Ryan Day rose from the ashes like a phoenix. With a commanding 34-23 win against Notre Dame on January 20, the Ohio State Buckeyes finally brought home their ninth overall championship after exactly a decade. What made the occasion more special? Well, it was a resounding answer to all the naysayers who doubted the team—and Day’s abilities—after their heartbreaking loss (10-13) against the Michigan Wolverines on November 30 last year. So of course, the spirits were soaring the skies. And what better way to celebrate than with the very pulse of the game, the ones who make college football what it is—the fans?

Seems like the team’s QB Will Howard, and the defensive end weren’t just raising trophies, but also Raising Canes, LITERALLY…

Will Howard and Co. set a benchmark standard for fan interaction

Fans have been an incredible part of Ohio State’s journey to a rebounded supremacy. Some lunatic fans went above the seas and mountains to get under Ryan Day’s skin, issuing death threats after he failed to get over the Michigan curse for the fourth consecutive time; it’s still the fans who keep up the spirit of a whole team, pushing aggressively for a title at Mercedes Benz last Monday. Their constant cheers and hype till the last serves the juice for them to run that extra mile and nail it. So, it’s time for a shout-out. The QB1, the Pennsylvania native, took the initiative to another level with his crew by his side.

As per what WBNS 10TV reported and rightly said on January 21, the QB and his defensive end transitioned from “serving up a national title to serving up chicken fingers and fries.” “Ohio State quarterback Will Howard and defensive end Jack Sawyer wrapped up their celebratory shift at a Raising Cane’s location here in Columbus. The work happened at the location off of On Tangi River Road,” the video further stated.

Fans were reportedly waiting in the cold for hours just to get a glimpse of their favorite stars. It was actually a beautiful excuse to interact with the fans. “I‘m just so thankful God gave me a chance to be a Buckeye. It’s truly like nothing else,” Howard said. However, there was also a tinge of sadness amid all of this. During an address to fans, the QB sais, “I’ve been trying to enjoy it. Obviously the next step is the draft, so I’m not sure when I’m gonna head out and start training. But, hopefully gonna be here on Sunday to enjoy it with with all the fans here in Columbus and my brothers and then send it off the right way.”

Howard and Sawyer handed autographs like confetti to fans while also serving the drive-through window and cash register. Jack Sawyer is the guy whose game-changing 83-yard strip-sack touchdown literally took the Buckeyes to the cusp of history. His banger against Texas still remains a core memory to all the fans and veterans alike.

As the champ busked in the glory with fans, he looked back at his journey to this utopian day. ”It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was young,”  Sawyer said. “Being able to bring a championship back to Columbus means everything to me, and being able to do it with guys like Will and everyone else on the team for Coach Day and this city … it means the world to me.”

During the media addressal, he further said, “I just thank God for the plan that he had in place for us. We would never have thought that…two years ago [if] you would have told us the last time we’d all be together…we’d be back in that stadium for the national championship and we would win it; it’d be hard to believe.”

Both Howard and Sawyer admitted they might be rowdy athletes on the gridiron, but they are novices in the kitchen. But they tried their best to follow through with the staff at Cane’s as they served fans waiting as early as 8:30 a.m. It was all love, laughter, and fun, an overwhelming escape from their regular athletic hustles.

This Sunday, all the Buckeyes will host a noon celebration at Ohio Stadium with the fans. You can also be a part of that celebration with no penny stung. Well, how did the win feel like one of the key architects of it, Will Howard, one of his kind?

Will Howard left emotional following the gusty Natty win

Will Howard’s passing performance Howard was nothing short of a perfect end to a fairytale. He completed 17 of 21 pass attempts for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 13.6 yards per completion. But he still couldn’t process what he had done for the team, for himself. But one thing he knows is that the struggle, the ongoing bumps in the road, made it possible for them to crack the nut.

”It made us come together, and it really challenged us, man. We were in a rough spot and I just gotta give all the credit to the guys in that locker room for coming together, and not letting that separate us, but letting it make us come closer. I really don’t think we’d be here if it wasn’t for the adversity that we faced this year,” said the standout QB of the nation straight from a storybook win.

Howard credited coach Day and the other offensive mentor for teaching him completion which he deemed was not so perfect in the past: ”There were a couple of times early where maybe I had to check it down or it wasn’t perfectly how it’s drawn up, but you want to just keep the ball moving and stay on schedule.” He gave big shouts out to the receiver rooms as well.

The bottom line? Before moving to the NFL, Will Howard established himself as a brand in Columbus, not only by the scoreboard supremacy but also by the kitchen simplicity.