The Portal and Will Howard, is he looking for the best opportunity to gain 'NFL status'?

[tmcats]

Fan duel odds had Will Howard in 4th place to win the Heisman, behind only Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers, and Dillon Gabriel. If he has a big year, I think he will. I only hope for the best, especially this young man, who fought hard for the wildcats and helped us win a title.

the ohio state university is staked with talent. that will obviously be of help to will's heisman hopes. remember the outrage across wildcat nation when klieman said howard was the best backup qb in the country or some such?

[privyet]

Yes, tmcats, I vividly remember Klieman saying that..... And now look at Will. He'll be leading an absolutely loaded team with an OC coach who is one of the greats in scheming and playcalling. It's perfect for Will as he will still be QB coached by Day for the most part. My only concern is Ohio State fans are so critical when things don't go perfectly, but Will is battle hardened and so, so used to adversity. I'll always see him in purple and white and he will always be one of our guys even if he wins a national championship.

[wazucat]

Happy for Will but when he is introduced on NFL Sundays as an Ohio State Buckeye and not Wildcat it'll sting a little bit.

[spot2180]

I am worried for Will. I know people say and think OSU is 'loaded'. but I can't get past just how badly that OLine played against Missouri in the bowl game. The pressure for Will to bail them out will be insane, and I don't know if he can do it. There's only so much they guy could do. I hope I am wrong....

He may have been better off declaring for the draft.

And if it goes bad, and OSU turns into a caca show and Will makes it to the NFL, if he says his college was Ohio State, it will be seriously disappointing for all of us who supported him all through his struggles in Manhattan.

Good luck to him, though. I hope it works out. He's a quality person and will be a great locker room presence for the Buckeyes.

[privyet]

I think Will will be fine, spot. It was said Ohio States OL last year wasn't bad and had an inexperienced center who couldn't call O-line plays correctly and also had a guard who hadn't played all year substituting for a disciplined player. They also had 2 QB"s that were totally raw. I think they'll rectify anything else with Chip Kelly now running the show there.

[privyet]

The latest news I have read is that Will Howard has already earned the respect of OSU players and staff, and spring training hasn't even started yet.

[tmcats]

ohio state will be my favorite b10 team for one year of my life, no more. will howard should excel there not having to carry the team but being part of something way greater than himself. i look forward to watching it unfold. if he doesn't start, i'll go back to hating the nuts.

[privyet]

I agree with you, tmcats..... He is going to lead the most loaded team I've seen in years with 2 of the best running backs in cfb, and insane talent at receiver. My gut feeling is he will flourish with getting to throw to open WR's and with running in Chip Kellys offense. He has literally walked into a dream situation. Let it rip Will and show us your potential. BTW, he is amost certainly the starter unless he totally flops in spring and fall camp.

[privyet]

Just browsing the internet and seeing how Will Howard is doing since spring practice evidently started there this week. Said that he has been kind of "jittery" and his main competitor has been "lights out". I don't think it means much as they just started practicing and I fully expect him to win the job.... Jitters are to be expected when you've literally arrived on a new campus, especially at a place like that where your every move is scrutinized. It's
the most pressure packed place in all of CFB, even worse than Alabama, but Will is as tough as they come and he'll be alright....

[spot2180]

I watched a little of Chip Kelly's presser hoping to hear something about Howard, but didn't. I don't know if Kelly's been there long enough to really assess the talent, yet. He did say that he was impressed when the QBs are in the film room and picking things up quickly. I imagine everyone is a bit gittery in that position because they don't know Kelly very well. Everyone in that position is getting reps, according to Kelly, so hopefully Howard will be able to separate himself eventually.