The Ohio State Buckeyes have named former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard as their starting quarterback for the 2024 college football season.
Howard was expected to end up as the back up quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats in 2024 due to the emergence of in-state product Avery Johnson. So Howard entered the transfer portal and ended up in Columbus, Ohio, where he will now be tasked with trying to help Ohio State win a National Championship for the first time since 2014.
Will Howard transferred to Ohio State in January after wrapping the 2023 season with the Wildcats. He led K-State to a Big 12 title in 2022 and is Kansas State’s all-time passing touchdowns leader with 45 scores through the air over four years. Last season, Howard completed 61.3% of his passes, throwing for over 2,600 yards with 26 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He also ran for nine touchdowns, with over 350 yards on the ground.
Recently, Howard spoke on the changes he’s noticed since arriving at Ohio State following training camp, saying, “Everything’s heightened here” and that he “feels the eyes a little bit.”
“I think the one thing I would say is that I don’t feel like I have to be a hero here,” Howard said. “I feel like I have the guys around me, so I just need to facilitate, get them the ball, and make good decisions. At the end of the day, I don’t have to go out there and do anything superhuman. I just have to be myself and trust the guys around me.”
Whether or not that’s a dig at Kansas State remains unclear, but now Howard has arguably the most talent around him in college football, so no matter what the pressure will be on in a Championship-or-Bust environment like Columbus, Ohio.
Will Howard starts his career with the Buckeyes on Saturday, August 31st, when Ohio State hosts Akron at 3:30 p.m. EST.
