Ryan Day names Will Howard as Ohio State's starting QB to open 2024

Will Howard will be Ohio State's starting quarterback to open the 2024 season.

The Kansas State transfer has won the quarterback battle and will start for the Buckeyes in Week 1 against Akron, Ohio State coach Ryan Day told reporters on Thursday.

[Related: Ohio State is No. 1 in RJ Young's Ultimate 134 CFB rankings]

"When you take the aggregate of all the numbers, Will graded out significantly ahead of the other guys in the team work," Day explained.

Devin Brown is currently the team's No. 2 quarterback, Day said. However, Day added that the team has a "big scrimmage" on Saturday that could change things, noting that the team still has a lot of practice reps to go around.

Entering the offseason, it wasn't clear who would be Ohio State's starting quarterback in 2024. Kyle McCord transferred out of the program after a disappointing end to the 2023 season.

Day was eventually able to land Howard and Julian Sayin (Alabama) from the transfer portal. Howard was viewed as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in the portal following his two-season stint as Kansas State's starting quarterback. 

Sayin was arguably the most talented quarterback in the portal. Sayin, a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024, transferred out of Alabama following Nick Saban's decision to retire in January. He had enrolled early at Alabama.

Brown was viewed as the incumbent with the strongest chance of winning the job. The redshirt sophomore lost the quarterback battle with McCord last season, but started in the team's loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. 

In the end, though, Howard's veteran presence helped him win the job.

"We're excited about Will being the starter," Day said of the fifth-year quarterback. "Will has taken a command of the