Ryan Day finally makes the big decision that could make or break Ohio State’s 2024 season

The Ohio State Buckeyes finally have their starting quarterback battle decided. A few days ago, I reported that head coach Ryan Day would announce the decision during his press conference on Thursday. Now, the Buckeyes have their QB for the 2024 season.

Without much surprise, Will Howard has earned the Buckeyes' starting job. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder transferred from Kansas State to Ohio State earlier this year in hopes of helping his NFL draft stock. Now, he'll benefit from playing in one of the best schemes and surrounding casts in college football.

Day had given the five-man quarterback race as fair of a chance as any could've asked. Backup Devin Brown had the best chance to unseat the presumptive starter, Howard, as his sheer athleticism and strong arm have routinely garnered support within the program. But Howard's consistency and experience won out.

True freshmen Julian Sayin and Air Noland also had a decent number of snaps throughout the spring game and practice. It was always a long shot for either to even win the No. 2 job, though. The Buckeyes appreciate the loyalty of Brown and don't want him to transfer out of the program sooner than next year, so snaps were skewed a bit.

Even redshirt freshman Lincoln Kienholz was in the mix, but has taken a clear backseat in the program's future, for now. Of course, that could change as transfers occur in the future. The No. 1 overall player of the 2025 class is coming to Columbus next year, and his arrival will likely lead to some changes.

Whether that's Brown or Kienholz bolting, one of Sayin or Noland, or one of each, the Buckeyes will deal with those consequences in the future. They picked the most obvious and strongest candidate for 2024 to start, and that's the most pressing decision they can worry about.

Howard will bring a strong downhill running presence to an offense that hasn't had a legit rushing threat since Justin Fields was manning the unit. Despite his size, Howard doesn't have the strongest arm, but it gets the job done. We should see him continue to grow as a passer now that the best-receiving corps in the nation surrounds him.