Ryan Day breaks down how Will Howard separated himself, won OSU starting quarterback job

Ohio State officially named Kansas State transfer Will Howard the team’s starting quarterback on Thursday, with coach Ryan Day announcing the news during a post-practice press conference.

Howard won the gig following a strong practice last Saturday, coupled with what he’s shown since he arrived on campus.

“A little bit of both. I think coming off the spring, everything was very new,” Day said. “It was a significant change in terms of scheme and what we ask the quarterback to do. Once he kind of went through the offseason, he changed his body and then came in with a much better knowledge of what was going on.

“You could see him playing faster, his feet were moving, the ball was coming out with more pace. Then I think after the first week you started to see him take control, make good decisions. That’s the biggest thing.”

Day went in depth on just how far Will Howard has come along since the spring.

“You only go off what you see in practice and I’ve seen some significant progress made there. I think you’ll notice the poise in the pocket. When you’re tall as he is he can see over the line, he can see over the trees and he’s got a good feel in that pocket.

“Coming off of the spring, there were certainly some things that we needed to work on and I think Chip (Kelly) did a great job of addressing those things and making sure that he knew he had to go work on those things, but as you know, like in the offseason he has to go do that. He has to go and work with some people. He has to go to work with that and watch the film and figure out how he has to keep his feet moving and the different things that go with it.

“But a big part of it is when you can anticipate what’s going as opposed to react it makes all the difference in the world. And he has a better handle on it and a big part of that is the work ethic he has put in. He comes in early, he puts work in, he studies the film, he understands what the schemes are, he understands the structure of the route combinations, and he’s done a good job in the run game. He is the run game coordinator. Chip would tell you that. That’s a big part of it.

“Then when you’re in this offense, you’re making a decision every single play at quarterback. There’s very few times where you just hand the ball off and can take a deep breath. We try to do that every now and again, but it’s a lot, and he can handle it. And he’s done a good job of making sure that he’s prepared for the preseason, and it’s showing.”

Will Howard is coming off the best season of his career, though he had four years worth of experience with the Wildcats. He threw for 2,643 yards and 24 touchdowns, against 10 interceptions. He also ran for 351 yards and nine scores.

The Buckeyes will be hoping he can build on those numbers this fall, but they don’t need a superstar, Day said.

“We have a good defense this year. We don’t need extraordinary play,” the Ohio State coach said. “I did say this at this time last year, we need someone who’s going to take care of the football, make good decisions, make the routine plays routinely, he’s got to play well on third down, he’s got to play well in the red zone and win the game in the two-minute drill. That’s what we ask our quarterbacks to do.”

Will Howard has shown the best ability to do those things this fall, backed up by Devin Brown.

Named the starter now, as opposed to later in camp or just before the 2024 campaign begins, Howard can begin to more fully gel with the rest of the team. That’s no small thing.

“We have a good surrounding cast around him,” Day said. “And so taking care of the ball is very, very important, but then also scoring touchdowns. I think all of our quarterbacks this year bring a skillset that they can beat you with their feet, they can beat you with their arm. They’ve got to beat you with their brain, too, and that’s a big part of it.”

That’s not to say the development stops here. Ohio State expects its quarterbacks, including Will Howard, to continue improving going forward.

“It’s going to be a long season, so we’re going to have to get really good at our fastball, we’re going to have to be able to change things up as time goes on,” Day said.