Ohio State Buckeyes QB Will Howard Receives Discouraging Ranking

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard's strong season-opening performance did not do him any favors in a recent set of rankings.

Aug 31, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) throws during the NCAA football game against the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 52-6. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Will Howard make his Ohio State Buckeyes debut this past Saturday, leading his team to a 52-6 win over the Akron Zips.

Ohio State was expected to rout Akron, so the final score was no big surprise (the Buckeyes actually didn't even cover the point spread). Perhaps the most important part of the team's victory was Howard's performance.

The Kansas State transfer went 17-for-28 with 228 yards and three touchdowns while carrying the ball four times for 18 yards in the season opener.

However, that was not enough for Howard to jump into Joel Reuter's top 25 quarterback rankings (via Bleacher Report).

Reuter only named Howard as an honorable mention. As a matter of fact, former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord—who is now under center for Syracuse—was ranked 17th.

That is certainly not what Buckeyes fans want to hear. After all, McCord was much-maligned in Columbus last year, and many were hyped for a change at signal-caller.

There was definitely some trepidation surrounding Howard going into 2024, as his final season at Kansas State was not exactly riveting. He threw for 2,643 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 61.3 percent of his passes in 2023.

But the hope was that the far superior Ohio State supporting cast would elevate Howard's game, so much so that the 22-year-old was earning preseason Heisman Trophy consideration.

Howard absolutely put forth a strong showing overall versus Akron. His completion percentage did leave much to be desired, although in his defense, there were some dropped passes.

We'll see if Howard can climb the ranks when the Buckeyes host Western Michigan