"You can’t fool those guys" — Ohio State HC Ryan Day spills thought process behind announcing Will Howard as the QB1 for 2024 season

Last week, Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day announced that Will Howard would be the team's starting quarterback for the upcoming season. This is the earliest date that Day has chosen a starting quarterback, implying that it was not a hard decision to make.

On Thursday's editon of "Always College Football with Greg McElroy," Ryan Day spoke about his thought process concerning the decision he made:

“I think the thing that you have to do as the head coach is you got to get a feel for the locker room. You can’t fool those guys.

"First off, if you name somebody, and half the locker room doesn’t think that’s the right thing to do, you can create a little bit of an issue there. And usually it gets worked out, but they’re counting on you to make the right decision. I think it was clear. here was a little 10-day stretch there where he took control the offense and had a strong presence with the team.”

The decision of Howard was a no-brainer. He is the most experienced quarterback in what is a big quarterback room.

Howard has spent the last four seasons with the Kansas State Wildcats, being the starting quarterback in the 2023 season. During this season, he threw for 2,643 yards and scored 24 touchdowns, and he led the Wildcats to a 9-4 season.

He transferred to Ohio State after the season and is now the replacement for Kyle McCord in one of college football's biggest programs. He is also one of the favorites to win the national championship this year. Speaking about Howard, Day told McElroy:

"It’s a combination of his feet, his experience, his size, his accuracy, his ability to throw the ball. I mean, all the above. That’s been exciting for us, and it’s fun for him because he does have some weapons to work with, and he’s got a good group around him."

Who did Ryan Day snubb for Will Howard

The Ohio State Buckeyes has a packed quarterback room full of talented players. This meant that while Will Howard was chosen as the starting quarterback, some skilled players missed out.

One of these players is Devin Brown. Brown was the backup quarterback last season and was in contention for the starting role this season. However, with the selection of Howard, Brown is again going to be the backup quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The race for the starting role was always going to be between Howard and Brown.

However, the Buckeyes have many stars for the future. These include Air Noland and former Alabama Crimson Tide recruit Julian Sayin.