Just one week after Will Howard was named the starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Pro Football Focus is giving him a poor rating compared to other Power Five quarterbacks.
Howard has received a lot of praise from teammates, coaches and others who have witnessed his development during the offseason. Some still seem skeptical.
PFF’s Dalton Wasserman ranked the Kansas State transfer 27th out of 70 Power Five quarterbacks. Here’s what he had to say about Ohio State’s new starting quarterback:
15. Tyler Van Dyke, Wisconsin
30. Will Rogers, Washington
45. Cade Klubnik, ClemsonRanking ALL Power Five QBs before the 2024 season⬇️https://t.co/VRe1j2L5cr
— PFF College (@PFF_College) 22 August 2024
“Howard may be the most scrutinized quarterback in college football this season,” Wasserman wrote. “Ohio State is well-positioned at every position and has a former five-star recruit in Julian Sayin waiting in the wings behind Howard. However, many forget that Howard led Kansas State past eventual national runner-up TCU in the 2022 Big 12 title game. He is a very good play-action passer, which should make him an asset to Chip Kelly’s offense. His performance in obvious passing situations could be the key to a Buckeyes title run.”
Despite the relatively low ranking, there weren’t many criticisms justifying Howard’s place on this list. Reading between the lines, perhaps it’s because Howard, as a passer who has to use so many weapons this year, hinders the offense.
At No. 27, four other Big Ten quarterbacks rank ahead of Howard. Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel was No. 2, Penn State’s Drew Allar No. 13, Wisconsin’s Tyler Van Dyke No. 15 and USC’s Miller Moss No. 23.
Former Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers of Texas was No. 4, while last year’s starter for the Buckeyes was No. 32. That, of course, is Kyle McCord of Syracuse.
Hopefully, Howard will be a top-10 quarterback this season for the sake of Ohio State fans and the team, and the weapons around him should help him do that.
