Will Howard shares introduction to Ohio State-Michigan rivalry

Will Howard was quickly indoctrinated regarding the intricacies of the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan when he arrived in Columbus this past offseason.

The former Kansas State was chosen via the transfer portal to be the quarterback of the Buckeyes for 2024, a season that’s been labeled as championship or bust for the program. Part of that plan is defeating Michigan, and Howard shared how it’s always on his mind, at least since he’s joined Ohio State.

“That game is always in the back of our heads, for sure,” Howard said, regarding the preparation Ohio State has done for Michigan, via The Triple Option. “There’s a countdown. There’s a countdown in the weight room, right outside the cafeteria, right outside this room right here.

“… I had to buy in, you know. I’d get slapped upside the head if I said that M word around here. I might as well buy in, you know.”

The hatred for Michigan didn’t always click for Howard. He actually shared a hilarious tidbit from his official visit before he joined Ohio State, regarding his choice of wearing the wrong color before he chose the Buckeyes.

“For me, it was in the weight room in the winter, and just seeing that countdown clock,” Howard explained, regarding when it all clicked for him. “I came in, I remember, on my visit, and I was wearing like a blue, a darker blue hoodie, and I remember somebody said something to me and I was like, ‘Damn, I didn’t even realize. I just thought it was like, a nice little Rhoback hoodie. Like shoot, I’ve got to change,’ so I had to take it off and it was like, freezing cold. It was like January and I was wearing a t-shirt on my visit. So, it was kind of a little baptism by fire.

“I had to kind of learn as I went, and the mistakes I made, I guess, were highlighted. So, every time I said the M word, I remember I was at dinner with Seth McLaughlin and his family and Coach Day on our visit, and I think it might’ve been Seth’s girlfriend or Seth’s mom, because they played last year, Alabama played The Team Up North in the Rose Bowl, obviously, and she was talking about it, and she said the M word, and Coach Day kind of like under his breath was like, ‘The Team Up North,’ and I was just like, from that point on I was like, I can’t call them Michigan, that M-word, anymore.”

When Nov. 30 rolls around, Will Howard and Ohio State will have their chance to end Michigan’s winning streak over them, and bring the Buckeyes back to the level they believe they should be at. Time will tell, but the quarterback is taking all the necessary steps to prepare for the sport’s top rivalry.