There’s always pressure being an Ohio State quarterback. In 2024, the Buckeyes spent nearly eight months searching for their starter until coach Ryan Day named fifth-year senior Will Howard, a Kansas State transfer and almost Notre Dame commit. On paper, that’s a fairytale ending now that we know the epilogue. But things couldn’t be farther from the truth at the time. Mostly because Howard knew what he was walking into. And so did his family…

The now-Steelers QB appeared on the September 16 episode of the Not Just Football With Cam Heward podcast and shared what it was like navigating the transfer process before signing up with Ohio State. “It was actually really, really under wraps– my whole recruitment from Ohio State in the portal. Coach Day didn’t want to do anything until after the Cotton Bowl because we had a bunch of quarterbacks still on the roster, and he wanted to make sure that everyone stayed comfortable. I wasn’t really sure where they stood with me.

Then I finally met with them down in Dallas, kind of a secret meeting, and he came over with Coach [Brian] Hartline…He sat me down and basically said, ‘I believe you’re the guy. You’re the only quarterback I’m recruiting in the portal. I think you can come win us a national championship.’ I was blown away. At that point, I knew I was going to be a Buckeye’.” But while that’s comforting to hear, his mother, Maureen Howard, was not convinced at all.

“As much pressure as it was going into that, my mom was worried, man. She was really. No, I’m serious. Kyle McCord had just gotten run out of town, and it was the most scrutinized position in college football, especially having lost to Michigan three years in a row, and obviously did it again. That was a lot of pressure, and I understood that going into it,” Howard shared. Sure enough, there were reasons behind Maureen’s worry and doubt. 

Heading into the 2023 season, Ohio State’s quarterback room was under a microscope. Kyle McCord, a highly touted recruit, had spent his first two years learning behind C.J. Stroud. When McCord finally earned the starting job, expectations were sky-high. He delivered through much of the season, guiding Ohio State to an 11–1 regular season record and showing flashes of the talent that had made him one of the program’s most promising quarterbacks. But “The Game” against Michigan had exposed just how unforgiving the spotlight could be.

In a tense, back-and-forth matchup, McCord threw a critical interception late in the game, sealing a 30–24 defeat that left the Buckeyes reeling. Inside the locker room, frustrations boiled over. Reports described a heated team meeting where players and coaches confronted one another, wrestling with disappointment and pressure. With a shadow cast over his otherwise solid season, by December 4, 2023, before the Buckeyes even played in the Cotton Bowl, McCord made the difficult decision to enter the transfer portal. He would later land at Syracuse, seeking a fresh start and a more secure role as a starting quarterback. All told, it just went on to show how high the stakes were in Columbus and how little room for error there really was for a Buckeye QB. Even before Howard arrived, his parents were watching all of this unfold. 

As Maureen later told WCMH, four seasons at Kansas State had prepared them for the highs and lows of college football. But the Buckeye spotlight during a Michigan game was a class apart. “We knew that college football journey has highs and lows, and you have to be ready for the rollercoaster ride, so I think that prepared us, like ‘OK, let’s do it.’ There’s going to be good moments, bad moments, and everything in between,” she said. Bob Howard added that on the outside he stayed calm, but inside he was churning with nerves every time his son took the field.

As for the rivalry game, “I was praying. I was literally praying the whole time. People always ask me if I get nervous and I always say, I kinda go by Will and if he’s calm and feels ready then I’m much calmer,” Maureen said. But prayers fell short that day.

Before the Michigan game in November 2024, Ohio State was riding high, and Howard had largely delivered. But just like McCord, Howard also threw two picks in a 13-10 loss to Michigan in 2024 that didn’t earn them any points among fans. Thankfully, the Buckeyes bounced back by winning the national championship two months later. On the way to the national championship, they demolished the likes of Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and finally, in an ultimate redemption game, Notre Dame.

In the bowl game, Howard turned in the kind of performance Ohio State fans had been waiting for. He connected on 17 of 21 throws (an eye-popping 81 percent) while piling up 231 yards and two touchdowns on the way to a 34–23 win and Offensive MVP honors. Today, all Howard can say is: “It all ended up working out, and here we are. It was the best decision I ever ever made in my damn life.”