Ohio State's Will Howard 'stoked' to play Penn State after Nittany Lions rejected him in recruiting process

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard always wanted to play football at Penn State , but was deemed to be not "good enough." Now, the Pennsylvania native will get a chance to prove the doubters wrong when Ohio State faces Penn State on Saturday.

"I'm stoked," Howard said . "I cannot wait. It's gonna be a homecoming for me. I grew up a Penn State fan. I wanted to go there my whole life. They didn't think I was good enough, but I guess we'll see next week if I was.

Howard is originally from Downingtown, Penn., which is a suburb of Philadelphia. The star quarterback grew up a Penn State fan and dreamed of playing at the Big Ten school one day.

However, Howard never received a scholarship offer from the Nittany Lions while playing at Downingtown West High School, and ended up signing with Kansas State after being tabbed as just a three-star prospect by most recruiting services.

After four seasons at Kansas State, Howard transferred to Ohio State this past offseason for his final year of collegiate eligibility. He's gotten off to a strong start as he's led the Buckeyes to a 6-1 record.

Howard is coming off of a solid performance against Nebraska in which he threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-17 win this past Saturday. On the season, the Pennsylvania native has completed 74.0 % of his passes for 1,795 yards and seven touchdowns, while tossing just four interceptions.

Now, Howard will get the opportunity to lead No. 4 Ohio State into Happy Valley for a battle with No. 3 Penn State with Big Ten bragging rights on the line.