Will Howard pulls back curtain on transfer portal recruitment 'Nothing came close to Ohio State'
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard is coming off an incredible one-year stint with the program after joining Ryan Day in Columbus. The Buckeyes won the first 12-team College Football Playoff National Championship, and Howard's play was often the key reason why they recovered from two regular season losses. Howard joined The Ringer's Ryen Russilo Podcast […]
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard is coming off an incredible one-year stint with the program after joining Ryan Day in Columbus. The Buckeyes won the first 12-team College Football Playoff National Championship, and Howard's play was often the key reason why they recovered from two regular season losses.
Howard joined The Ringer's Ryen Russilo Podcast to discuss the 2025 NFL Draft, his journey to and from Ohio State, and details about his abilities. It was an incredibly insightful interview, and Howard was impressive as it came.
Several things stood out from the 30-minute segment, but Buckeyes fans surely will take an interest in Howard's decision to join the Buckeyes. When asked about deciding where to play after Kansas State made it clear they'd go with Avery Johnson, Howard provided a clear outline of his mindset and experience.
"I knew I wanted a new challenge. My eventual goal was to become a starting quarterback in the NFL and I needed to improve my draft stock. Where my draft stock was coming out of my last year at Kansas State didn't match where I felt my talent level was. I was getting told I'm a Day 3 guy, and undrafted guy.
"I had one more year of eligibility left and I said if there's a place I can improve myself and compete for a National Championship, and those were the two things I was telling schools, it's not about NIL, not about going somewhere I'm guaranteed to start. I wanted to go somewhere I can develop as a quarterback, improve my draft stock, and compete for a National Championship.
It was really Miami, USC, Ohio State, and the draft. Miami had a favorable schedule, really good offense and I could sling the ball around, but I just felt like it wasn't the right fit for me.
"USC, it was Lincoln [Riley]. He's one of the most elite quarterback developers, thought that was really good. If I had two or three years of eligibility left, maybe I'd have gone there, but for one year, plug-and-play kind of deal, nothing came close to Ohio State.
"Coach Day said 'We believe you're the guy who can come in here and lead us to a National Championship,' and that was all I needed. I took it and ran with it. They didn't guarantee me anything, didn't tell me I was for sure going to be the starter, you know, they said we believe in you and you're the guy, and that's all I needed."
That's just a snippet of this terrific conversation, so I highly recommend listening to the rest. It's fascinating that USC and Miami were involved, considering the Hurricanes landed Cam Ward, and the Buckeyes courted him. USC had Miller Moss, who they ultimately benched, and he transferred out.
The Buckeyes allowed Kyle McCord to walk, and he enjoyed a great season at Syracuse. But they made the right call with Howard, who joined an elite class in program history by winning a ring.
