Will Howard names favorite Ohio State football quarterback growing up

Will Howard is a Downington, Pennsylvania, native. He grew up as a Penn State fan. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t tune into Ohio State games.

There’s one Buckeyes quarterback, in particular, Howard remembers watching a lot. Howard brought up the fellow dual-threat signal caller, when asked on “The Triple Option” podcast who his favorite Ohio State quarterback was when he was a kid.

“That’s a good question,” Howard said. I would say the one that I watched probably the most was J.T. [Barrett], that was right within my middle school, high school years. I was like, ‘Man, this dude’s a baller.’

“Obviously. I watched Cardale [Jones]. I think that’s about as far back as I went. I was a little too young. I watched Braxton [Miller], too, but I was a Penn State fan growing up. So I remember rooting against the Buckeyes. Now I finally came to the to the bright side, got away from that other stuff.”

Howard has drawn comparisons to Barrett from Ohio State fans over the last year. Both are gamers who can use their legs as an X-factor.

Barrett is Ohio State’s all-time leader in pass attempts (1,211), pass completions (769), passing yards (9,434), passing touchdowns (104), 200-yard passing games (24), total offense (12,697 total yards) and total wins (38).

While wins aren’t solely a quarterback stat, they indicate Barrett’s longevity and adaptability, as he started 44 games with the Buckeyes. Early in his Ohio State career, Barrett operated with co-offensive coordinators Tom Herman and Ed Warinner — eventually Tim Beck, too, after Herman left — and then Barrett finished out his five-year stay with Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson as his co-OCs.

A dual-threat staple during the mid-2010s, Barrett turned in prolific seasons with both cohorts. Barrett’s high football IQ, which helped then-head coach Urban Meyer seamlessly transition his offensive staff, is now being put to use at the NFL level, where he’s an assistant quarterbacks coach for the Detroit Lions.

Howard, a graduate transfer who made 27 starts in four years at Kansas State, won’t come close to touching Barrett’s career marks in the Buckeyes’ record book. He does, however, have an opportunity to help Ohio State win its first national title since the 2014 season, which Barrett played a key role in as a 12-game starter before his ankle injury thrust Jones into the spotlight for the program’s memorable CFP run.