Ohio State has a lot of the same from last year and it is a big part of the reason they’re one of the favorites to win a National Championship this coming season. But it is a newcomer who may be the most important player on the Buckeyes’ path to trying to win it all.
A big shakeup happened for Ohio State after last season when quarterback Kyle McCord transferred to Syracuse and the Buckeyes went a separate way. Ohio State brought in one of the top transfer quarterbacks Will Howard and even though he hasn’t officially been named the starter, he inevitably is going to be .
“In another sign that he’s beginning to separate from the other quarterbacks in the competition. Howard took every rep with the first-team offense during full-team 11-on-11 drills except for one on which Julian Sayin threw a pick-six to Jermaine Mathews Jr., prompting the true freshman to be demoted to the third-team offense for the rest of practice,” Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope and Andy Anders s aid.
Howard has to answer the call for the Buckeyes in 2024
When you take a glance at the stats for McCord last season at Ohio State, they are not bad at all. McCord cleared 3,100 passing yards, 65 percent of his passes while throwing for 24 touchdowns to six interceptions. But the offense felt limited at times and it always seemed like McCord would miss on the big play. Ohio State was able to overcome it majority of the season, but it did bite them at times.
What Howard brings that McCord doesn’t is the ability to use his legs frequently if needed and that is an extra strength within the offense now. McCord had -65 rushing yards last season with all of the sacks that were totaled in, while Howard had 351 and nine touchdowns with Kansas State in 2023.
Howard brings four years of playing experience and that is something that felt like was a need with a mostly veteran team for the Buckeyes . Playing time matters and no one at quarterback on the roster comes close to the 34 games that Howard has played in during his college career.
Even with a great run game in 2024, Howard is going to have to step up and win the Buckeyes a game at some point. If he can do that, he will be the quarterback that they needed and will have answered the call, potentially resulting in the Buckeyes reaching their goal of winning it all.
Related: Jim Knowles’ impression of Ohio State freshman Jeremiah Smith signals some bad news for the rest of the Big Ten
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