Ohio State was supposed to be gearing up to play in the Big Ten title game this weekend, but they couldn’t get past their biggest challenge again: beating Michigan.
The Buckeyes watched their chance of playing for the Big Ten Championship end when the team only found the endzone once, and quarterback Will Howard played the worst game of his short Ohio State career.
The Kansas State transfer quarterback was supposed to be the one to bring the Buckeyes back to victory over Michigan, but just like C. J. Stroud and Kyle McCord, he couldn’t figure it out.
Now Howard will have to put on a show this postseason to get his draft stock back up after it took a huge hit this past weekend, and one reporter thinks his stock is trending down.
Will Howard’s Draft Stock Is On The Way Down
Bleacher Reports Brent Sobleski published an article, 2025 NFL Draft: Carson Beck, Prospects with Most to Gain in CFB Conference Title Game, and has Howard as the first player on the trending down section after his terrible play against Michigan last week.
Will Howard played his worst when the Ohio State Buckeyes needed him to play his best. Sobleski wrote.
After jettisoning and scapegoating Kyle McCord a year ago, the Buckeyes still fell completely flat at the game’s most important position against the archrival Michigan Wolverines, with Howard completing under 58 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions.
“Unlike Ohio State’s former quarterback, the program’s current one had his worst performance when things matter the most,” Parson said. “Howard was indecisive, slow with his reads and kept from attacking down the field. He did not negotiate the pressure well when it leaked through the offensive line. He did not utilize his mobility to counter the Wolverine’s pressure packages.
“Howard was not allowed to manage the game, and it went poorly.”
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) greets fans following an NCAA Division I football game against the Marshall Thundering Herd at Ohio Stadium on Saturday.
Howard was never going to be one of the first quarterbacks taken next April, but there was a chance he could’ve been drafted on Day Three and competed for a backup role. Now, with his recent trend of bad play in big games, there is now a shot the 23-year-old will go undrafted.
