STARKVILLE – Steve Normand wasn’t surprised that Mississippi State was interested in his star quarterback, Josh Flowers. But he was shocked that its coaching staff wanted him for a different position.
Flowers, a four-star 2024 quarterback Baker High School in Mobile, Alabama, already had Southeastern Conference interest as a sophomore in 2021, with offers from Florida, Alabama, Arkansas and Texas A&M, before Mike Leach and his staff jumped into the fold last year.
The only problem was, when former MSU assistant coach Steve Spurrier Jr. stopped in to speak with Normand, he said Leach thought Flowers was too athletic to play quarterback.
Too athletic?
“Coach Leach wanted someone that will sit back in the pocket and read the progressions,” Normand told The Dispatch in a recent phone call. “(Josh) likes to run and is good at it. … I’ve been coaching 30 years, and I don’t think anybody has ever told me a quarterback was too athletic.”
For a while, Flowers no longer considered MSU. The coaching staff didn’t call and Flowers didn’t go to camps or visit Starkville when making his SEC rounds. But following Leach’s passing in December, and the introduction of new head coach Zach Arnett and first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay, the Bulldogs were back in the mix.
“He (Arnett) came down and put him high on their recruiting board,” Normand said. “They did a really good job of reeling Josh in.”
Flowers, the No. 334 overall player in the 2024 class per 247sports Composite, announced his commitment to MSU on March 8, becoming the first for Arnett as a head coach, and setting the standard for the coach’s first recruiting cycle.
Since then, four other recruits — offensive tackle TJ Lockhart (No. 730), athlete Caleb Dozier (No. 785), wide receiver Matt Mayfield (No. 839) and tight end Jay Lindsey (unranked) — have followed, with Flowers taking on the face and leadership role of the class.
It’s a role Flowers, who was unable to be reached, embraces, just as he has done on the field the past two seasons, winning 11 games since becoming the starter.
“It is a very tough role, but it’s expected because of his position,” Normand said. “One of Josh’s best qualities is his ability not to let anything get in the way of what he is focused on.”
At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Normand said Flowers, whose older brother Desherrius briefly played running back at Alabama, has the size, strength and skill to overpower defenses — attributes just about any college football program covets in a signal-caller. In two seasons as Baker’s quarterback, Flowers has thrown for 3,445 yards and 30 touchdowns, according to Maxpreps. He has also rushed for 2,226 yards and 27 scores.
For Normand, the scary part is Flowers is still developing.
“He got thrown into the fire early as a sophomore and got the starting position from a senior,” he said. “But he is that good and has the ability to do a lot of things. He can hurt you with his feet and with his arm. He is accurate and a sponge with the game.”
And because of Arnett’s belief, Flowers plans to continue that development in Starkville.
It is against NCAA rules for Mississippi State coaches to comment on unsigned recruits. Flowers can sign as soon as the December 20, 2023 early signing period.
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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