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Newsstand: Former Ohio State QB Will Howard was 'pissed' he couldn't commit to Notre Dame

IMG_9992by: Tyler Horka12 hours agotbhorka
Will Howard
Ohio State QB Will Howard (© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

In an alternate universe, Will Howard would’ve had on a golden helmet in the national championship game. He wanted to go to Notre Dame. He was ready to commit to Notre Dame.

But in the era of the transfer portal, sometimes it’s first come, first served.

“I called my agent, and he was like, ‘Sorry, buddy. They just told me they took Riley [Leonard],” Howard told the Not Just Football podcast. “They weren’t even talking about him. So that pissed me off.”

Howard didn’t know what to do once he knew he wasn’t going to end up in South Bend. He said he got close to just declaring for the NFL Draft. But then Ohio State came calling, and, of course, that ended up being a perfect fit for the veteran quarterback in the long run.

Howard and the Buckeyes beat Leonard and the Fighting Irish in the national championship game. Howard, before completing 80.9 percent of his passes for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns and running for 57 more yards without turning the ball over in a 34-23 win, made it known he still wasn’t over the way his recruitment went when he was looking for a place to finish his college career after spending most of it at Kansas State.

“The [Irish] general manager [Chad Bowden] was standing on the sideline right where we were warming up, and I was just staring daggers through him the whole warmup,” Howard said. “Like, I was pissed. And I’m a chip on my shoulder guy. I am absolutely an extra motivation, anything I can get, that gave it to me.”

Howard was a sixth round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in this year’s NFL Draft.

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