At the beginning of this season, the earliest Ryan Day had ever declared a starting quarterback was August 19. That happened in 2019, when he named Justin Fields the starter, according to On3’s Andy Backstrom.
The changed on Thursday. Day announced Will Howard reject Devin Brown for the job, which means that the competition will start two weeks before the season opener against Akron.
Accordingly Chip KellyHoward looks much better than he did in spring ball. That was a big reason why he got the job and will start the year as QB1.
“I think Will deserves it,” Kelly said. “We evaluate everything. Obviously he’s the highest rated at the position. There’s a lot of data-based information that goes into that. As far as the decisions he makes on the field and running the offense, it’s just as important that he’s the guy in the running game as he is in the passing game in terms of what we’re asking of the quarterback here.”
“I think he really worked extremely hard in the offseason. From the end of spring ball on April 13th to now, he’s made a lot of progress. We gave him a plan to work on in the summer and he took it and executed it. Where he is now is pretty impressive.”
Chip Kelly: Will Howard’s experience came to the fore in camp
Howard came to Columbus with numerous references, after four years at State of KansasHe threw for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns during that time, helping the Wildcats to a Big 12 title in 2022. After joining the Transfer portalHoward became the No. 15 overall player and No. 4 quarterback to hit the open market after the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings.
Those four years at K-State are important because Howard is taking over the center position at Ohio State, Kelly said. That gave him an advantage early in training camp and could be important once the season starts in Week 1.
“You know he’s got experience,” Kelly said. “He’s been in a huddle before. He’s been in a huddle in a lot of games, he’s been in a huddle in big games. This is nothing new for him. Columbus is new for him, but playing college football is nothing new for him.”
“I think that experience really came through here at camp and I’m excited to see where he takes us.”
