Ohio State legend Troy Smith: 'I owe Will Howard an apology'

Troy Smith had quite the day on Twitter when it came to Ohio State quarterback’s but apologized to starter Will Howard.

That was after Ohio State beat Penn State 20-13 on the road to improve to 7-1 and give the Nittany Lions their first loss of the season. Smith tweeted and then deleted a post about putting in true freshman Julian Sayin in the second half.

But, it’s all water under the bridge and Howard came up big for the Buckeyes when it mattered most.

I owe Will Howard an apology.

— Troy Smith (@yn_TroySmith) November 2, 2024

Howard finished the win 16-of-24 passing for 182 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and 24 rushing yards.

Howard transferred to Ohio State this offseason and so far has the Buckeyes off to a 6-1 start. He finally got to make the trip to play a game in Beaver Stadium, albeit as an opponent, and he was determined to show the coaches and fans what they missed out on.

“I’m stoked,” Howard said this week. “I cannot wait. It’s gonna be a homecoming for me. I grew up a Penn State fan. I wanted to go there my whole life. They didn’t think I was good enough, but I guess we’ll see next week if I was.”

Sayin only appeared in two games this season, going five-of-seven passing for 84 yards and one touchdown.

As a member of the Class of 2024, Sayin was a five-star-plus recruit out of Carlsbad (Calif.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 2 quarterback in the class and the No. 8 overall prospect in the class.

Sayin was a sought after prospect, like Bryce Underwood is at the moment. The 2025 prospect could command a giant NIL deal.

Smith responded to fellow Ohio State alum Michael Thomas who tweeted about Underwood, tagging him with Ohio State’s NIL collective.

“(Ohio State commit Tavien St. Clair) better but (Julian Sayin) elite,” Smith wrote on Twitter.

Head coach Ryan Day said earlier this season that reps for backup QBs are certainly important. He compared it to an NFL depth chart.

“When you look at NFL rosters who play as many games as they play — now close to as many as we’re going to play,” Day told On3’s Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman. “It isn’t always the top-end guys you’re talking about. I mean, they turn over their roster constantly, like in the bottom 10 to 15%. Well, when somebody gets hurt, [in college] you can’t just sign somebody off of waivers.

“Everybody’s involved. It’s the fourth-string, running back, it’s the third-string left guard. … All of these guys getting reps is going to be important because you can’t just sign somebody off a waiver. That’s also important for practice, it’s important for morale. I’m glad we got that done the first couple games right and you guys bring.”