I know in an ideal world, whatever Ohio State would have gotten out of Devin Brown or Lincoln Kienholz next year would be the same or better than what they’d get out of Will Howard. But now you don’t have to wonder ‘what if?’ You’ll get to watch it unfold in front of your eyes and the best player will emerge over time. And if Will Howard doesn’t win the job, you’ve also now got your four scholarship quarterbacks — and an experienced backup who comes out of the bullpen like an established starter. Without shining this up too much, this was a pretty astute addition. It’s not Justin Fields and it’s not Chris Chugunov, but Will Howard is somewhere in between — and closer to Fields than Chugs.
I think it’s interesting that when I think of OSU’s offense next year, my first thought is that it is Will Howard at the helm. This will absolutely be a quarterback competition, and it will be between a guy with 27 career starts at Kansas State and a guy with ~27 career games at Ohio State that he’s dressed for. If Lincoln Kienholz can become a serious player in there, then that’s also a pretty good sign. In theory.
I wonder how much that pressure will bother him … or how much it drew him to Ohio State. There is no doubt that Will Howard is aware of the things that Kyle McCord went through. So does he think he is immune to that, or simply capable of making the most of the wealth of opportunities that OSU provides?
To read the rest of this edition of What I Know, What I Think, What I Wonder, you can click here, but you must be a premium subscriber. Additional topics include prior familiarity with Will Howard, thoughts after watching five full games of his, the potential of the Ohio State quarterback room next year, the positive aspects for the running game, the questions about Will Howard that still exist, the answers that are already known, the expectations at quarterback for next season, the actual need for an elite passer, and more.
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