Former KSU QB Will Howard to OSU

Submitted by Communist Football on January 4th, 2024 at 6:39 PM

According to a random ESPN person without much journalistic credibility, but still.

Former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard tells ESPN that he’s committed to Ohio State. Howard led KState to the Big 12 title in 2022 and gives the Buckeyes one of the most talented and experienced available QBs on the market. “When I started talking to Ohio State, everything kind of lined up,” Howard told ESPN. “I had a list of things I was looking for, in terms of needing to go somewhere where there was a lot of talent around me and……compete for a national championship.” The Ohio State staff evaluated all of the top portal quarterbacks and arrived with conviction that Howard was the best among them, as they valued his arm strength, experience and dual-threat ability.

 

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Scarlatina

January 4th, 2024 at 8:30 PM ^

Early word is that Ohio State is primarily looking at McLaughlin as an OG. They are guaranteed to lose their starting RG Matt Jones (Sr.), and projected to likely lose their starting LG Donovan Jackson (Jr.) to the NFL draft.

The starting C Carson Hinzman is a freshman, so would be a little surprising if he loses his job entirely (never say never though).

Joined: 12/22/2011

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Scarlatina

January 4th, 2024 at 9:15 PM ^

Yes, publicly Ryan Day said that Hinzman was having a rough bowl prep practice and felt like it was better to shuffle the OL around for the Cotton Bowl.

Timing-wise though, Hinzman recently spoke very candidly on a podcast interview that likely got him suspended. Hinzman said that Ohio State’s NIL system hasn’t been able to compete with programs in the south (i.e. Miami, UGA, UT). He said that Ohio State lost out on a high-profile OL recruit to a southern program that offered that recruit a $1 million NIL deal, and nobody on Ohio State starting OL makes anywhere close to that in NIL this season.

What Hinzman said has kind of tracked with what insiders have been reporting about Ohio State’s NIL system though… Supposedly Ryan Day hasn’t really prioritized getting huge NIL deals done, but has instead tried to get every player some form of NIL money and has gotten every player on the roster at least a 5-figure NIL contract thru the various collectives.

Joined: 12/22/2011

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BostonWolverine

January 4th, 2024 at 8:59 PM ^

The fact that there's back and forth about this is proof that this entire move was pointless and they forced their starter to transfer while making precisely zero appreciable gains at QB.

This is clearly a last resort after losing out on Ward or whoever else they were after. Total desperation move. 

Joined: 11/13/2008

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Double-D

January 4th, 2024 at 9:49 PM ^

McCord was playing with better talent against better talent.

OSU will also be breaking in a new albeit 5* WR crew.

Thats still a pretty big gap.

Ryan Day ran off #13 ranked qb 1st year starter and ended up with the #53.  He basically blamed McCord for losing to Michigan. If this move doesn’t work it will not be good for him. 

Joined: 12/21/2013

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lhglrkwg

January 4th, 2024 at 6:42 PM ^

Interesting move for OSU. If it was all their choice (and not McCord leaving for more cash), is Howard really better than McCord? He never seemed like an ace passer to me

Joined: 07/03/2008

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Derek

January 4th, 2024 at 6:49 PM ^

Apparently he thinks Day is going to turn him into a first-round pick.

"The goal I have, I want to go win a national championship," he said. "At the end of the day, I want to go be a starting quarterback in the NFL...I feel like the best place to stick as a quarterback in the NFL is as a first or second-round pick in the NFL Draft. Going to Ohio State gives me a chance to make a jump and leap into that conversation."

I really like this pairing for OSU. A developmental prospect with one year of eligibility. How could it go wrong?

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