Getty Image / Jason Mowry
While the term has never meant less than it does now, technically, college football stars are supposed to be student-athletes, with students coming first. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard is now in one of the most well-known positions for any college athlete, as the Kansas State transfer is the starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Is Will Howard focusing on his studies during class? I’m sure he is a little bit. But, he’s watching some film, too, as he tries to get up to speed in Ryan Day’s offense as a first-year starter.
It was a tumultuous offseason in the Buckeye quarterback room. All-Big Ten selection Kyle McCord felt that Ohio State was going to recruit over him in the transfer portal despite going 11-1 as a starter while battling injuries and a below-their-standards Buckeye offensive line last year, and entered the transfer portal. Ohio State eventually ended up getting Howard out of the portal, who was about to lose his job at Kansas State to highly-touted Class of 2023 quarterback Avery Johnson. And, when Nick Saban retired, arguably the nation’s top quarterback recruit in Julian Sayin flipped from Alabama to Ohio State. Former blue-chippers Devin Brown and Lincoln Keinholz returned, and another top 2024 quarterback recruit, Air Noland, stayed committed.
Howard won the job in preseason camp, and has been solid so far this year against bad competition. He’s 35/54 for 920 yards and 4 touchdowns through the air and has added 24 yards and a score on 5 carries on the ground.
Ryan Day and new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s scheme is a whole new offense for Howard, and he’s putting extra time in to learning it. Some of that extra time is coming during class, however.
Here’s more from Fox Sports.
I actually, this semester, have class at night,” Howard said in a news conference earlier this week. “And don’t tell my professors, but sometimes I watch a little film in class. I like to watch film every day, whatever it is, I just like to wake up and watch a little bit of something. I love the game of football, and I love the chess game that it is. I love how much strategy goes into it. And I think that’s a fun part of it, being able to come out and have something planned for your opponent that they’re not ready for, or seeing something before it happens is really fun.
The jury is out on whether Ohio State has upgraded at quarterback this year. A healthy Kyle McCord has looked stellar at Syracuse so far. But, Will Howard is doing his best to take a loaded Buckeye squad back to the College Football Playoff.