Get to know Oxford HS football player Mack Howard
OXFORD, Miss. — Oxford High School quarterback Mack Howard recently discussed his transition to Oxford, his commitment to Utah, what he loves about Oxford, and more.
Mack transferred to Oxford after moving from Columbus in March.
“Part of the transition for me going up to Oxford was really proving to myself that I can compete at the highest level and prove to the people who have doubted me and said I played private school ball,” Mack said. “That was a big reason for me and I want to keep challenging myself.”
Mack said it’s great to be back.
“I love Oxford,” he explained. “I have loved Oxford since I was a little kid. I grew up here playing baseball and I always said if there was somewhere I wanted to move it would be Oxford to finish out my high school career. We were fortunate enough to come here and I love it here. I have some great friends here. I have really enjoyed the transition.”
Other than football and friends, Mack said he is loving the food here.
“My favorite thing about Oxford honestly is probably the food,” he added. “The food is great here and also the square is pretty special. It is really fun to be around and just as a whole Oxford is a great community.”
Mack said Oxford has been great for his football skills too.
“It has really just made me a better player,” he said. “We play the best competition every single week and I think it is going to get me prepared for the next level.”
At the time of this interview, Oxford had a 3-2 record.
“We are 3 and 2 right now but we have lost to two really good football teams,” Mack explained. “It’s not really about where you start, it’s about where you finish. This team is going to keep getting better as the season goes on. Our last game against Tupelo just wasn’t us. That’s not how we play and this weekend is Germantown and we are going to come out on fire. We are going to hit on all cylinders and I think as the season goes on we will just continue to win.”
Mack was correct. Oxford ended up winning against Germantown with a score of 37-28 bringing their record up to 4-2.
Mack said he has had to make some adjustments since coming to play for Oxford.
“I’ve had to play faster, you know,” Mack said. “It’s been really big. Just the speed of the game is crazy and I think it’s probably the closest you can get to division 1 college. That was the biggest thing for me and just being ready each week because there are a lot of tendencies that high school defenses have that a quarterback needs to pick up on.”
As for Mack’s free time, he likes to spend it in nature.
“I’m a big outdoorsman,” he said. “I spend a lot of time at my cabin back in Columbus on the weekends. I am usually there every weekend just deer hunting, fishing, doing anything.”
Mack’s favorite Oxford restaurant is Lenora’s Restaurant for pasta. His favorite musician is country music star Riley Green.
As for Mack’s future, it is bright! Mack committed to the University of Utah back in March.
“Utah fits me as a school,” Mack said. “I feel like it is known for being tough. It’s kind of grown-up playing or how I have played and I feel like that is the best fit for me. I am really looking forward to playing there. It has a great coaching staff, a great city, and great culture so that’s what really attracted me. When I went up there I felt like I really had to commit. It was awesome.”
When asked what the next steps are for Oxford to win the state championship Mack said this:
“We have to be more efficient on offense for sure,” Mack said. “And another thing is I think we have to be more consistent and I think if we do that we have a really good shot to win it. The thing that is really cool about this team is that we are pretty mentally tough. You know we got drum rolled with Tupelo and we know that. I think we have come back this week and we have had a really good week of practice. I think it’ll show Friday night.”
And as we later found out, it did show during their win against Germantown!
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