Ohio State’s decision to sign Will Howard out of the transfer portal last January received mixed reviews at the time. Over the course of the year that followed, it became increasingly clear that the Buckeyes hit a home run.
Howard was ranked as just the seventh-best quarterback available in the transfer portal by 247Sports, and there were questions about Howard would be an upgrade over Kyle McCord, who left Ohio State for Syracuse when the Buckeyes declined to commit to him as the starter for 2024. Given that Howard had completed only 58.8% of his passes in four seasons at Kansas State, there was uncertainty about whether he had the passing prowess to lead Ohio State to a championship.