Former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire has offered a controversial critique of Ohio State quarterback Will Howard ahead of the highly anticipated national championship matchup. The Buckeyes are set to square up against the Fighting Irish on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
Zaire weighed in on Howard's abilities and his impact on the game in a post on Saturday, where he expressed skepticism about the Buckeyes QB's capabilities.
Howard's playoff performances thus far have been nothing short of brilliant as he's completed nearly 70% of his passes for 608 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception. However, Zaire doubts his ability to guide the Buckeyes to a national championship.
“All the great QBs Ohio State has had the last 15 yrs and Howard is def the worst one by far and (Ohio State) fans are trying to convince me that he’s gonna lead them to the chip?!?! Lmao ok I’d even take the OG Jalin Marshall at QB before Howard!!!!!!!!,” Zaire wrote on X.
The words of Malik Zaire, which were shared by On3 on Sunday, have generated a lot of reactions on social media. While a section of fans agree with him on his take about Will Howard, others believe his opinion about the Ohio State quarterback was borne out of hate. Here's a look at some of the reactions online.
Other reactions supported Zaire's take:
"He didn’t trash Howard. He just said the truth," a fan wrote.
"He’s not wrong. Howard is incredibly average and wildly inconsistent due to how much he lets the last play affect his next one (good or bad)," another fan wrote.
However, others refuse to agree with Zaire and believe he is hating:
"Isn't Zaire the dude who practically begged to go to Ohio State and has been a crybaby ever since?" a fan wrote.
"This is crazy hate 😭," another fan wrote.
Ryan Days discloses Will Howard's effort within the team
Will Howard transferred to Ohio State from Kansas State ahead of the 2024 college football season and was able to fit in seamlessly.
Ahead of the Cotton Bowl, the Buckeyes coach Ryan Day made known how Howard grew as a player. He described the quarterback’s level of commitment and the amount of effort he puts in to ensure things run effectively on the offense. (Start at 6:58)
“He’s put a lot of work in with Chip [Kelly] [and with Billy [Fessler],” Day said. “When the first couple of words come out of a play, he could finish it for you. And that’s when he knows exactly what’s going on.
“He makes sure everybody’s on the same page. When you’re in a huddle, you can communicate a lot of information. The situation is down, distance, score — all those things that come into play. And so, I think that’s been important.”
Ahead of the national championship game, Will Howard has thrown for 3,779 yards and 33 touchdowns this season. He's also rushed for 169 yards and seven touchdowns. This is by far his most successful season in college football and will hope to wrap it up with the ultimate goal.
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