The Ohio State football program only had Will Howard as its quarterback for one year. He transferred in for the 2024 season after three years at Kansas State. He was the perfect replacement for Kyle McCord, not just because of things he did on the field, but off the field as well.
Howard was the perfect quarterback to lead this team. He proved that when he helped the Buckeyes through their four-game College Football Playoff run and won the national championship. His leadership and his ability to throw the ball were massive in that run.
That run looked extremely unlikely after losing to Michigan for the fourth straight season. Yet, he was able to put that behind him and lead the team to more wins. He was asked about the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry on a podcast recently and had a great response to the question that was asked.
Will Howard sums up the Ohio State football vs. Michigan rivalry perfectly
While appearing on the Ryen Russilo Podcast, Howard was asked about the dynamics of the loss to Michigan and what it did for the Buckeyes. When asked how bad it was, he gave an honest response.
"It wasn't fun man, you come to Ohio State to beat those guys. For me, it hurt. You get one chance at The Game. Obviously, I got knocked up in the half, and I probably wasn't 100%. But, shoot, only God himself would've taken me out of that game. You only get one chance to play That Team Up North. And it was just a bad day. And you can't have that...I knew what I was stepping into...Ohio State fans can turn nasty if they don't like you. I grew up an Eagles fan, it's the same deal...they want to see their Buckeyes win."Ohio State QB Will Howard
Howard knew exactly what he was getting into when he picked Ohio State. He knew that the rivalry has intense moments. It's exactly what he wanted when he chose the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was the perfect leader to guide the Buckeyes to a national title.
Howard will try to do the same thing in the NFL. He now needs to find a team that will trust him to lead an NFL group of players. I wouldn't count against his ability to do that based on what he just did with the Buckeyes.