What Is Will Howard’s Ceiling in Ohio State’s Offense? | The Ryen Russillo Podcast

you know that Ohio State's loaded up as always um and even more so in the portal with Caleb DS leaving Alabama that's going to sting for Bama fans I don't care how well K deor is done at recruiting he's done a great job but DS was just that special as a freshman first freshman the lead bman tackle since 1970 but you know the the hope is that you're bringing in Howard who if you want to do a numbers to numbers thing again here which is kind of a good segue off of Aller is that you can look at some KY mcord stuff and go well what was the problem with him he was 24- six split completed 66% of his passes throws for 3,000 plus yards you saw those limitations though in some of those biggest moments and I think at least with Howard it's about the Dual threat with him and the fact that he you you can tell me of a wrong here but Howard feels like a more of a baller like a guy that's just going to go out there and ball in a way that other guys aren't seeing the game that position I totally agree I think he's a perfect fit by the way chip going to Ohio State I think was one of the best offseason moves like any head coaching or coordinator hire I think it's really going to work well especially because I don't think there's any sort of intimidation factor from Ryan day like worried he's gonna try to take his job um I think they've like it's his mentor right that's where he learned everything there's video of him playing at New Hampshire UM quarterback for him uh this is Old Coach but I think and I think chip is like reinvigorated as well like he's got like this breath of fresh there with not having to worry about recruiting and going on the road he can just worry about the offense and will Howard I do think is the style of play being athletic um he can run I think that's going to be what is going to surprise people is how much more physical Ohio State's going to be on the offensive side of the ball like I don't think this is going to be a CJ strad type of offense or even a Justin Fields I think will Howard's going to be a runner I think you're going to see trayon and and uh quincha Judkins in the backfield at the same time I think there's G be a lot of misdirection I think it's be like good luck stopping us we're coming downhill and I also think it limits will will Howard's exposure somewhat in the past game where he's not going to be relied on to throw for 4,000 yards you're not going to need it um and I think he's going to be a much more consistent thrower but to your point like I totally agree with you because there's something about a checkdown Charlie where like you're asking that quarterback come on man like take a shot or two here there which I think is harder to teach and get a quarterback's mindset to change whereas if you get a gunslinger somebody's a little bit more like a baller like you described him like we're gonna be good there's going to be opportunities to make those plays we just need to manage that risk a little bit better I would rather have that style of quarterback every time and I do think that's what will Howard brings to the table he also I saw um I think it was Chip said the other day that he ran like 22 miles per hour as the fastest player on the team in their offseason workouts like he is a runner and he's big he's like 240 they're going to be physical which has been their biggest criticism and I'm sure Ryan day and every Ohio State fan has watched the way Michigan has run the Big 10 and it was big criticism that Ryan day had after they beat Notre Dame he probably should have waited uh till after the season to start you know pumping his chest about how physical they are but I do think Ohio State's gonna be way more physical this season I do Wonder with some of the quarterbacks too like where I I'll watch and you know you don't know you'll have theories that pop in your head but offenses have done such a great job of creating these advantages yes and if you think of the way a kid now goes through the high school ranks the camps and I'm not turning this into like an aaou for football thing but I wonder if everything is so programmed with some of these top talents that then when it becomes that freelance part of it and you know needing needing somebody to kind of just like play with a little less fear I wonder if that's something that we're happen or that that's happening that we're seeing now with some of these younger quarterbacks where it's like as soon as I'm off schedule now I'm totally lost despite being one of the top overall recruits and putting up all these ridiculous numbers and having all these physical gifts because in some of these offenses be like okay this is the read it's this read and then it's this read and then then we're done like don't even think about looking at the other side of the field or you're not even going to get to your third option or you're not going to have or we're always going to have an advantage on this route because again with Ohio State their teams were always just so much better than the majority of everybody they're going to play other than Michigan so I wonder if that's that's part and like look with Howard and I'm not going to worry about that with him at all I just wonder if that's the case with some of these other guys that come in with huge profiles but actually can't think the game in a way that you need them to off defense always has had the advantage I mean that's been the case for the last 20 years and probably even more so since the had you know the uh implementation of the RPO and how it's just everything favors the offense but the offensive minds and Innovation that have come in there like exactly what you're talking about a lot of these quarterbacks they don't have to get through their first option because the first option is wide open you know like the offensive minds and the way they've scouted and they start getting things and they dial up shot plays like I remember getting shot plays called up where we were going to take a shot and it was like we hope this post comes wide open and it would hit maybe you know 40% of the time or else you'd have to get your check down but now it feels like the shot plays the chunk plays they're scheming guys wide open all the time and kind of going back to the will Howard um you know last year we talking about Drew Aller Kyle McCord again saw those two players in person the difference in that game was Marvin Harrison Jr was schemed open a couple now he's incredible you don't have to scheme him open but he got open a couple Wide Open Times comic Court hit him like first read and they ended up winning the game because of a couple big plays to Marvin Harrison Jr like that's what you're talking about the one thing that has me a little bit concerned have you seen what um and this is the case for two schools where Chris kimman the head coach of Kansas State he's alluded to the fact that if Will Howard would have come back he wouldn't have beat out Avery Johnson um which is interesting like why didn't you want to bring him back you know and then there's also this fact maybe he doesn't admit that they got out bid there's also that um but he did you also just be talking up your guy that's in house too exactly ex he might be telling the truth but I've also heard every coach spin everything to their advantage at some point anyway so I don't know what to make it like I've started reading less previews because I just can't do it anymore I go back previews go ahead there was a stretch last year at Kansas State where will Howard I remember doing this like he almost got benched now almost is relative he got hurt Avery Johnson came in kind of lit it up and then kimman was like we're going to split Series this game and then like he never played like he didn't play any more meaningful snaps so will Howard kind of put it to bed like pretty quickly but I did think that was interesting that they were that bullish on Avery Johnson but as Ohio State fans pointed out like uh Joe burrow was at Ohio State and wasn't playing and you know and then it worked out pretty well for LSU like you could one man's trash might be another one's treasure and I think will Howard is going to be helped tremendously with the talent that he's around in the system that he's in n