Tag: Will Howard

Will Howard doesn’t deliver a dominant spring game for Ohio State

Former USC transfer target Will Howard wasn’t bad for OSU, but he wasn’t spectacular, either.

USC football is preparing for its own spring game this Saturday. However, the Trojans are also keeping an eye on the competition in the Big Ten. At Ohio State, Will Howard — who was a USC transfer portal target for a few weeks before Miller Moss changed everything at the Holiday Bowl — is trying to lock down the starting quarterback job. At the Ohio State spring game this past Saturday, Howard did not put the matter to rest. If anything, he left the door open.

Buckeyes Wire has more:

“Will Howard got the first series of the game, while Devin Brown was next in. Lincoln Kienholz and Julian Sayin both played in the first half, while Air Noland played in the second. It looks like Howard is ahead of Brown, but not by much. The battle will go into the fall. I’m not particularly a fan of how it’s playing out. I would have liked one of them to take the reins, but like last season, that didn’t happen. The confidence level is high this group will be fine during the year, as both Howard and Brown looked more than capable on Saturday.”

Howard wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t great. Debate about who should be Ohio State’s QB1 in September was perpetuated — not silenced — by this game. While not a disaster for OSU, it’s probably not the outcome Ryan Day was hoping for. That’s worth noting for one of USC’s foremost competitors in the new Big Ten.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Will Howard loses black stripe

Will Howard is an official Buckeye. #GoBucks

Another black stripe was removed this spring and this time it was transfer quarterback, Will Howard. The former Kansas State, now Buckeye gunslinger, earned the right to remove the black stripe during Saturday’s student appreciation day.

It makes sense that Howard was able to remove his stripe as my X, formerly Twitter feed is filled with electrifying plays being made including a 60-yard bomb to another incoming transfer, Quinshon Judkins. There were some rumblings that Howard was struggling at the start of spring practices but he has settled in with each passing day.

Most expect Howard to be the starting quarterback on opening day and this is a good sign for that camp.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

ESPN names Ryan Day as a coach that has the most to prove in 2024

Day has plenty to prove this coming fall

We all know the issues that Ohio State football head coach [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] has had over the past few seasons.

Three years in-a-row losing to Michigan while watching them win the College Football Playoff this past season. On top of that missing out on the CFP this past year, no Big Ten titles in those three seasons has many wondering what is wrong in Columbus.

One of those people is ESPN’s Bill Connelly, who named Day as his coach that has the most to prove in 2024. He mentioned that Ohio State “appear(s) to be going all-in this year as Michigan undergoes a massive turnover.”

Big Ten football recruiting classes ranked after national signing day
USA TODAY SMG

Not only that, Connelly also says “the odds of success are high, but the perils of another year of missed expectations could be awfully damning.” He’s right on both ends, the Buckeyes have had a huge offseason with massive transfer additions and on the coaching staff.

However, what if it does go wrong. It could spell the end of the Day era, as this team is set up to win big this fall. Hopefully that’s not a conversation we are having come January of 2025.

Quarterback [autotag]Will Howard[/autotag] is also mentioned in the piece, as a transfer that has the most to prove. This time it was Adam Rittenberg who picked him, going on to say that “he doesn’t have to be the sole reason why Ohio State wins a national title, but he can’t be the reason the Buckeyes fall short, either.”

USA TODAY SMG

Howard does have to follow the footsteps of the former 1st round picks, he just has to do his job and get the ball to the numerous playmakers on the Buckeye offense. If he does that, Ohio State should have a highly successful season.

Contact/Follow @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on X.

Where does Jackson Arnold rank in early 2024 Heisman odds according to Fan Duel?

Jackson Arnold is already getting some preseason Heisman buzz before his first year as a starter.

If you think [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] is going to win the [autotag]Heisman[/autotag] in 2024, now is the time to bet on it. You probably won’t see the odds this low again if he has the season you think he’s going to have.

Arnold is heading into his first year as the starting quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. The sophomore quarterback showed flashes in games last year. Even though his bowl game was soured with all of the turnovers, he showed in that game why people are so high on him and his ability.

He’s definitely got all of the makings to be Oklahoma’s next great quarterback and Heisman contender. Arnold’s going to have plenty of opportunities to show out against several high-quality opponents.

So where does Arnold land in 2024 Heisman odds according to Fan Duel Sportsbook? Let’s take a look at the early contenders.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3006″ ] Fan Duel

Ohio State transfer quarterback Will Howard is impressed with receiver Jeremiah Smith

Some pretty high praise from an incoming transfer about a freshman here. #GoBucks

Head coach Ryan Day and his coaching staff were dodging barbs in the media after a third-straight loss to Michigan, and a ho-hum initial peek into all the big names in the transfer portal, but since then, he’s moved the needle on the excitement meter by making some major moves.

Ohio State grabbed the top prospect in the transfer portal, Alabama safety Caleb Downs, took the top SEC running back out of the portal, Ole Miss’ Quinshon Judkins, and grabbed several other high-profile kids the same way including a potential new starting quarterback, Kansas State’s Will Howard.

Day and staff also somehow convinced the large majority of talented juniors to put off the NFL and come back for some unfinished business. Add that to a recruiting class that is ranked inside the top five no matter what recruiting service you look at, and it’s clear that there is some serious offseason momentum

We got our first look at the transfer class on Tuesday with a player availability session, and we were exceptionally stricken by some comments Howard had to say about his first impressions of freshman wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith.

“He’s a dude, man. I haven’t talked to him that much yet just because we’ve been in different groups lifting and stuff. But man, he’s a specimen,” Howard said. “I mean that dude is a freak show when it comes to physical. I’m excited to see him out on the field in live action.”

Aren’t we all? Smith has a lot of buzz surrounding what he can do, and you have to think that we’ll see a lot of him this fall no matter what. Maybe when we do, it’ll be Howard dropping dimes to him for some explosive plays.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. 

Ohio State transfer portal scouting report: Will Howard

Ohio State transfer portal scouting report: Will Howard #GoBucks

The Ohio State football season is over, but the offseason has just begun and the Buckeyes are putting in work in the transfer portal. The first transfer portal addition came from the Mid-American Conference with the addition of Will Kacmarek from the Ohio Bobcats. We dove into what to expect from him earlier this month.

After snagging a proficient blocking tight end, the Buckeyes weren’t done attacking the offensive side of the football and it was not shocking to see Ryan Day finding his quarterback. We expected Ohio State to add another gunslinger after the departure of Kyle McCord, but the question was always who would it be?

The Buckeyes received a commitment from Will Howard who has spent the last two seasons starting for the Kansas State Wildcats and will have just one year of eligibility remaining. He chose Ohio State over Miami and USC, and the All-Big 12 quarterback will have a unique opportunity to elevate the Buckeye offense in 2024.

Name: Will Howard

Former School: Kansas State Wildcats

Height: 6-feet, 5-inches

Weight: 242 pounds

Position: Qaurterback

Strengths

Not many quarterbacks have shown the type of improvement that Howard has shown since he arrived on the scene in 2022. He was the definitive leader of the Wildcat offense and had clearly gained the trust of his coach, which are traits that were missing from the Buckeyes’ offense this past season.

Howard has put together two seasons of high level play, and has the ideal size to put an offense on his back when needed. This past season, Howard passed for 2,643 yards and an impressive 24 touchdowns. He is the type of player that can keep a team in the game by himself.

Weaknesses

I still don’t understand how Will Howard lost the starting gig to Adrian Martinez to start the 2022 season. This may not be a “weakness” and is a tad unfair to still bring up two years later, but Martinez was largely a liability throughout his college career, so knowing at one point he beat out Howard sends chills down my spine. However, Martinez was quite the player for the Wildcats, so there’s that.

Expectations

Here is the deal, Will Howard isn’t going to blow the doors off physically. I think that the difference between him and Kyle McCord physically is very slim, but physical traits were never the issue with McCord, but mentally the gap is huge. Ryan Day didn’t choose Will Howard because of his size and arm, but because he has shown his ability to be calm, cool, and collected in times of crisis. Howard can put the team on his back and elevate the players around him. He is a guy who will make few mistakes and will save his highlight reel potential for when the Buckeyes need it most. Ryan Day needs someone he can trust for such a vital season and Howard is arguably the most intelligent player in the country.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

Will Howard pivot from USC to Ohio State puts major heat on Ryan Day

Ryan Day, not Lincoln Riley, will be under a lot of pressure to maximize Will Howard’s skill set.

Midway through December, when it seemed likely that USC was going to sign Will Howard, a lot of Trojan fans wondered if this was really the best Lincoln Riley could do. After having Caleb Williams at the quarterback spot for two seasons, Will Howard was undeniably going to represent a notable downgrade. Couldn’t USC have gotten a Cadillac quarterback with superstar potential? Howard isn’t that kind of quarterback.

Howard is good. He is probably underrated. Keep in mind that he filled in for injured Kansas State quarterbacks earlier in his career. Those emergency, fill-in games were rough for him. His aggregate numbers at KSU aren’t great because he played a lot of games in which he was thrown into the fire without much choice or preparation. He is better than what the numbers show.

Again, though: He’s not Caleb. He’s not Michael Penix. He’s not Dillon Gabriel, Oregon’s new transfer from Oklahoma.

USC having Will Howard wasn’t necessarily a disaster — again, Howard is underrated and can be really good — but it would have put a lot of pressure on Lincoln Riley to prove that he could win with a less-than-elite quarterback. Riley has coached Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, and Caleb Williams, all elite college quarterbacks. Will Howard does not belong in that conversation. Riley was going to have to be better with Howard, better than he normally is.

Now, with Howard choosing Ohio State after Miller Moss’s amazing Holiday Bowl performance, the pressure which was going to sit on Riley’s shoulders will instead fall on Ryan Day’s shoulders with the Buckeyes.

Buckeyes Wire noted this:

“After the Cotton Bowl disaster, which saw both Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz struggle, head coach Ryan Day dipped into the portal for a veteran at the position. It makes plenty of sense to bring in a quarterback who threw for 2,643 yards while completing 61.3% of his attempts this past season.”

Ohio State became very thin at the quarterback spot once Kyle McCord transferred to Syracuse. OSU fans probably think what USC fans were thinking when Howard was being considered by Lincoln Riley: “Can’t we do better than this?” It’s going to be a heavy lift for Ryan Day to get the most out of Will Howard.

It’s not USC’s problem.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Will Howard vs Miller Moss is the QB comparison which will dominate 2024 at USC

Howard versus Moss is going to be the talk of the city in Los Angeles and, for that matter, Columbus.

The USC Trojans, in early December, were considering Will Howard as their 2024 starting quarterback. Lincoln Riley visited Howard. Later in the month, Howard paid a visit to USC. Interest was considerable, but a final commitment never occurred.

Riley and Howard likely stated their positions in their talks, though neither party has disclosed exactly what has been said. Riley likely told Howard what he wanted from his 2024 USC offense. Howard likely asked Riley if a transfer to USC would mean guaranteed QB1 status, or if Howard would have to battle Miller Moss for that role.

Riley likely told Howard to wait until after the Holiday Bowl, in which Moss was going to play the whole game. Then USC and Riley would have a much better idea of where they wanted to go at quarterback in 2024.

We all saw what happened. Moss dominated the game and established himself as the QB1 for USC. Howard had to have known he was out of the picture in Los Angeles.

He then transferred to Ohio State, as noted by Buckeyes Wire.

Howard versus Moss — the quarterback USC almost got versus the quarterback USC will have — will dominate the conversation at USC (and Ohio State) in the offseason, continuing into September and the start of the 2024 campaign. We will see how these journeys affect USC, Ohio State, and the balance of power in the 2024 Big Ten.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Ohio State lands a top transfer portal quarterback

Ohio State’s search for a quarteback in the transfer portal has come to an end.

The Ohio State Buckeyes‘ search for their likely starting quarterback in 2024 came to an end on Thursday evening as Kansas State transfer Will Howard committed to the Buckeyes. He chose Ryan Day and the Buckeyes over future Big Ten program Southern California.

The Pennsylvania native will most likely replace Kyle McCord as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback. McCord left Ohio State after starting for the Buckeyes this past season, putting together a high-quality season completing 65.8% of his passes for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

The Cornhuskers were in McCord’s recruitment before the New Jersey native chose to continue his career at Syracuse.

Howard will head to Columbus after spending four seasons with the Kansas State Wildcats. This season, Howard was the Wildcats’ full-time starter for the first time, completing 61.3% of his passes for 2,643 yards and 24 touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions.

For his career, the former three-star prospect has a 58.8% completion percentage for 5,786 yards, 48 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions. He also is able to move the ball on the ground with 921 career rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on 226 carries.

Howard will be tasked with getting the Buckeyes back to the College Football Playoffs after missing the playoffs each of the last three seasons. Perhaps more importantly for Ohio State fans, he’ll be tasked with finding a way to beat archrival Michigan who the Buckeyes have lost to each of the last three seasons.

The Cornhuskers will have the opportunity to face Howard and the Buckeyes next fall on October 26 in Columbus.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Five reasons to be excited about Ohio State’s new quarterback Will Howard

There’s a lot to be excited about the Buckeyes new quarterback, Will Howard

Ohio State football scored a massive transfer portal recruiting win on Thursday evening, when Kansas State quarterback Will Howard committed to the Buckeyes.

The 6-foot, 5-inch, 242-pound signal caller brings a big-time skill set with him to Columbus, one that fits the Ohio State offense very well. Howard is one of the top transfer options at quarterback, and the second transfer that Ohio State has taken a commitment from in over the last week.

A few days ago, I got a bit ahead of myself and watched highlights of Howard over the past few years along with reading about his other qualities. Here are five reasons Ohio State fans should be extremely excited about Howard playing his final year in Columbus.