Will Howard hasn’t played a game yet for Ohio State, but his emergence this soon in preseason camp makes Ryan Day and Chip Kelly’s choice to lead their team the obvious one.
Columbus, OH – Almost an hour after his expected presence during Thursday’s lunch hour, Ryan Day walked into the team room. And he surprised no one with an announcement he was eager and at ease to make.
“Will Howard will start the first game against Akron,” Day said. “We’re excited about Will being the starter. He has taken command of the offense.”
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This day – August 15 – is the earliest in Day’s preseason camps that he has named a starter. That means something.
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The eye test in camp revealed Howard as an upgrade to Kyle McCord, who left after last season for Syracuse. And the results and timing of Day’s decision support the fact that his look into the transfer portal for a quarterback is indeed an upgrade.
The path of Devin Brown lends insight to why Howard is clearly the right choice. Last year Brown – the current No. 2, with freshman Julian Sayin close enough to take that job from him – led the quarterback competition at this point last season. Then McCord moved to the front.
This year Day said Brown is much improved. Yet, with more than two weeks before the first game, Day clearly stated that Howard is the starter. Last year he said Brown would see time in early games, which didn’t really happen. On Thursday, he made no such promise.
Day got what he’s always wanted. A quarterback in a talented room emerged as the clear-cut starter by grading out consistently above the competition. It wasn’t difficult to see coming.
“You feel his presence. He’s a threat both with his arm and his legs.” – Ryan Day on Buckeye QB Will Howard
After being a starter at Kansas State, Howard came to OSU with the goal of preparing himself for the NFL Draft. After an up-and-down spring of learning the offense and getting a feel for his teammates, Howard didn’t need to lean at the tape to win this race.
The boxes are checked for everything Day and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chip Kelly look for in QB1.
“You feel his experience,” Day said.
“He did a really good job changing his body in the offseason.”
“He’s become a threat both with his legs and with his arm.”
“He’s really executing very well.”
“The guys are excited.”
“He’s excited about leading the team.”
The only specific Day didn’t mention, though it is wrapped up in several of his points, is Howard’s decision making. Kelly was asked what the most important attribute is for a quarterback.
“Decision making is at the top of the list for all quarterbacks just because that’s what the game is,” Kelly said. “Are you putting us in the right play? Are you getting us out of a bad play? Are you making the decisions to throw the check down instead of forcing them into coverage? It’s not just who has the strongest arm.”
Check, check, check.
But Kelly’s confidence in Howard doesn’t end there. If he said it once, he said it five times: repetitive accuracy.
“Decision-making process has always been at the top of the list,” Kelly said again. “And then after that will be repetitive accuracy and then athleticism. Will has all three of those.
“We gave him a plan in the summer to work on, and he took it and ran with it. So where he is now is pretty impressive. This isn’t new to him. Columbus is new to him, but playing college football isn’t.”
No doubt some are disappointed Brown didn’t win the job. Some surely wish Sayin had gotten more of a chance. Not to say Howard will be in New York for the Heisman Memorial Trophy announcement, but if Kelly and Day mean what they say, Howard will be the quarterback the Buckeyes were missing last year.
And if Howard gets injured – like what happened 10 years ago and we all got to know J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones – then Brown and Sayin will get their chance. And, the coaches say, it won’t look like the Cotton Bowl.
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“This was not one guy’s here, and the rest just didn’t show up,” Kelly said. “They all competed every day. It’s a great room to be in. They all really, truly care about each other. They enjoy each other’s success.”
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, never one to be satisfied or comfortable, doesn’t always enjoy quarterback success in practice. But in the realm of we’re all on the same team, he is impressed by what he’s seen in practice.
“He’s making all the throws,” he said.
Check.
“He stands in the pocket.”
Check.
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“He’s got great vision.”
Check.
“Arm strength.”
Check.
And when this season is over, Kansas State fans will see Howard’s numbers and ask: “What if?”
That will be the biggest and most validating check of all.
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