Will Howard not shying away from the higher expectations at Ohio State

When quarterback Will Howard transferred from Kansas State to Ohio State, he brought with him plenty of experience and talent. However, he also ended up at a school where there are higher expectations.

Howard can feel those higher expectations at Ohio State already, but as he explained while at the Manning Passing Academy, he’s not shying away from those expectations.

“It is tough,” Will Howard said. “The expectations are higher but I knew what I was signing up for.”

Will Howard played in 34 games over the course of four seasons at Kansas State. During that time, he completed 58.8 percent of his career passes for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 921 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Now, Howard is hoping to find a way to get himself ready for the NFL, playing at a school that has a long track record of offensive success and developing players for the future.

“I know that the ultimate goal for me is the NFL, being a starter in the NFL,” Howard said. “And I knew if I didn’t put myself in uncomfortable positions and push myself and put these expectations on myself, then I wasn’t going to grow. Following in the footsteps of CJ [Stroud], and Justin [Fields], and Dwayne [Haskins], and JT [Barrett]. Like, the succession of quarterbacks there is special and I hope I can carry it on in a good way.”

Will Howard does appear to be the likely starter at Ohio State. However, part of the challenge there is that he is facing a quarterback battle. Talented quarterbacks like Devin Brown, Air Noland, and Julian Sayin among others are also competing for the starting job.

Will Howard believes he needed his transfer from Kansas State

Will Howard’s decision to transfer out of Kansas State caught plenty of people by surprise, but it’s exactly what he believes he needed.

“It’s tough, yeah. And you know, it’s so normalized nowadays that people don’t really think about it. It’s a tough process, the transition, especially for a guy like me who was at K-State for four years, really cemented, was comfortable, knew all the guys. You know, going to a new place is kind of what I needed, a step out of my comfort zone. I was ready for that. It’s not easy, by any stretch,” Howard said.

“I leaned on those guys I came in with because we were all kinda going through the same thing. It took a little bit, you know, to get my feet wet, get comfortable just with the guys and with the program. But it honestly didn’t take too long. By the time spring ball came around, I was pretty well engrossed in it, and I mean, they embraced me really well. We have a really tight team this year, so it’s cool.”