Ohio State quarterback Will Howard’s kiss with girlfriend goes viral after Oregon win

The Buckeyes star just won the Rose Bowl over the Ducks in the College Football Playoff, but the talk is about his girlfriend.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) celebrates following the 41-21 win over the Oregon Ducks in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes dismantled the Oregon Ducks in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl where quarterback Will Howard was at his best throwing for 319 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. The talk after the game, however, came with a kiss.

It was a day to remember for the 8th seeded Buckeyes vs. No. 1 Oregon in a game that was never close as Ohio State jumped up 34-0 in the second quarter.

After the game, Howard celebrated with his teammates but found his girlfriend in the sea of people and turned around his hat for the viral kiss that everyone’s talking about.

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So who is his mystery woman? According to several media outlets Howard, 23, is dating Lauren Leiker, who is from Kansas and the two met in 2023 while he was at Kansas State before he transferred to Ohio State.

While not too much is known about Leiker, according to her LinkedIn page, she earned a degree in human health biology and integrative health services in 2023 from Kansas State. Leiker works as a physician assistant at Johnson County Dermatology.

While the focus is usually about who won the Rose Bowl, Leiker and Howard’s kiss in the Pasadena, California, night is what’s being talked about in an otherwise boring and disappointing game.

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