Early reports out of spring practice outline the fact that Devin Brown, not new Ohio State transfer quarterback Will Howard, has been taking reps with the first-team offense.
Josh Pate of Late Kick believes that while Brown has been taking the majority of QB1 snaps, you can “bet a healthy amount of money” that the former Kansas State quarterback will lead the Buckeyes in the fall.
Bet That Ohio State Transfer Quarterback Will Howard will be QB1 Despite Taking QB2 Reps in Spring
Spring Practice is here and it’s all anyone can talk about in Columbus. It’s the offseason, so it’s only natural considering how last year ended. However, 2024 is a prime opportunity for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes to get back to the top of the Big Ten and cement themselves in the CFP discussion.
The Buckeyes brought in three new quarterbacks this offseason. Two of which were via the Transfer Portal, albeit one is an incoming true freshman. Howard comes to Ohio State with plenty of experience but he has to prove that he’s the right man for the job.
Considering how the offense and the team writ large were held back by subpar quarterback play in 2023, the margin for error for Howard et al. becomes slimmer and slimmer as the days pass.
Howard vs The Field
Heading into the 2024 season, the Ohio State transfer quarterback has a significant advantage compared to the four other quarterbacks in the room.
Here’s how they stack up:
- Will Howard (34 games): 458/779 (58.8%), 5,786 yards, 48 touchdowns; 226 rushes, 921 yards 19 touchdowns
- Devin Brown (eight games): 16/28 (57.1%), 217 yards, two touchdowns; 23 rushes, 24 yards, one touchdown
- Lincoln Kienholz (three games): 10/22 (45.5%), 111 yards, no touchdowns; six rushes, two yards
- Julian Sayin: N/A (incoming freshman
- Air Noland: N/A (incoming freshman)
In terms of productivity at the collegiate level, Howard is the easy choice. Add in the fact Brown hasn’t really looked the part in live action at any point and Kienholz looked woefully unprepared in his lone significant time (2023 Cotton Bowl vs Missouri), neither has much of an on-field argument.
Given, Kienholz’s struggles could easily be attributed to the fact Missouri thoroughly dominated his offensive line and he never had a chance coming off the bench for the injured Brown.
Both Sayin and Noland have high ceilings and have generated a considerable amount of hype. Considering only one true freshman has opened the season as the Ohio State starter (Art Schlicter in 1978), paired with how much talent is in the room, their chances are slim.
Weapons Galore
The good thing is that Ohio State is loaded with weapons all over the field. Ideally, even Warren Sapp could put up numbers with this wide receiver corps and this elite one-two punch at running back.
However, Ohio State learned last year that despite having some of the best weapons in the nation, the offense can still be hamstrung by a subpar quarterback.
Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, and even true freshman Jeremiah Smith are miles better than anything Howard had at Kansas State. Despite that, he helped lead the Wildcats to the 2023 Big 12 title and a NY6 Bowl.
Handing off to an NFL-worthy running back is not a foreign concept considering Howard shared the backfield with Duece Vaughn in that 2022 season. However, it can be argued that TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are both better, and having two elite backs will make Howard’s job significantly easier.
It’s great that the Ohio State starting quarterback job wasn’t just handed to Howard. Ohio State had had a legendary run of quarterbacks, save for Kyle McCord. Competition brings out the best in a player and perhaps it’ll push the Ohio State transfer quarterback to even greater heights.