Ohio State Buckeyes Coach Opens Up About QB Will Howard

Chip Kelly opened up and talked briefly about Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard.

Mar 7, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) looks to throw during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Will Howard is set to win the Ohio State Buckeyes' starting quarterback job. While there is still a competition going on, it is almost a forgone conclusion that Howard will get the starting nod to begin the year.

The real battle is for the backup quarterback job between Devin Brown and Julian Sayin. However, Brown seems to be poised to win that battle unless something changes.

Looking ahead to the 2024 season, Howard has huge expectations resting on his shoulders. After transferring from Kansas State, he is now in a prime position to lead the Buckeyes to a National Championship if all goes well.

Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly recently spoke out about his quarterback and where he sees Howard currently at.

“I think Will has done a really good job really working on the playbook in the offseason, studying film so that he understands when there’s a play call made that he knows where to go with the football.”

There are a lot of valid questions about Howard and whether or not he's truly the guy that can lead the Buckeyes to a championship.

During the 2023 college football season with Kansas State, Howard ended up completing 61.3 percent of his pass attempts for 2,643 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also picked up 351 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.

Those numbers are not elite. They're actually far from being elite. However, he did not have the kind of supporting cast and weapons that he will have with the Buckeyes.

Howard is a completely unproven quarterback. The quarterback position is the one major question mark that Ohio State will have to answer at the start of the season.

While there is more pressure on Howard than most quarterbacks in college football, he is saying all of the right things and looking good in practice.

Only time will tell if he's the guy that will end the season as the starting quarterback, but Kelly clearly likes what he's seeing from the young signal caller. There are a lot of reasons for optimism, but now it all has to be played out on the field when the season gets underway.