Senior Bowl director makes admission that tells how special Ohio State QB Will Howard really is
Will Howard and a number of his Ohio State teammates are not participating in the Senior Bowl this week down in Mobile, Alabama. The Buckeyes just wrapped up a National Championship win and a 16-game season, so the quick turnaround wasn’t in the best interest of the players. Howard helped his draft stock a ton […]
Will Howard and a number of his Ohio State teammates are not participating in the Senior Bowl this week down in Mobile, Alabama. The Buckeyes just wrapped up a National Championship win and a 16-game season, so the quick turnaround wasn’t in the best interest of the players.
Howard helped his draft stock a ton in the College Football Playoff with some strong performances against quality competition. Every time the Buckeyes needed Howard in 2024, he was able to rise to the occasion more often than not.
Throughout the season, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day preached on the leadership that Howard brought, as well as his play. Despite Howard not playing in the Senior Bowl ahead of the draft, Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy had nothing but good things to say about Howard.
“We had a roster spot open when Will Howard couldn’t come. I was bummed because Will and I had developed a really good friendship,” Nagy said. “He’s the only player I ever called Archie Manning for to get a spot in the Manning Camp.”
The Manning Passing Academy has been around for more than 50 years and many of the top quarterbacks over the years have gone through it. Howard is another one that has done just that along the way and Nagy played a role in that.
Howard came over to Ohio State after four seasons at Kansas State, where he could have left and gone to the NFL from there if he had chosen to do so. Nagy said that Howard was invited to the Senior Bowl last year if he was to come out.
“I called Will last year when it became clear that Jayden Daniels wasn’t coming to Mobile, we pivoted to Will Howard. I called him and he’s like, ‘Jim, I’m getting on a plane to Columbus in about an hour’. So we missed our chance last year, but it worked out for Will and it worked out for the Buckeyes.”
The rest is history. Howard threw for over 4,000 yards in 16 games and became a National Champion in less than a calendar year in Columbus. Now, Howard is off to chase an NFL career and will hear his name called come April.
