Why Will Howard chose Ohio State football, and what his runner-up option says about his Buckeye plans
Columbus, Ohio — Will Howard, the quarterback, has shown that he can provide Ohio State football’s offense a fascinating new skill set.
Nevertheless, Howard was drawn to transfer from Kansas State to the Buckeyes by the quarterback he still has potential to become. In Howard’s opinion, he hasn’t demonstrated all of his potential as a quarterback. More importantly, he thinks Ryan Day and, as of late, offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, can contribute to raising the bar.
Above all, winning the national title felt like a possibility, and that was what mattered most, Howard remarked on Tuesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. “I just thought there was still more for me to do in college, and I wasn’t done yet.
Reaching the next level was, I believe, the main attraction that brought me here. I believe that playing in an offense like this will give me the best chance and truly prepare me for the next level.
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Miami and USC, according to Howard, were also “in the mix” for potential transfer destinations. But the Senior Bowl came in true second in his choice. With his pre-draft evaluation placing him somewhere between a third and sixth round selection, Howard was prepared to begin his NFL career.
According to those reviews, Howard needed to play more and do so at a better level. Compared to Kansas State’s offense, Ohio State’s more advanced scheme will demand more of him as a passer.
“A lot of these other schools that I was looking at, maybe these air-raid type schools, they’ve got great offenses and I could put up a lot of numbers,” Howard said. “But I don’t know how much that would develop me for the NFL.”
Howard’s career stats are impressive, but they fall short of OSU’s usual exceptional level of play. His pass efficiency rating from the previous season, 140.13, lagged considerably behind that of Kyle McCord (161.64). He tied McCord in touchdowns (24) and interceptions threw in almost exactly the same number of pass attempts (10).
But more importantly, Howard can provide a rushing element that the starting quarterback position for the Buckeyes hasn’t had since Justin Fields. Last season, he ran for 351 yards and nine touchdowns.
However, Howard made clear he expects his talents to be displayed differently at Ohio State. Here, he will be a pocket passer who can run, rather than entering each week with much of the game plan focused on his running ability.
Howard remarked, “I feel like my arm is where my strength is.” “However, I also think I’m capable of doing amazing things with my legs.”
On December 4, as soon as the transfer portal opened, Howard went through it. Then he watched as a number of other accomplished starting quarterbacks, like Riley Leonard (Duke to Notre Dame), Brock Vandagriff (Georgia to Kentucky), and Dillon Gabriel (Oklahoma to Oregon), found new homes.
Howard avoided discussing the precise day when OSU contacted him. He did mention that the Buckeyes informed him that they wouldn’t do anything until following the Cotton Bowl.
Day said he went into the Cotton Bowl open to Devin Brown locking up the starting job. A high ankle sprain suffered before the end of the first quarter ruined any chance of making that statement. Rumors of mutual interest between OSU and Howard began before the bowl game. After, it all but became a foregone conclusion.
I felt like there were a lot of excellent possibilities available to me, and there were many of them,” Howard remarked. None of them, in my opinion, compare to this one. I kind of had this one circled in the back of my head.
Howard proved at Kansas State that he is a quarterback and leader capable of winning pivotal moments. To see if he could win the biggest ones, he traveled to Ohio State.
