MORGANTOWN - Skyler Howard was back home in May, relaxing as much as he, his work ethic and his role as West Virginia's starting quarterback would allow, which is to say not much at all.
But he stole a few days from a busy schedule inside what is supposed to be the offseason for a college football player, knowing full well those opportunities don't come too often. Howard remembers the trip to Forth Worth, Texas, being two things.
The first? Too short. The second?
"Refreshing," he said. "Definitely refreshing. I missed them."
Howard has a very close relationship with his mother, Deidre Kelley. In a macho sport that requires bravado, Howard never hesitates to point out that dynamic.
Literally point it out.
Whenever the offense scores, you can find Howard spinning around on the field so he can find his mother in the stands. He points to her, and she always sees it because she goes to every game.
Kelley was young when she gave birth to Howard, and she raised him as a single mother. It wasn't easy, and he watched her work a couple of jobs at the same time, first so they had what they needed and later so she could go to medical school.
It was then when Howard began to realize life could be hard, that it could require unusual routes, that some wouldn't have to do quite as much as others, but that was also when he realized dedication and persistence could be rewarded.
And isn't that the synopsis of Howard's career, from its origination as the starting quarterback at his high school to an unwanted role as a walk-on running back at a Football Championship Subdivision program to creating gaudy passing statistics at a California junior college to the cusp of second season as the starter for the Mountaineers?
"It all depends on the individual and how bad he wants it," Howard said. "If you want to get better at something, you're going to get better. If you don't and you don't put in the work, then it'll show."
Howard lives to be an example, quarterbacking the offense and the offseason activities but also taking food to the homeless downtown, building a playground at a church and visiting children at a local hospital. He made a preseason watch list for the national quarterback and the national player of the year, but he also made two watch lists for community service awards.
Each matters to Howard. He has two younger brothers now, and Devyn, a sophomore at Howard's high school, and Ethan, the youngest of the three, are aspiring quarterbacks, too. When Howard is able to get home, he wants to help. Throw the ball. Lift weights. Talk about the sport or life or what's happening with the Mountaineers.
He is the big brother he never had, and he wants to make sure his brothers, like his mother, get to experience as much as as they can.
So on Tuesday, when it was WVU's turn to meet the press at the Big 12's media days, Howard brought his mother and brothers along with him to the Omni hotel. They floated around with wide eyes and wider smiles, watching the crowds of reporters approach and visit Howard and then be replaced by the next pack.
They listened to the questions and the answers. They snapped photos and talked to those who figured out who they were. And they saw that Skyler Howard had made it.
He's a senior quarterback with 15 career starts at a Football Bowl Subdivision program. If he'd believed what he'd been told when he was encouraged to go to junior college out of high school or when he was moved to running back at Stephen F. Austin, they weren't supposed to be there Tuesday.
But Howard figured out long ago how to ignore the outside and trust what's inside. He was able to spend some time with his family after he and the rest of the WVU contingent landed Monday night, and they had to hurry their goodbyes as the Mountaineers flew back home a day later.
The thought was that he'd see them again soon. The team has a week off at the end of the month, and players report Aug. 1 and start preseason practice a day later.
"Mentally," he said, "I'm as prepared as I can be."
Howard considered spending a week at home with his family. Maybe a short week. Possibly a long weekend or perhaps just the weekend itself.
It sounds like he'll opt for nothing at all.
"Right now, it's probably looking like I won't make it back," he said. "I'm ready to get to work. I'm ready to go. I want to get ready for camp. It's my last go-round here. I've got to lay it all out there."
Contact Mike Casazza at 304-319-1142 or mikec@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikecasazza and read his blog at http://blogs.wvgazettemail.com/wvu/.