Ohio State's Ryan Day Gets Candid on Will Howard's NFL Future

Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day has revealed his thoughts on Will Howard's future as an NFL quarterback.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day celebrates with quarterback Will Howard (18) following the 28-14 win over the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Few players in college football were as surprisingly impressive as Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard this season.

Going into 2024, many were unsure about whether or not Howard could actually lead Ohio State, and there was some deliberation as to whether or not he would even be the Buckeyes' starter.

Well, the Kansas State transfer answered all of those questions, throwing for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while setting an Ohio State record by completing 73 percent of his passes.

Most importantly, Howard led the Buckeyes to their first national title in a decade, and now, the 23-year-old will be taking his talents to the NFL.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day seems very confident in Howard's ability to succeed on the professional level, and he raved about his signal-caller after the Buckeyes' National Championship Game win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

“When Will’s feet are right, he’s as good as anybody I’ve been around. His accuracy, his ability to see (the field), the way he commands the team, the work he puts in,” Day told reporters. “The thing that nobody is probably going to understand is how much credit he deserves for how much he can take on. I don’t think there was — to say 90 percent of the calls that went in the other day had two or three plays into it, he’s calling a play or two in the huddle and then checking the play at the line of scrimmage. That’s NFL material right there. That’s special. Whichever organization decides to draft Will is going to get, like, a pro on day one walking through the door.”

Howard was certainly not viewed as a top NFL prospect heading into the season, and while he is still definitely not in the same class as Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward in terms of potential, his phenomenal showing in the College Football Playoff has unquestionably given him some juice heading into the draft process.

We'll see where Howard goes in April.