I will do a position-by-position review after Tulane's five spring practices, looking ahead to the season.
QUARTERBACKS
With Christian Daniels moving to TE/WR, Tulane began spring drills with two candidates for the starting job--redshirt junior Keon Howard and true freshman Michael Pratt. The third QB getting reps, Josh Holl, is not a serious prospect. I liked what I saw from Howard and Pratt, although I still expect the coaches to bring in a graduate transfer in the summer. They want to win every year, and they cannot be certain it would happen next fall without a proven guy, and particularly now that spring practice was cut short by two-thirds.
1) Howard
Howard arrived at Tulane as an inaccurate passer when he transferred from Southern Miss two years ago. It was hard to gauge him last fall because he was operating the scout-team offense, but he definitely improved by the start of spring drills. He loves to run and is faster than Justin McMillan, but it is impossible to tell if he has McMillan's knack for running at the right time in non-contact drills. McMillan was outstanding as a runner last year--far better than Jonathan Banks ever was in that department. McMillan had his moments as a passer but was inconsistent and struggled mightily in adverse conditions (wind, cold, etc.). Howard is by no means perfect when he throws, but he was accurate enough in the spring to indicate he can get the job done if he throws the same way in games.
The red flag with Howard is his two years at Southern Miss. Yes, he was younger then and in a totally different system, but he practiced well enough to earn the starting job for a stretch as a freshman and sophomore. In his first start as a freshman, in November against Old Dominion, he fumbled on the Golden Eagles' opening possession, leading to a touchdown, and fumbled on the next snap after that, leading to another touchdown. After a three-and-out, he threw an interception. USM trailed 35-7 at halftime, and although he warmed up in the second half, leading three touchdown drives, he lost two more fumbles on sacks and was sacked for a safety in a 51-35 loss. He finished 12 of 24 for 230 yards.
In his next start, against North Texas State, he threw an interception on the second series and lost a fumble at the end of a long run later in the first half as USM fell behind 20-0. The Golden Eagles scored a touchdown after that as a result of a trick play he was involved in and tied it in the third quarter on back-to-back drives when Howard did not throw or run (first one) and another when he went 1 of 4 in the air. USM eventually went ahead 23-20, but Howard threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter in a 29-23 loss. He finished 10 of 26 for 135 yards with three picks. USM went to quarterback Nick Mullens in its season finale and used Howard only as a wildcat QB.
In 2017, Howard was more effective, although he got benched for Kwadra Griggs at halftime of the opener against Kentucky when USM trailed 14-3 and was the backup for the next month until Griggs suffered a wrist injury. Howard started the next five games, going 15 of 20 for 212 yards and three touchdowns against UTSA, 16 of 27 for 211 yards with one TD and two interceptions against UTEP and 32 of 53 for 301 yards with three TDs and two interceptions against La Tech--all victories--while also rushing for 63 yards on 13 against La Tech. When he threw an 84-yard TD on the first play the next week against UAB, he appeared to be rolling. But he struggled the rest of the way in a 30-12 loss, giving way to Griggs in the fourth quarter. He started against Tennessee the following week but was benched in the fourth quarter after turning it over twice in a row and following that with three straight three-and-outs. Griggs went in and immediately led a 90-yard TD drive to cut the deficit to 24-10. Tennessee snapped a four-game losing streak in the 24-10 win. Griggs then started the rest of the year, leading USM to three consecutive wins before a bowl loss to FSU.
Howard, then, was benched three times in two years after earning the starting job. That's a concern because it indicates he did not play as well as he practiced.
2) Pratt
Pratt had an eye-opening first practice with his quick decisions and good arm, making throws I had not seen since Tanner Lee (also in practice). He slowed down a bit as the defense adjusted over the next four practices, and his third one was downright rough. He looks the part of a quarterback who will be a big-time performer down the road, but it is hard to trust him to do it in year 1. The difference between college and high school is tremendous in terms of decision-making and the caliber of opposition.
I love the way Pratt uses his running backs as receivers since they are the most talented players on the offense. But he trusted his arm too much, throwing into coverage over the middle of the field and leading to a collision that might have have taken Ygenio Booker out for the next three practices. He also is not as fast a runner as Howard. When he scrambled, the difference was evident even though QBs were not allowed to be hit. Maybe his game speed will be better, but that's hard to judge.
Through five practices, Howard was the better option, as you would expect of a fourth-year guy. If he can be the running threat McMillan was--with more speed--and make accurate passes, Tulane could win with him next fall. Given his history, though, that's a big if. As for Pratt, I consider him more of a 2021 prospect who got an early leg up on Country Day star Justin Ibieta. Maybe Pratt's learning curve is really fast, but five spring practices were not enough to prove it.
QUARTERBACKS
With Christian Daniels moving to TE/WR, Tulane began spring drills with two candidates for the starting job--redshirt junior Keon Howard and true freshman Michael Pratt. The third QB getting reps, Josh Holl, is not a serious prospect. I liked what I saw from Howard and Pratt, although I still expect the coaches to bring in a graduate transfer in the summer. They want to win every year, and they cannot be certain it would happen next fall without a proven guy, and particularly now that spring practice was cut short by two-thirds.
1) Howard
Howard arrived at Tulane as an inaccurate passer when he transferred from Southern Miss two years ago. It was hard to gauge him last fall because he was operating the scout-team offense, but he definitely improved by the start of spring drills. He loves to run and is faster than Justin McMillan, but it is impossible to tell if he has McMillan's knack for running at the right time in non-contact drills. McMillan was outstanding as a runner last year--far better than Jonathan Banks ever was in that department. McMillan had his moments as a passer but was inconsistent and struggled mightily in adverse conditions (wind, cold, etc.). Howard is by no means perfect when he throws, but he was accurate enough in the spring to indicate he can get the job done if he throws the same way in games.
The red flag with Howard is his two years at Southern Miss. Yes, he was younger then and in a totally different system, but he practiced well enough to earn the starting job for a stretch as a freshman and sophomore. In his first start as a freshman, in November against Old Dominion, he fumbled on the Golden Eagles' opening possession, leading to a touchdown, and fumbled on the next snap after that, leading to another touchdown. After a three-and-out, he threw an interception. USM trailed 35-7 at halftime, and although he warmed up in the second half, leading three touchdown drives, he lost two more fumbles on sacks and was sacked for a safety in a 51-35 loss. He finished 12 of 24 for 230 yards.
In his next start, against North Texas State, he threw an interception on the second series and lost a fumble at the end of a long run later in the first half as USM fell behind 20-0. The Golden Eagles scored a touchdown after that as a result of a trick play he was involved in and tied it in the third quarter on back-to-back drives when Howard did not throw or run (first one) and another when he went 1 of 4 in the air. USM eventually went ahead 23-20, but Howard threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter in a 29-23 loss. He finished 10 of 26 for 135 yards with three picks. USM went to quarterback Nick Mullens in its season finale and used Howard only as a wildcat QB.
In 2017, Howard was more effective, although he got benched for Kwadra Griggs at halftime of the opener against Kentucky when USM trailed 14-3 and was the backup for the next month until Griggs suffered a wrist injury. Howard started the next five games, going 15 of 20 for 212 yards and three touchdowns against UTSA, 16 of 27 for 211 yards with one TD and two interceptions against UTEP and 32 of 53 for 301 yards with three TDs and two interceptions against La Tech--all victories--while also rushing for 63 yards on 13 against La Tech. When he threw an 84-yard TD on the first play the next week against UAB, he appeared to be rolling. But he struggled the rest of the way in a 30-12 loss, giving way to Griggs in the fourth quarter. He started against Tennessee the following week but was benched in the fourth quarter after turning it over twice in a row and following that with three straight three-and-outs. Griggs went in and immediately led a 90-yard TD drive to cut the deficit to 24-10. Tennessee snapped a four-game losing streak in the 24-10 win. Griggs then started the rest of the year, leading USM to three consecutive wins before a bowl loss to FSU.
Howard, then, was benched three times in two years after earning the starting job. That's a concern because it indicates he did not play as well as he practiced.
2) Pratt
Pratt had an eye-opening first practice with his quick decisions and good arm, making throws I had not seen since Tanner Lee (also in practice). He slowed down a bit as the defense adjusted over the next four practices, and his third one was downright rough. He looks the part of a quarterback who will be a big-time performer down the road, but it is hard to trust him to do it in year 1. The difference between college and high school is tremendous in terms of decision-making and the caliber of opposition.
I love the way Pratt uses his running backs as receivers since they are the most talented players on the offense. But he trusted his arm too much, throwing into coverage over the middle of the field and leading to a collision that might have have taken Ygenio Booker out for the next three practices. He also is not as fast a runner as Howard. When he scrambled, the difference was evident even though QBs were not allowed to be hit. Maybe his game speed will be better, but that's hard to judge.
Through five practices, Howard was the better option, as you would expect of a fourth-year guy. If he can be the running threat McMillan was--with more speed--and make accurate passes, Tulane could win with him next fall. Given his history, though, that's a big if. As for Pratt, I consider him more of a 2021 prospect who got an early leg up on Country Day star Justin Ibieta. Maybe Pratt's learning curve is really fast, but five spring practices were not enough to prove it.
