Quarterback Will Howard (18) of the Kansas State Wildcats passes during the 1st half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Nov. 18, 2023, in Lawrence, Kansas. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images/TNS)
Ohio State officially added a new quarterback to its 2024 football roster Thursday, Kansas State transfer quarterback Will Howard, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Just a few days following the Buckeyes’ loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl Friday, online rumors speculated that Ohio State was in the market for a new quarterback and was interested in Howard, who announced Nov. 27 that he had entered the portal.
Despite former quarterback Kyle McCord’s decision to jump in the portal and ultimately commit to Syracuse on Dec. 17, the Buckeyes seemed to have a solid quarterback room in the second and third strings, sophomore Devin Brown and freshman Lincoln Kienholz. Additionally, they have the No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2024 coming in next season — Air Noland.
However, things didn’t go as planned in the Cotton Bowl. Brown, in his first-ever collegiate start, went down in the first quarter with an ankle injury after having passed for just 20 yards and completing 4-of-6 passes. When Kienholz took over, he went 6-of-17 for 86 yards.
Following the Buckeyes’ lack of quarterback excellence in their 14-3 loss, fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their desire for a new leader of the offense.
On Thursday, Howard took an official visit to Ohio State and announced his commitment that same day.
Howard, a four-year veteran, has played in 34 games, passed for 5,786 total yards — including 2,643 in 2023 — made 48 touchdowns and has a career-completion rate of 59%. He also ran for 921 yards on the ground and 19 scores.
With now four capable options at the position, it looks like Ohio State will be in for another quarterback competition ahead of 2024.
