During his interview sessions this spring and at Big Ten Media Days, Denzel Burke made it clear he had concerns about Will Howard’s performance in practice.
The Buckeyes’ star cornerback, known for his straightforwardness in interviews, said he needed to see more from the former Kansas State quarterback in March after Ohio State’s first two practices of spring.
“You know me, I'm gonna just keep it real: I want to see more,” Burke said. “I know he has a high potential, and I'm excited for him. 13 more practices (in the spring at that time), so we'll see.”
At Big Ten Media Days in July, Burke stated again that he hadn’t yet seen enough to give Howard his endorsement.
"I’ve definitely got to see a lot more, definitely going against this defense we're in," Burke said on July 26. "I saw a little bit of flashes towards the end (of spring), a little something new, but fall camp is really going to test him. They're going against the best defense in the country, so we just plan on getting him better and hoping for the best, man. The sky's the limit."
Eight fall camp practices following his latter assessment, Burke has changed his grade.
“Will Howard's been gaming,” Burke said on Friday. “He's gotten a lot better and he's been doing his thing. Great reads. He's only thrown one interception all camp.”
Last month at Big Ten Media Days, Denzel Burke said he still needed to see a lot more from Will Howard.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) August 9, 2024
Eight days into preseason camp, Burke had nothing but praise for Howard, who he said has thrown only one interception (to Burke on Thursday) so far in camp.
Hes a great pic.twitter.com/lNkfNFPdQ5
As Ryan Day feels that Howard has taken “full command of the offense,” the Pennsylvania product is drawing similar reviews – if not better ones – from his teammates as he seeks to seal up the team’s starting quarterback job soon.
“I would definitely say he looks way more comfortable,” wide receiver Brandon Inniss said. “He's taking great leadership of the huddle and the offense. Guys have came to me and (asked) me, how do I feel about him? And I've told them, I mean, I feel like he's the leader. Everybody listens to him when he's in the huddle. He's the commander. The quarterbacks have been doing very good, but he's been on a different level right now.”
Leadership is a consistent theme when Ohio State players get to talking about Howard. Emeka Egbuka, who will spend his fourth and final season with the Buckeyes in 2024, knows what veteran presence looks like. In a similar vein to Day, Egbuka has seen Howard take charge of the huddle.
“You can feel kind of his fifth-year presence when he steps onto the field,” Egbuka said. “Gets in the huddle, takes command of it. Lets everybody know their assignments and what they’ve got, kind of like a field general out there. Has tremendous confidence in his ability. So that bleeds out throughout the entire offense and we're able to play fast.”
Burke’s noticed that trait out of Howard, too.
“He's a great leader, great person,” Burke said. “He's a vet. And he's a great quarterback.”
“Will Howard's been gaming. He's gotten a lot better and he's been doing his thing.”– Denzel Burke
That’s not to say there weren’t growing pains, as Burke’s stages of criticism then praise for Howard might indicate. Downfield accuracy was a concern during spring practices open to the media. Earlier this week, Howard admitted to feeling as though he were “drinking through a fire hose” through the first half of spring practice, but he’s settling in day by day.
“I feel like in the spring I was – at the beginning at least – drinking from a fire hose a little bit,” Howard said on Tuesday. “Especially just with the way that the offense was installed. But I think that was good for me. Kind of learning how to go through a spring or through a couple of practices without really having any prior experience with an offense.”
Now that he knows the scheme better, Howard’s strengths can shine through. He’s shown an ability to manipulate the pocket and make sage decisions, only tossing one interception in the first eight practices of August as Burke noted – though Burke chose not to mention that he's the one who picked it off.
“His pocket presence, how he handles his team, how he breaks the huddle, how he finishes plays,” Burke said of what’s impressed him recently about Howard. “How he is in the live periods when it's good on good when the ball is down, and just seeing the balls he throws and what he's been doing on the field moving the ball. He's a great add to the team.”
Passing isn’t the only thing that Howard is known for. He collected 351 rushing yards, including sacks, and seven touchdowns on the ground at Kansas State last season. This summer Ohio State clocked him with a sprint speed of over 22 miles per hour, and with a stature of 6-4 and just north of 230 pounds, he can be a load to tackle in the open field.
“It's a big bowling ball, I’ll tell you that,” wide receiver Carnell Tate said. “He was moving down at K-State. I've seen a couple of his highlights, and he's moving. So he only lost a little weight here and got faster. I can't wait to see him roll.”
If Burke is to be believed – as he usually is – there’s reason to start getting excited about what Howard can bring to the quarterback position in Columbus this fall.
