Going into the national championship game, there’s continued to be plenty of discourse on just how good a quarterback Will Howard is.
Before the College Football Playoff semifinals, Fox Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho called Howard “the worst quarterback remaining” in the CFP. Former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire recently called Howard the worst Ohio State quarterback of the last 15 years. Even among the many others who have been complimentary of the Buckeyes, Howard hasn’t often been the first player to receive credit for Ohio State’s success.
Howard may not go on to be the first-round pick that C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields and Dwayne Haskins were after their turns as Ohio State’s starting quarterback. He didn’t win any major Big Ten awards or go to the Heisman Trophy ceremony like they did. But he has a chance to accomplish something none of them did on Monday, and there should be no doubt about his standing as one of Ohio State’s all-time great quarterbacks – even if only for one season – if he leads the Buckeyes to a title over the Fighting Irish.
Statistically, Howard’s season already ranks among the best ever for an Ohio State quarterback. With a completion percentage of 72.6% for the season, he’s on pace to break Ohio State’s single-season completion percentage record (71.9% by Stroud in 2021). He has the advantage of starting more games in a season than any other previous Ohio State quarterback, but his 292 pass completions and 3,779 passing yards both rank third all-time for a single season in OSU history, and he’s done it efficiently with a passer rating of 173.7 that ranks behind only the five seasons Stroud, Fields and Haskins started for the Buckeyes.
He’s already set a school record for the most career games by an Ohio State quarterback – let alone a single season – with a completion percentage of 80% or better. And he’d become the first-ever Ohio State starting quarterback to win 14 games in a single season if the Buckeyes prevail in Monday’s CFP final.
| Year | Player | Games (Record) | Comp % | Yards (YPG) | Y/A | TD | INT | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | WILL HOWARD | 15 (13-2) | 72.6 | 3,779 (251.9) | 9.4 | 33 | 10 | 173.7 |
| 2023 | KYLE MCCORD | 13 (12-1) | 65.8 | 3,170 (264.2) | 9.1 | 24 | 6 | 161.6 |
| 2022 | C.J. STROUD | 13 (11-2) | 66.3 | 3,688 (283.7) | 9.5 | 41 | 6 | 177.7 |
| 2021 | C.J. STROUD | 12 (10-2) | 71.9 | 4,435 (369.6) | 10.1 | 44 | 6 | 186.6 |
| 2020 | JUSTIN FIELDS | 8 (7-1) | 70.2 | 2,100 (262.5) | 9.3 | 22 | 6 | 175.6 |
| 2019 | JUSTIN FIELDS | 14 (13-1) | 67.2 | 3,273 (233.8) | 9.2 | 41 | 3 | 181.4 |
| 2018 | DWAYNE HASKINS | 14 (13-1) | 70.0 | 4,831 (345.1) | 9.1 | 50 | 8 | 174.1 |
| 2017 | J.T. BARRETT | 14 (12-2) | 64.7 | 3,053 (218.1) | 8.2 | 35 | 9 | 160.1 |
| 2016 | J.T. BARRETT | 13 (11-2) | 61.5 | 2,555 (196.5) | 6.7 | 24 | 7 | 135.3 |
Yes, Jeremiah Smith and the rest of Ohio State’s elite receiving corps have played a significant role in Howard’s success, but Stroud, Fields and Haskins each also had multiple receivers who have since gone on to become No. 1 receivers in the NFL. And Howard has made plenty of big-time throws – 21, to be exact, if you trust the evaluation of Pro Football Focus, which also graded Howard with a completion rate of 56.8% on deep passes, the best of any full-time starting quarterback in the FBS this season.
Rewind seven years ago to before Haskins started Ohio State’s run of three straight first-round quarterbacks, and Howard would have broken just about all of Ohio State’s single-season passing records. That would have left no questions about whether he’s had one of the best seasons ever for an Ohio State QB, but Haskins, Fields and Stroud raised the standard of expectations for Buckeye quarterbacks higher than it’s ever been before.
Howard certainly hasn’t been perfect – he’s the first Ohio State quarterback to throw 10 interceptions in a season since J.T. Barrett in 2014, and the perception of his season took a big hit when he threw for just 175 yards with two interceptions in Ohio State’s rivalry game loss to Michigan. But he’s played some of his best football when it’s mattered most, completing 73.9% of his passing attempts for 919 yards – with at least 289 yards in all three games – and six touchdowns with two interceptions in the College Football Playoff, earning Cotton Bowl offensive player of the game honors after what was arguably his worst game of the three against Texas.
If he has another strong showing against Notre Dame and leads Ohio State to victory on Monday, he’ll complete the best passing season ever for a quarterback that’s led OSU to a national championship, all the while providing exemplary leadership along the way that his coaches say have been crucial to the Buckeyes’ championship run.
“I think his leadership and how he'd grown into that role organically,” Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said of what’s impressed him most about Howard this year. “I think the players respected his work ethic and the time he put in, and they watched him grow and develop. And the football player he was when they first saw him in the spring to the football player that he is right now, you can see him growing in leaps and bounds. He fit in great with all of his teammates, but they noticed the things behind closed doors, how hard he works at the game, how much he studies football, how he gives us an opportunity because he handles a lot of checks for us. And we do a lot of things at the line of scrimmage because he can have that on his plate and he can handle it.
“I think his decision-making has really allowed us to do a lot of different things, both run and pass-wise in games. So watching him continue each week to we can put more on his plate, and so we're never going to be a play behind because he can put us in the right situation, has really been a joy as a coach to watch him do that.”
While Howard feels he’s deserved more credit from outside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center than he’s gotten, that’s only made him hungrier to continue proving himself in Monday’s national championship game.
“It does seep in a little bit. Obviously people say things, and it feels like I just keep getting, nobody really wants to give me any credit. But I love that. Keep it coming, man,” Howard said Wednesday in an interview with 10TV. “As much motivation as I can get, I'm going to take. And I love people challenging me and challenging this team, because it keeps that chip on our shoulder and keeps that edge. And when we play like that, when we play like a little pissed off and have a little chip on our shoulder, I think that's good for us.”
"Nobody wants to give me any credit, but I love that, keep it coming."
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) January 15, 2025
Will Howard says he tries not to listen to the outside noise doubting him, but he does hear some of it and it motivates him.
He said he loves the challenge and it allows them to play pissed off with a chip. pic.twitter.com/eb20sDFhkY
Howard might not be getting as much credit as he deserves yet, but he’ll earn his place among the ranks of Ohio State legends if he can lead the Buckeyes to a championship on Monday. He knows his legacy for his one year as a Buckeye won’t be the same, however, if Ohio State comes up short in the final game.
“We've come all this way, but it means really nothing if we don't finish it the right way and win this last one,” Howard said. “I mean, it's the national championship. I would hope that we don't need much more motivation than that. All of our goals and aspirations are right here in front of us, man.”
