Will Howard is going to be making waves at Pittsburgh. He led the Buckeyes through a 14-2 season and can call himself a National Championship winner. That tag wasn’t able to shine as brightly, though. The Steelers picked Howard as the 185 pick in the sixth round. But Howard knows what he can bring to the table at the Steelers. A turning point came in his career when he transferred to Ohio State from Kansas State. He led Ryan Day’s offense stalwartly through the season, the playoffs, and finally, the National Championship game. It’s a team that Howard has a deep connection to. And he’s happy he got one of his former teammates to accompany him in this new phase of life.

Joining the former OSU QB is Jack Sawyer, OSU’s star linebacker. His last season with OSU was his best, finishing with 9 sacks and 56 total tackles. In fact, Sawyer’s iconic 83-yard fumble return TD was the game-changing moment in their semifinal matchup against Texas. That crucial play pushed the Buckeyes over the victory line to compete in the CFP finals. Sawyer got his call way ahead of Howard in the draft as the 123 pick in the fourth round. The rookie QB is very excited about Sawyer’s career, as he shared with the Steelers’ team.

In a May 23 video on the franchise’s official YouTube channel, Howard said, “Seeing Jack get drafted to the Steelers, I was like, that just adds up. That just makes sense, you know. Just a gritty guy, you know, blue collar, just going to the Steelers, just felt like it made sense.” HC Mike Tomlin, too, was of the same opinion. “A lot of these guys represent Steelers DNA, and I think that’s really indicative of Jack Sawyer,” he said. Sawyer will be looking to join backup Nick Herbig and sit out behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. He is also expected to take up a role in the special teams.

Howard also shared his happiness about playing for a team with a fellow Buckeye. “Throughout the whole process to all my boys, you know, from Ohio State, I was like, ‘I don’t care who it is. It doesn’t have to be any certain person, but I just hope that I land with one guy from Ohio State, like one teammate.’ And you know, obviously, you know, as fate would have it. You know, me here, here we are, me and Jack.” It’s the same excitement you’d feel when you were a kid to find out that you and a friend were paired up in the same homeroom.

Though he may have an old friend to make his life easier at the Steelers. Howard’s journey till then wasn’t far from a cakewalk, and pranking woes also ensnared the poor QB.

Will Howard was also a victim of the evil prank-calling scheme during the draft

One of the things that was also part of the chaos was a series of prank calls to players of the draft selections. It started to catch attention when Shedeur Sanders became a victim. Someone pretending to be the GM of the New York Giants told him that he’d have to wait a little longer. Tyler Warren, too, was a victim. And now, even Howard revealed that he also got a prank call as the draft passed. “It was just a relief, you know, seeing that number come up—a 412 number with Pittsburgh Steelers over top. I had gotten prank called a couple of times.”

The culprit in Shedeur’s case has since acknowledged his involvement. It was none other than Jax Ulbrich, son of Falcon’s HC Jeff Ulbrich. As the draft went on and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders started to take over the draft conversations, Ulbrich’s cover started to weaken. He then shared it on his Instagram. “I made a tremendous mistake,” Ulbrich admitted. “What I did was completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful. I’m so sorry I took away from your moment.”

Will Howard is going to the Steelers as a QB with lots of potential and is going to register some highs as he embarks on this new journey. He’s not alone, either, finding a familiar face and comfort in fellow former OSU player Jack Sawyer.