Ohio State's Will Howard Named QB1 for 2024 CFB Season After Kansas State Transfer

Will Howard was named the 2024 starting quarterback for Ohio State by head coach Ryan Day on Thursday, via Brett McMurphy of Action Network.

Howard appeared in 12 games with Kansas State during his 2023 campaign before transferring to the Buckeyes on Jan. 4. He beat out Devin Brown, Ohio State's backup in 2023, as well as 5-star recruit Julian Sayin to earn the starting job.

Day told reporters on Thursday that Howard took control of the team over the past "four or five days."

As the Buckeyes enter the 2024 season with several experienced players on offense, Howard's prior history as a college starter likely helped him earn the No. 1 spot on the depth chart.

In 2023, he completed 61.3 percent of his throws for 2,643 yards and 24 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. He was also a threat on the ground, rushing for 351 yards and nine scores.

Howard will officially replace Kyle McCord as Ohio State's starter, with the latter joining Syracuse in the transfer portal following the 2023 season.

The former Wildcat is expected to lead one of the Big Ten's top offenses, headlined by standouts such as Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, and Quinshon Judkins. The Buckeyes also added former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly as the team's new offensive coordinator on Feb. 9.

Howard has received praise from several teammates for his confidence and poise during practice.

"You can feel kind of his fifth-year presence when he steps onto the field," Egbuka said, via 247Sports' Dave Biddle. "He 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. He has tremendous confidence in his ability, so that that bleeds out throughout the entire offense and we're able to play fast."

With Howard under center, Ohio State will attempt to capture the program's first Big Ten title since 2020.