COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is speaking Thursday morning alongside offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
To start off the press conference, Day named Will Howard as the starting quarterback for the season opener against Akron.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard competed with four other quarterbacks for the starting job: Devin Brown, Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz and Air Noland.
During last week's press conference, Day said Howard and Brown have taken a majority of the reps with the ones, but the Kansas State transfer has taken more command of the offense.
The Buckeyes had a scrimmage planned for Saturday. Day said he would reevaluate afterward and "see where we are at."
Howard started 28 games at Kansas State and set a school record with 48 career touchdown passes. He led the Wildcats to a Big 12 title in 2022.
“Everything’s heightened here,” Howard told reporters. “You feel the eyes a little bit. I think the one thing I would say is that I don’t feel I have to be a hero here. I feel like I have the guys around me to where I just need to facilitate and just get them the ball and make good decisions. At the end of the day, I don’t have to go out there and do anything super-human. I just have to be myself and trust the guys around me.”
Ohio State opens the season at home against Akron on Aug. 31.
The team's full schedule can be seen below:
- Aug. 31 – Akron (3:30 p.m., CBS)
- Sept. 7 – Western Michigan (7:30 p.m., BTN)
- Sept. 14 – Off
- Sept. 21 – Marshall
- Sept. 28 – at Michigan State
- Oct. 5 – Iowa
- Oct. 12 – at Oregon
- Oct. 19 – Off
- Oct. 26 – Nebraska
- Nov. 2 – at Penn State
- Nov. 9 – Purdue
- Nov. 16 – at Northwestern
- Nov. 23 – Indiana
- Nov. 30 – Michigan (Noon, FOX)
