Why Ohio State Quarterback Will Howard Fits With Chip Kelly

The Ohio State Buckeyes may have found the perfect combination of veteran QB Will Howard and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

April 13, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) waves to fans following the Ohio State LifeSports spring football game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. / Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch /

With high expectations for the Ohio State Buckeyes this season, the offense will need be a key part of the team's success this season.

Last year, the Buckeyes featured Kyle McCord at the helm, while head coach Ryan Day called the plays for the veteran quarterback. The duo of McCord and Day had some positive moments throughout the season, but their efforts were not enough to defeat the Michigan Wolverines.

The tides have dramatically changed this offseason in Columbus and Ohio State will now put the trust in former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard and newly-hired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Many fans are skeptical of how this dynamic will work, but the combination of Howard and Kelly could take this offense to new heights during the 2024 season.

Mar 7, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly watches quarterback Will Howard (18) throw during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

Duel-Threat Ability

When looking at any former Chip Kelly teams, the biggest takeaway is Kelly's usage of a duel-threat quarterback.

Looking back at the 2022 season, UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson had an incredible jump in play. Part of it was due to his ability to run the ball. Thompson-Robinson finished his final year at UCLA with 117 carries and 646 yards on the ground on top of his 3,154 yards in the air.

This style of play is very similar to Howard's play style at Kansas State. The 6-foot-5, 242-pound quarterback has demonstrated his capability to use his legs when called upon. In 2023, Howard reached 351 rushing yards on 81 carries. His run-style is similar to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, as both are big players and use their strength to gain extra yards.

Middle of the Field Passing

One of the main emphasises in Kelly's offense last year was utilizing the middle of the field in the pass game. Taking a look at UCLA's primary starting quarterback last year, Dante Moore, we can see how much the Buckeye's new offensive coordinator likes to use the middle of the field (stats according to PFF):

Depth of Pass	Percentage of Passing Play Call
Behind the line of scrimmage, middle	8.9%
Short, middle	18.7%
Intermediate, middle	11.2%
TOTAL	38.8%

Out of the 12 spots that PFF uses to identify passing zones, three of the four zones across the middle made up nearly 40% of Moore's passes.

The usage of the middle part of the field perfectly aligns with Howard's skillset, as his profile last year shows how well he does in those passing concepts.

Depth of Pass	Percentage of Passing Play Call	Completion Percentage	PFF Grade
Behind the line of scrimmage, middle	8.1%	89.7%	68.5
Short, middle	31.3%	75%	68.2
Intermediate, middle	12.0%	58.1%	90.2

Kansas State did even more through the middle of the field than Kelly's UCLA offense last year, which could be perfect for Howard. While the former Wildcats' quarterback did not excel outside the numbers and on deeper throws, Howard did a solid job in the areas that are basic concepts of a Chip Kelly offense.

Complimentary Pieces

The final piece to why this combination will work is the fact that both Howard and Kelly will have an upgrade in offensive weapons.

As a starting quarterback for Kansas State, Howard had a 1,000 yard rusher in every season except one, but did not have a wide receiver reach over 800 yards. For Kelly, he had solid running backs with no talented pass catchers.

Now, as both join Ohio State, they have weapons in order to expand the playbook while elevating the play of Howard. The Buckeyes lost a few of the team's key pieces in the running back room, but gained former Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins and held on to TreVeyon Henderson. The one-two punch of Judkins and Henderson will be one of the best, if not the best, running back room in college football.

In terms of pass catchers, the Buckeyes return two wide receivers in Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate to command the wide receiver room. Newcomer Jeremiah Smith also has shown promise throughout the spring and could be a big piece to the core.