Connor Howes played every snap at right tackle in Ole Miss’s 52-17 win at Vanderbilt. On Tuesday, he said the job is still not his to keep.
Man, just been competing every day. Tommy came in. We were battling for the spot. It’s just a battle every day and just come to see who comes out on top.
Howes started at Vanderbilt after Tommy Kinsler IV was ruled out before the game, and this week’s Ole Miss depth chart lists the two as co-starters. Asked whether he expects to play most of the snaps going forward, he said it is “just day by day.”
I mean, we continue to battle it out every day, just like today in practice. I mean, we rotate reps. Just whoever has the better week.
What he is working on
Howes, a sophomore from Saint Cloud, Florida, made his first career start this season. He gave an unusually specific answer about his own game.
Coming from a wing-T offense in high school, I’d say I run the ball pretty well, down blocks, whatnot, all that stuff. I think I need to— my hands are good in the pass pro. I need to work on getting my pad level down, sitting, settling bull rushes. Just being able to counter their moves, like spin moves, whatnot.
He said live game reps have sped that up because he can watch the film on Sundays and know exactly what to fix. He credited last season on the scout team, going against the Ole Miss defensive line every day, for getting him ready.
He also credited the linemen next to him. “Blessed to have Kutas right next to me,” he said of right guard Patrick Kutas, and “Terez helps me out a lot from left,” meaning left tackle Terez Davis.
“Some of the best in the country”
Asked who he faces in practice, Howes named defensive linemen Kam Franklin, Blake Purchase and Jonathan Maldonado.
It’s a battle, man. Them 3 dudes are— they’re great. But I enjoy getting every rep I can against them because, you know, I’m going to see that in the game on Saturday. So I honestly think our D-ends are some of the best in the country.
Purchase leads Ole Miss with 3.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss, according to the Ole Miss game notes. Missouri’s defense has 15 sacks through six games. On the Tigers’ front, Howes was brief: “They got some dudes. But, you know, at the end of the day, I think we got some dudes.”
And yes, he was a state runner-up in weightlifting in high school. He said he went “3 for 6” on his lifts that day. “If I hit my PRs, yeah, I would have won.”
No. 13 Missouri (5-1, 2-1 SEC) visits No. 9 Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1 SEC) on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. It is Homecoming in Oxford. Hotty Toddy 🦈
Quotes from Connor Howes’s Missouri week media availability, Oct. 13, 2026. Statistics and depth chart via the Ole Miss game notes. Photo: Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding before the game against Louisville at Nissan Stadium, Sept. 6, 2026. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images.