Ohio State quarterback Will Howard had his first opportunity to speak with the media on Tuesday after his arrival in Columbus, and in his brief time, the former Kansas State signal caller was nothing but thankful for the opportunity to play for the Buckeyes.
“I just felt like this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” he said. “I (have) a good relationship with Coach (Ryan) Day, he’s a really good guy. Obviously didn’t know about the Coach (Bill) O’Brien news, but that fires me up too. There were so many different things that went into this decision. It was a long, weird journey in the portal, but I couldn’t be happier to be a Buckeye.”
Howard faced several options following this past season with the Wildcats, including a potential transfer – with Miami (Fla.) and USC as other destinations – as well as exploring his NFL options, with some projecting him as a possible draft selection this spring.
But the opportunity to play at Ohio State changed the calculus for Howard. The word he received from those in the NFL was that he needed to play more, considering his lack of starting experience outside of last season at Kansas State, and that he needed to do so at a high level.
“There were so many signs pointing to coming back and in my heart, it was up to me, it was my gut, and I felt like I just wasn’t ready to leave college yet,” he said. “I still had more I wanted to accomplish.”
Howard has already won a conference championship during his college career, winning the Big 12 Championship in 2022, but he will now look to build on that resume with his final collegiate season at Ohio State, where he hopes to take the Buckeyes to a conference championship of their own – and maybe more, considering the expectations in Columbus.
“I was patient and knew that going to Ohio State and playing quarterback here would be a huge honor and an opportunity that would be hard to pass up,” he said. “It was a long process but I’m glad I ended up here.”
