Ohio State names Will Howard starting quarterback

The Ohio State Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day have named Will Howard will be the team’s starting quarterback to open the 2024 season.

It was a decision that Day explained at a press conference following practice on Thursday.

“Will Howard will start the first game against Akron,” Ryan Day said. “He is our starting quarterback. I think that Chip [Kelly] has done a great job of rolling the quarterbacks from the first day of spring all the way to now. I think we’re 12 or 13 practices in here. So, we’re talking 27, 28 practices and when you take the aggregate of all the numbers, Will graded out significantly ahead of the other guys.”

Howard came to Ohio State as a transfer from Kansas State this offseason. He spent four seasons there and played in 34 career games, and he chose to transfer shortly after last season’s starting quarterback, Kyle McCord, left Ohio State in the Transfer Portal.

In his time at Kansas State, Howard had a career completion percentage of 58.8 for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns to 25 interceptions. He also ran for 921 yards and 19 touchdowns.

“Devin [Brown], right now, would be the number two…But we’re excited about Will being the starter. Will has really taken a command of the offense, I believe. You feel him in the huddle. You feel his experience. He did a really good job, as we talked about, of changing his body in the offseason. So, he’s become a threat both with his legs and with his arm,” Day said. “The more he understands what he’s doing out there and what he does, he’s really executing very well. I think the guys are excited when he gets in the huddle…They do feel Will and I know he’s excited about leading the team.”

Despite coming into Ohio State with the experience that he has, Will Howard had to undergo a quarterback battle and win the job. That included returning quarterback and former five-star recruit Devin Brown as well as Lincoln Kienholz. There were also two highly recruited incoming freshmen, Air Noland and Julian Sayin, who have been working hard to compete for the job throughout the offseason.

During Fall Camp, it appeared that Howard had been able to assert himself in the quarterback competition. Meanwhile, some of the biggest names on Ohio State’s offense have recently shared their praise for how Howard has played in the lead-up to the season.

“You can feel kind of his fifth-year presence when he steps onto the field. He gets in the huddle, takes command of it, lets everybody know their assignment and what they’ve got, kind of like a field general out there,” star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka said. “Has tremendous confidence in his ability, so that bleeds out throughout the entire offense and we’re able to play fast.”

Emeka Egbuka wasn’t alone, with freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith noting that Will Howard took a big jump from when he first got to Ohio State.

“He definitely made a big jump from in the spring,” Smith said. “I like his confidence. He’s starting to talk more. Talk a lot of mess on the field and I like that about my quarterback. I love quarterbacks who like to talk and just get around his players and make them feel good.”

This is an important season for the Ohio State Buckeyes as they open the year ranked second in the AP preseason poll. With an expanded College Football Playoff in place, expectations are high but the Buckeyes need to find a way to compete at the top of the Big Ten and beat Michigan for the first time since 2019 as well.

Ohio State fans will get their first look at Will Howard and the Buckeyes on August 31st when Ohio State hosts Akron to start the season.