Report: Will Howard to Visit Ohio State amid USC, Miami Interest in Transfer Portal

Ohio State will have a new starting quarterback for the 2024 season after Kyle McCord transferred to Syracuse, and that next signal-caller may currently be in the transfer portal himself.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Kansas State's Will Howard is scheduled to visit with the Buckeyes after he visited both Miami and USC. There is apparently "mutual interest" between the veteran quarterback and Ohio State.

If Ohio State is going to live up to the expectations within the program and compete for the national title next season alongside programs such as Georgia, Alabama, Michigan and others, it will need improved quarterback play.

While McCord was solid, his two interceptions were a major reason the Buckeyes lost to the Wolverines for a third straight year. He also never threw for more than three touchdowns in a single game despite having arguably the nation's best wide receiver group and didn't live up to the standards of predecessors such as Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud.

Ohio State has Devin Brown as an in-house candidate to take over for McCord, but he is a relative unknown after injuries limited him this past season.

He had an opportunity to make a statement on a national stage as the starter in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri, but he suffered an early injury. The offense was a mess from there as Lincoln Kienholz struggled to generate any momentum.

Elsewhere, Ohio State signed Air Noland as part of its 2024 recruiting class. Noland is a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and could be the next star quarterback in the Buckeyes' system.

However, the expectation is to compete for titles every season for the Scarlet and Gray. Head coach Ryan Day may be hesitant to start a freshman given the pressures he will be facing in 2024 following three straight losses to Michigan.

Enter Howard, who would be an experienced option after spending the last four years in the Kansas State program.

He led the Wildcats to the Big 12 title in 2022 and was their primary starter in 2023 who completed 61.3 percent of his passes for 2,643 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while running for 351 yards and nine scores this past season.

Howard would be Day's biggest dual-threat option since Fields and could be a bridge quarterback until Noland is ready to take over down the line.