Get to know Oxford HS football player Mack Howard聽
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.
鈥淧art 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,鈥� Mack said. 鈥淭hat was a big reason for me and I want to keep challenging myself.鈥�
Mack said it鈥檚 great to be back.
鈥淚 love Oxford,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚 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.鈥�
Other than football and friends, Mack said he is loving the food here.
鈥淢y favorite thing about Oxford honestly is probably the food,鈥� he added. 鈥淭he 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.鈥�
Mack said Oxford has been great for his football skills too.
鈥淚t has really just made me a better player,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e play the best competition every single week and I think it is going to get me prepared for the next level.鈥�
At the time of this interview, Oxford had a 3-2 record.
鈥淲e are 3 and 2 right now but we have lost to two really good football teams,鈥� Mack explained. 鈥淚t’s not really about where you start, it鈥檚 about where you finish. This team is going to keep getting better as the season goes on. Our last game against Tupelo just wasn鈥檛 us. That鈥檚 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.鈥�
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.
鈥淚鈥檝e had to play faster, you know,鈥� Mack said. 鈥淚t’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.鈥�
As for Mack鈥檚 free time, he likes to spend it in nature.
鈥淚’m a big outdoorsman,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 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.鈥�
Mack鈥檚 favorite Oxford restaurant is Lenora鈥檚 Restaurant for pasta. His favorite musician is country music star Riley Green.
As for Mack鈥檚 future, it is bright! Mack committed to the University of Utah back in March.
鈥淯tah fits me as a school,鈥� Mack said. 鈥淚 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鈥檚 what really attracted me. When I went up there I felt like I really had to commit. It was awesome.鈥�
When asked what the next steps are for Oxford to win the state championship Mack said this:
鈥淲e have to be more efficient on offense for sure,鈥� Mack said. 鈥淎nd 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鈥檒l show Friday night.鈥�
And as we later found out, it did show during their win against Germantown!
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