Will Howard discusses what excites him most about first start at Ohio State

Will Howard called starting for Ohio State “an honor” and “a privilege” when he met with the media Tuesday, just four days away from his Buckeyes debut. He also described it as an opportunity he doesn’t take lightly.

“Man, I’m so excited,” Howard said. “Like I truly can’t overstate that, like how excited I am. I’m fired up. I grew up as a kid watching the Big Ten. I’ve played in a lot of places now, at this point in my career. I’ve played in front of hundreds of thousands, but the ‘Shoe and the atmosphere here, it’s different, man, and the traditions — I’m really excited just to experience all of it.”

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Howard said the team has walked through what it’s going to be like on game day, but he understands that getting out there Saturday afternoon before a 3:30 p.m. kickoff against Akron will be different. The Kansas State graduate transfer is focused on taking the experience in.

“I only get so many opportunities here,” said Howard, who made 27 starts and won a Big 12 title at K-State. “I want to make sure I soak it in before we go out there and get to business, strap it up and play.”

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Howard knows there’s pressure that comes with being QB1 at Ohio State. He knew that when he transferred in back in January. With an eye toward a national championship and an elevated NFL Draft stock, Howard has leaned into those expectations in Columbus.

He said Tuesday that his first goal when he got to Ohio State was to become “the guy.”

“I knew I had to work for it, and the guys in the room weren’t going to make it easy,” Howard said. “But I felt like I had a good camp, and I showed the coaching staff what I could do and felt like I finally settled into the offense for the first time.

“Just going through fall, I feel really, really confident with how I’m feeling the offense out, and how I’m kind of evolving in this system.”

Howard is eager for Ohio State fans to watch him play in a regular season game. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day is, too.

“We haven’t played in a game with Will,” Day said Tuesday. “So I’m, again, fired up to see what it looks like on the field. But, you know, [we’ll] get on there and figure out if some of the assumptions we’ve made are accurate and which ones aren’t and then enhance the things that are going well and fix the things that need to get fixed.”

Day said the top priority for Howard is to run the team with a clean operation: That means getting Ohio State in an out of the huddle effectively, communicating clearly with the new helmet technology, making the routine plays routinely and taking care of the football.

Where Howard will be evaluated most critically, though, is on third down as well as in red zone and two-minute drill situations.

“It’s getting into the game, getting a feel for it and playing clean,” Day said. “That’s what we’re looking for in Week 1.”

Howard will have to, as Day says, get a feel for the game — before it, he’ll certainly get a feel for a packed Ohio Stadium filled with hopeful and title-hungry Buckeyes fans.