Ohio State Buckeyes QB Will Howard Receives Lukewarm 2024 Projection

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard did not receive great projections for the 2024 season.

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

The Ohio State Buckeyes are just nine days away from their 2024 season opener against the Akron Zips. It will be the first look for fans at new starting quarterback Will Howard.

After an offseason competition, Howard was named the starter by Ryan Day. That has been the expectation since Howard opted to transfer to Ohio State.

While there are big hopes that he could produce big numbers this season, there are also major concerns. Howard was far from being an elite quarterback during his tenure with Kansas State.

RotoWire has released their 2024 projections for Howard. Unfortunately, they were not very flattering.

They are projecting Howard to end up throwing for 3,102 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He is also projected to rush for 226 yards and four touchdowns.

Here is the breakdown that they have for Howard's 2024 outlook.

"Howard's stats climaxed in his 2023 season at Kansas State, tallying 2,643 passing yards, 351 rushing yards, and 33 total touchdowns with 10 interceptions. The super senior will now make his way to the Buckeyes, who enabled Kyle McCord to surpass 3,000 passing yards and log a 24:6 TD:INT ratio in his final year with the team. Though Howard will not have star wideout Marvin Harrison as an asset, he does join Ohio State with more experience as a starter and overall experience in spreading the love. Howard should be primed for another big season in his collegiate career as he joins wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and potential breakout freshman Jeremiah Smith, plus a pair of star running backs in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins who can both contribute as receivers out of the backfield. Howard has all the skills necessary and as long as he makes it over the hump of acquainting with his new team, his output should only increase from his time as a Wildcat."

Needless to say, those projected numbers would be nothing close to what the Buckeyes are hoping to see from him. Hopefully, he's able to exceed them.

Howard does have an elite supporting cast around him and he isn't going to be asked to be a superstar. He has Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith to work with, along with a few other highly talented wideouts. Ohio State also features two star running backs.

However, in order to win a National Championship, they are going to need Howard to rise to the occasion.

Are those numbers good enough to lead a championship run? No one can truly say, but they seem a bit low.

All of that being said, no one truly knows how Howard will look until the season gets going. He isn't being projected high right now, but he'll look to shut down the doubts and critics with his play on the field.