Will Howard didn’t just flip a script this past year—he shredded it, rewrote it, and mailed it to every NFL war room with a ‘watch this’ postmark. Twelve months ago, he was fighting off questions about whether he could even start in the Big Ten, transferring in from Kansas State to join a loaded Ohio State Buckeyes roster that didn’t exactly need a QB project. By the end of 2024, he was hoisting a national championship trophy and watching his name bubble up in second-round NFL draft conversations. He went from ‘maybe practice squad material’ to ‘maybe franchise guy’, and somewhere in between, he lived the kind of pain and redemption arc usually reserved for Hollywood scripts.

That turning point came in Eugene. Will Howard’s one of the two regular-season losses at Ohio State. A gut-wrenching one-point defeat to Oregon. He failed to get to FG range in the last play. And on Jon Gruden’s Gruden’s QB Class show with Barstool Sports. He opened up about the play that slipped through his fingers and could’ve cost the Buckeyes everything. “In my mind, before this play, they’re telling me we need 15 yards for the kicker,” Howard recalled. The moment was chaotic. Oregon dropped into coverage. He saw a flat route develop underneath, a safe option, maybe six yards. But Howard, feeling the pressure and the weight of a title chase, went for broke. “I can’t do that. I gotta get more yards,” he said. The decision cost them the clock. The kick never happened. Game over.

But here’s where the great ones separate from the rest. Instead of shrinking from the moment, Will Howard used it as fuel. “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,” he told former Raiders coach Gruden. And he didn’t just file it away mentally. He baked it into the team’s DNA. “Every single Wednesday, from there on out, we did the same exact two-minute drill situation,” Howard said. Repetition. Accountability. Obsession. It paid off when the stakes were higher than ever. Ryan Day and Co. got their rematch—and their revenge—in the Rose Bowl, where Howard led a composed, surgical game-winning drive to beat Oregon. “As hard as it was in this moment, man, I think it made coming back and beating them in that Rose Bowl all the more sweeter,” he added.

That emotional redemption arc is only part of what’s launching Howard into serious NFL conversations. His stat line is commanding: 35 touchdown passes, seven rushing scores, and a national title to match. What’s even more impressive is how cleanly he fits into today’s NFL schemes—he’s mobile, experienced, and has the moxie to lead. ESPN’s Field Yates now has Howard projected as a second-round pick, pegging him at No. 61 overall in his latest mock draft. “Derek Carr’s contract restructure means he will stick in New Orleans for at least one more season, but nothing is guaranteed beyond that,” Yates wrote. “Spencer Rattler flashed in his rookie season, but he’s no sure thing… Howard, though, is accurate and mobile.”

The fit with the Saints is particularly interesting. The New Orleans Saints have a roster that can win now, but they also need a post-Carr plan. Howard gives them that—without the pressure of having to start immediately. He’s a sturdy guy. A process guy. One who’s already learned what failure looks like on a national stage—and what accountability feels like when it counts. That alone makes him a better bet than most late-first or early-second passers.

Gruden, who knows a thing or two about quarterbacks, didn’t hold back on his praise either. The former Super Bowl-winning coach compared Howard’s ability to extend plays, command a huddle, and rebound from mistakes to some MVP-level talent. He sees a guy who’s still just scratching the surface. The kind of quarterback who won’t just survive the NFL learning curve—he’ll attack it.

Jon Gruden’s QB crush? Will Howard draws a Josh Allen comparison

Say what you will about Jon Gruden — the man never bites his tongue. On a recent episode of his show in the same episode, the former NFL coach tossed out a sizzling hot take: he sees a little Josh Allen magic in the Bucks QB Will Howard.

“I mean, how the hell do people not like you as the No. 1 QB in the draft? Didn’t you win the national title? You’re like a young Josh Allen,” Gruden told Howard directly. Bold words, especially when you consider Allen’s resume: 3 Pro Bowls, an MVP, and countless highlight-reel plays since going seventh overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Physically, sure — the comparison makes sense. Allen checks in at 6-foot-5, 237 pounds, and Howard’s Combine numbers weren’t far off at 6-foot-4, 236 pounds. Big arm? Big frame? Check and check. But turning that raw talent into elite-level NFL production is no small task. Allen didn’t become that guy overnight, and if Howard wants to follow the same path, he’ll need time, patience, and the right situation.