Expectations for Jeremiah Smith, receivers and cornerbacks work to improve Ohio State football
Will Howard is reportedly a changed man at Ohio State‘s fall camp. On Friday, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith revealed how Howard has changed since the Buckeyes’ spring training.
“He has definitely made a big leap since spring,” Smith said“I like his confidence. He’s starting to talk more. He talks a lot of nonsense on the field and that’s what I like about my quarterback. I love quarterbacks that like to talk and just interact with their players and make them feel good.”
Even without the offseason improvements, Howard is an exceptional talent. Howard has a 14-11 record in 25 career starts at State of KansasHis best season was last year when he had 2,643 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing a career-high 61.3% of his passes.
In his career, he has 5,786 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions. In his first season with the Buckeyes, Howard hopes to increase his overall numbers. With receivers like Smith on the outside, Howard will have no shortage of talent to target.
Smith was the most promising young player in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to On3 Industry Rankings. He was also named Florida Player of the Year by MaxPreps. In 14 games as a senior, Smith had 88 catches for 1,376 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Will Howard fights for a starting place
Although Howard has made progress in the offseason, he will not get the starting spot behind center. In addition to Howard, Ohio State has a redshirt sophomore Devin Brownwho used to be a five-star talent.
In addition, the team has freshman Julian Sayin (five-star recruit) and freshman four-star recruit Air Noland this offseason. Ohio State’s QB unit also includes second-year talent Lincoln Kienholzwho played in the Buckeyes’ loss against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.
On Thursday, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day revealed the current state of the Buckeyes’ quarterback battle.
“We mixed it up a little bit, but you can see (Howard) and Devin getting the lion’s share of reps with the ones,” Day said. “(Howard) has taken command of the huddle at the line of scrimmage … He’s a lot more confident out there.”
“Will has really made strides here over the last few practices. He’s taken control of the offense and made some good plays on third down,” Day added. “Again, he didn’t earn the job, but we saw some positive plays there.”
