries into fall practice for Howard and Griggs, several other quarterback are listed on the roster, including Steven Anderson, Thomas Morton, Tyler Russell, Carter Hankins and Marcelo Rodriguez.
Hopson also praised Rodriguez following Wednesday morning’s practice.
“I don’t know if y’all saw Marcelo throw it around today, but he has a really good arm,” noted Hopson. “I think we are deeper at that position. Last year, it was like we had Mullens and we just prayed he didn’t get hurt. This year, I think we have more depth.”
The pressure doesn’t bother Howard, who was thrown into the fire last season when his redshirt was pulled after Mullens and back-up quarterback Parker Adamson went down late in the season with injuries. In three games as behind center, Howard completed 22-of-55 passes for 365 yards and one touchdown.
“[My mindset] is to come out every day, protect the ball and execute the plays,” said Howard. “I take what the defense gives me. You have to come out and just play ball. I’ve been doing this since I was in the ninth grade. It’s just a normal day of football. You have to enjoy it.”
Memphis got the early commitment from Howard as a senior, until a coaching change at the university caused him to re-evaluate his decision. Soon after decommitting, and opening talks with Southern Miss, head coach Todd Monken announced his decision to leave Southern Miss for an NFL job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hopson was then named head coach for the Golden Eagles and quickly set his sights on securing Howard’c commitment. The rest is history.
“This is a great opportunity, not only for me but the city of Laurel,” Howard said. “To be able to come out here and give it my best shot this close to home is special. I’m just going to let the dice roll as they roll.”
Howard says Laurel head football coach Todd Breland often lends his support.
“Coach Breland and I have been close since I was in high school,” states Howard. “He told me that this is what it is all about. It’s about competing, and giving it all you got.”
Southern Miss opens the 2017 season against Kentucky at 3 p.m. on Sept. 2 in Hattiesburg.
