Will Howard unveils new NIL deal with $42.12 billion organization

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard has earned himself a new NIL deal following the national championship win. On Friday, Howard shared an Instagram post featuring his collaboration with Dr. Pepper, which is valued at $42.12 billion by Forbes.

The collaboration features himself grabbing a Dr. Pepper jacket and a soft drink. The signal-caller then hit a few poses to close out the ad.

"Championship football, it’s a Pepper thing," Howard captioned the post.

The quarterback's new deal with Dr. Pepper adds to a growing list of NIL deals for Howard, including JLab, ONIT Athlete, Ricart Automotive, EA Sports, Long McArthur Luxury, and more.

Howard is gearing up to take his talents to the NFL after wrapping up his senior season with the Buckeyes. He finished the year with 4,010 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

The six-foot-four gunslinger played his first four years for Kansas State before landing with Ohio State for his final season, where he took the Buckeyes to a national championship win.

In Ohio State's win over Notre Dame, the senior passed for 231 yards and two touchdowns, completing 17 of his 21 pass attempts.

Will Howard pays tribute to coach Ryan Day as he sets sights on NFL draft

On Tuesday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show," Will Howard credited coach Ryan Day for helping develop his game during his time with the program.

"Coach Day is my guy and he took a chance on me," Howard said. "I basically owe my life to that guy. He's developed me. I've never been coached so hard. That guy got on me so much. Like in spring ball, I was like, 'I don't even know how to play this position.' I was like, 'What the hell, man, this is crazy.'"

Howard will join names such as Quinn Ewers, Cam Ward, Riley Leonard, Shedeur Sanders and other signal-callers in the draft.

Ohio State will not only be losing Howard but also running back TreVeyon Henderson to the NFL. Senior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and linebacker Cody Simon are ending their collegiate football careers after graduating. The 2025 NFL draft will take place at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, from Apr. 24 to 26.

When the Buckeyes take the gridiron next season, they'll likely be led by Julian Sayin at quarterback in place of Howard. Sayin played a few games in his freshman season, completing five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. He'll certainly be coming into a great situation, with a program fresh off a national title win and a wide receiver like Jeremiah Smith to throw to.

While the future for the Buckeyes certainly looks bright, Ohio State will certainly miss Howard as he takes the next leap in his career.