Joel Klatt breaks down what Will Howard brings to Ohio State
Will Howard can bring a lot to Ohio State and Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt is a big fan.
After a successful run at Kansas State, Howard entered the portal and was one of the more sought after quarterbacks this offseason. He ended with the Buckeyes under Ryan Day and new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
Safe to say, Howard’s traits fit the mold of Ohio State’s offense for the upcoming 2024 season.
“Will is incredibly steady and his size allows him to, I would say, negate numbers, in particular in the run game,” Klatt said. “That helps. Now, is he the most dynamic guy? No, I don’t think he is but he is a steady player. His teammates love him. He makes good decisions, he throws it better than I think people give him credit for.
“And you would have to at least tip your cap like he beat that TCU team. He won the Big 12 championship game, so he’s won a championship. I think that type of pedigree and experience pays dividends in a locker room.”
Last season, Howard set career highs with 2,643 yards, 24 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, a 61.3% completion percentage, 351 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.
Overall, Howard has 5,786 yards, 48 touchdowns, 25 interceptions, a 58.8% completion percentage, 921 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns.
As a member of the Class of 2020, Howard was a three-star recruit out of Downingtown (Pa.) West, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 10 overall prospect in the state, the No. 64 quarterback in the class and the No. 961 overall prospect in the class.
Howard is far from assured of the starting quarterback gig, despite being the predicted winner. He’s in a direct battle with Devin Brown.
“I thought Devin was good,” Lettermen Row’s Spencer Holbrook said. “I thought he was pretty good in the spring. He was very intentional is the word I was looking for. Intentional in the way he did things. He commanded the offense well. He got Chip Kelly‘s system pretty well.
“He’s still mobile with his feet even though he had that ankle injury in October of last year and it sidelined him for a while. He had that injury in the bowl game but he’s still pretty mobile. He throws a decent ball. He’s got good touch on the football when he needs to. I think he does a good job of just commanding the offense.”
However, if it’s dead even, Howard might get the nod.
“With that being said, if they’re both equal in practice, and Will Howard and Devin Brown feel like they are pretty equal right now,” Holbrook said. “I think the X-factor in this is that Will Howard is always going to look a little better in full 11-on-11 than he does in practice settings with the black jersey on. Because, the things he does with his feet, the bulldozing mentality, the physicality that he runs the football with, he’s exactly what Chip Kelly wants. If they can both throw the football the same way.”