Howard’s leadership will be huge for Ohio State heading into the Indiana game, according to Ryan Day

Ohio State starting quarterback Will Howard has done everything that has been asked of him this season. The Kansas State transfer completes nearly 73 percent of his passes. He has thrown for 2,484 yards with 24 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

Beyond that, Howard has established himself as the leader of the Ohio State team. Buckeyes head coach Ryan day spoke on ESPN College GameDay Saturday morning ahead of the matchup with Indiana about how important Will Howard has been to Ohio State’s success in 2024.

“Well, this game is won with players,” Ryan Day said. “You know, we can talk and do all these different things. They have to go out there and play. And a big part of that is the leadership that he brings, the maturity, the ability for him to get us into the right game .”

Howard is in his fifth season of college football after starting his career at Kansas State. He’s been in big games, made big plays, and Day trusts him fully.

“You know, when you have a 22-, 23-year-old guy that has as much experience as he has, he can get you into the right game. He can make adjustments in the game,” Day said. “And also just know that there will be momentum swings in a match. Get everyone on the same page.”

Howard’s ability to handle momentum swings came up big in the Buckeyes in a top 5 matchup against Penn State earlier this season.

With Ohio State looking to take control of the game, Howard fumbled the ball through the end zone, giving the Nittany Lions new life. However, he came back to play well the rest of the game, leading Ohio State to a 20–13 victory.

Howard will have to come up big again for the Buckeyes in a top 5 matchup against Indiana on Saturday.

“Get back on the field. And then have the resiliency that he did in the Penn State game to maybe make something go sideways and come back down and get us in the end zone,” Day said.