Despite winning a natty just months ago, Will Howard found out how quickly life can change. An underwhelming performance at the Combine left him at the receiving end of scathing criticism from the fans, and it got so bad that Shedeur Sanders had to step in to defend his fellow QB. Despite the championship ring, Howard isn’t viewed as a top-tier QB prospect with the likes of Cam Ward, Sanders, and Jaxson Dart believed to be ahead of him, and the combine show didn’t help his cause. But Howard’s confidence hasn’t wavered. “I believe I’m the best quarterback in this class,” he told ESPN recently.

Heading into the 2024 season, Howard was mostly seen as an afterthought for next year’s draft. But after helping the Buckeyes to title glory, he has started to gain some traction as a potential Day 2 pick later this month. Still, doubts remain over the 23-year-old’s prospects as scouts remain unconvinced, especially after some of his performances in crunch games last season. However, OSU offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is out there doing his best to hype him up to the NFL teams.

On Thursday, @elevenwarriors dropped a YouTube clip from the Ohio State coaches’ clinic roundtable discussion. Hartline was joined by Howard and current wide receiver Carnell Tate on the panel, as he talked about how the QB always had some ideas when they were game planning. Hartline pointed out how one such idea worked to perfection in the Rose Bowl.

“Sometimes we’re just game planning. And Will loves to come in and, like, game plan with us. So, we’re just trying to pick his brain about what he likes,” Hartline noted. As the Buckeyes prepared for Oregon and the Rose Bowl, Hartline recalled what Howard had to say to him.

“He’s like, ’You know me, I like a good pipe. A good pipe call.’ I said, ‘You like what?’ He rode with it, he was like ‘Yeah, man, just call pipe.’ I’m like, ‘OK, we got it.’ So long story short, then we kind of get through the week and come to find out, we got a tempo call, we called pipe just for Will, and he scored down the middle of the field with Emeka Egbuka at the Rose Bowl for a touchdown,” Hartline said.

“Pipe’s a damn good play,” Howard said in response while grinning. So, what is the “pipe” route?

Well, in the first quarter, OSU led the Rose Bowl by 7-0, before Will Howard fired a 42-yard throw down the middle of the field to Emeka Egbuka, who hauled it and cruised into the end zone, giving Ohio State an early 14-0 lead. The play was a “pipe” route is so named because the receiver runs directly toward the center of the goal post, or the “pipe.”

It’s a highly specific route, typically used in carefully planned situations against particular defensive coverages. Against Oregon, Ohio State knew exactly what to expect, and the matchup gave them the perfect opportunity to execute it.

Hartline highlighting Howard’s game knowledge and giving him credit for a special play could bode well for him, given how his stock took a hit after the combine. As a clip of him missing receivers on seven throws went viral with the caption: “Worst combine performance ever?” Howard found himself in the middle of a storm of criticism.

This led Shedeur Sanders to come to his rescue as he tweeted, “I don’t understand y’all hating on Will Howard, he just won a natty. It’s hard to throw to WRs that you don’t know, everyone run routes different!” Despite the skepticism around Howar’s NFL future, he remains upbeat.

Being widely projected as a 5th-round pick, Will Howard isn’t buying into the rankings. However, the standout QB believes he’s better than many of the names listed above him. That confidence? It’s loud and clear—and now it’s reaching NFL front offices.\

He said, “There’s unbelievable talent (in the QB class). But if you’re going to be a competitor, you’ve got to believe in yourself.” That mindset, he says, is what’s carried him through the hard moments. “S— happens. You’ve got to be able to deal with it,” stated the OSU QB. Right now, Howard has learned to thrive through adversity. “It’s the mentally tough people that overcome,” he added. “In my career, I’ve had to do that time and time again. And I’ve realized—it never stops.”

Honestly, those adversities include being benched at Kansas State, where he played before transferring to OSU. And while the former OSU quarterback still stands tall in his confidence, Will Howard admitted to a massive blunder during his time with the Buckeyes.

Will Howard’s error at OSU

Will Howard didn’t just flip the script—he tore it up and wrote a brand-new headline. Look, a year ago, he was a B1G question mark, transferring from Kansas State into a stacked OSU squad. Fast forward, and he’s a national champion with second-round NFL buzz. So, once seen as a project, now whispered as a possible franchise guy. You can say, from doubt to dominance, Howard’s story screams Hollywood.

However, the turning point in Will Howard’s season came in Eugene—a gut-punch, one-point loss to Oregon. It was one of only 2 blemishes on OSU’s regular-season run. At that time, with the game on the line, Howard failed to get the Buckeyes into field goal range on the final drive. And on Gruden’s QB Class with Barstool Sports, he didn’t dodge the blame. “In my mind, before this play, they’re telling me we need 15 yards for the kicker,” said Howard. However, Oregon dropped into coverage. A short flat route opened—six yards, safe. But he forced it, chasing more. “I can’t do that. I gotta get more yards,” admitted Howard.

However, the clock ran out. And no kick, no miracle, just a lesson that stuck. But this is where stars are made. Will Howard didn’t run from failure—he leaned into it. “Looking back at it, what I learned from this, man, is like, at the end of the day, I gotta give my team a chance,” said Will. And he walked that talk. Every Wednesday after the Oregon loss, Howard ran the same 2-minute drill. “We did the same exact two-minute drill situation,” he said. And the most intriguing fact is that obsession paid off. In the Rose Bowl rematch, he stayed cool, drove the field, and delivered revenge—”It made coming back and beating them in that Rose Bowl all the more sweeter,” stated OSU QB.

However, that emotional comeback? It’s the rocket fuel launching Howard into serious NFL buzz. Now, let’s see where the standout QB will begin his NFL journey.