Every Sunday, Connor Howes watches the film and looks for what went wrong.
That’s a lot easier this season.
A year ago, Howes spent his season on Ole Miss’ scout team, helping prepare the Rebels’ starting defense during practice. Those reps rarely make headlines, but they helped lay the foundation for the bigger role he’s carving out along the offensive line this fall.
“I just think being on scout team helped me out a lot,” Howes said at his media availability on Tuesday. “Going against Kam (Franklin) and all those guys last year, Big Zay (Zxavian Harris) and Will (Echoles) every day. It just made me who I am today.”
“I think he’s played his butt off,” Rebels’ head coach Pete Golding said. “The more he plays, the better he gets.”
For young offensive linemen, development often happens away from the spotlight. Every practice gave Howes another opportunity to test himself against some of the best defenders on the roster and learn exactly where he needed to improve.
By the time the offseason arrived, he already had a clear understanding of what separated him from becoming a contributor.
“I knew where I needed to be and I knew where I was at,” Howes said. “Just what I lacked and what I needed to get better at.”
Now, he’s competing for playing time at right tackle in an ongoing battle that remains unsettled.
“It’s just day by day,” Howes said. “We continue to battle it out every day. We rotate reps, and it’s just whoever has a better week.”
The competition mirrors the approach that helped him climb the depth chart in the first place.
Coming from a Wing-T offense in high school, Howes believes run blocking remains one of his strengths. He also likes where his pass-protection skills have progressed, but he’s quick to point out areas that still need work.
Pad level. Handling bull rushes. Countering spin moves.
“The little things are what I need to work on most,” he said.
Getting live game reps has accelerated that process.
Instead of guessing what needs improvement, Howes now sees it on film every Sunday. Whether it’s failing to get his hat inside on a block or struggling to settle a defender in pass protection, each game provides a weekly checklist for practice.
“Just knowing, actually getting live reps and understanding what I struggle with helps me out for the next week,” Howes said.
He’s also benefited from growing chemistry along Ole Miss’ offensive line.
Howes said comfort with the player next to you is one of the most important elements of line play, something built through walkthroughs, extra meetings and countless practice repetitions.
“It’s just being able to be comfortable with the guy next to you and taking reps and reps and reps,” he said.
Those reps come against a defensive front he believes prepares the Rebels for anything they’ll see on Saturdays.
Howes regularly lines up against Kam Franklin, Blake Purchase and Jonathan Maldonado during practice, describing every session as a battle.
“Those three dudes, they’re great,” Howes said. “I enjoy getting every rep I can against them because I’m going to see that in the game on Saturday.”
As Ole Miss prepares for Missouri, Howes expects another challenge in the trenches. But the confidence he carries into the matchup was built long before he entered the rotation.
It was built on scout-team reps, film sessions and daily competition.
A year ago, Howes was helping prepare the starters.
Now he’s working to become one.
