Ohio State QB Near Bottom Of Big Ten Completion Percentage Rankings

The Ohio State Buckeyes have a new quarterback this season with Will Howard. Despite looking good in camp, he is still near the bottom of Big Ten completion percentage rankings.

Aug 1, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) takes the field during football camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Will Howard has been getting plenty of praise since the start of Ohio State Football's fall camp. Head coach Ryan Day has discussed Howard's body transforming during the offseason and onlookers at camp have commented on Howard taking the role of leader in the group, while also getting a majority of the first team reps in 11 versus 11 situations.

At 6'4" and 237 pounds, Howard's athleticism as a runner is eye-opening as well. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly noted that Howard is the fastest in the quarterback room, clocking in at 22 miles per hour during offseason testing.

While all signs point in the direction of Howard being named the starter, he does sit pretty far down on one Big Ten list. Of quarterbacks in the Big Ten who have 200 or more passing attempts in college, Howard only boasts a career 59.9 percent completion percentage. That is tied for eighth with Penn State's Drew Allar. Howard's numbers are a long way off from the top of the Big Ten quarterbacks on the list.

North Dakota transfer Tommy Schuster is No. 1 with a 70.5 completion percentage. Just behind the new Michigan State quarterback is another transfer in Oregon's Dillon Gabriel. The No. 2 quarterback in these rankings had a 69.3 completion percentage in his time at Oklahoma. The top two sit quite a bit higher than No. 3 though as Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke comes to Wisconsin with a 65.8 completion percentage.

Big Ten Completion % Returning Leaders for 2024 🎯 pic.twitter.com/qWgXSWXaUS

— Cody Nagel (@CodyNagel247) August 6, 2024

Howard is certainly not alone when it comes to transfer quarterbacks expected to lead their new teams in the Big Ten in 2024. Despite his completion percentage not being stellar at Kansas State, it is important to note that it improved every single year. In 2020, Howard had a mere 53.6 percent, which increased to 54.5 percent in 2021. The 2022 season is where a major jump happened as he nearly hit 60 percent at 59.8 to be exact. In his final season with the Wildcats, Howard's completion percentage was 61.3.

The good news for the Buckeyes is that Howard continued to improve with his accuracy and as a decision maker over time. This came at a place where Howard recently insinuated that he had to be more of a hero.

"I feel like I have the guys around me to where I just need to facilitate and just get them the ball and make good decisions," stated the veteran QB on Tuesday morning.

Aug 1, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Devin Brown (33) and quarterback Will Howard (18) take snaps during football camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

If Howard can do just that this season, then his completion percentage does have a good chance of not only going up, but going up significantly. Howard was certainly not the flashiest transfer quarterback in the portal this year and this statistic is another form of proof. With the talent the Buckeyes have around Howard, they don't need flashy. The Buckeyes need someone to just make good decisions, deliver the football to the stars and manage the game.