State of Ohio starting quarterback Will Howard has done everything asked of him this season. The State of Kansas transfer completes nearly 73 percent of his passes. He has thrown for 2,484 yards, with 24 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

In addition, Howard has established himself as the leader of the Ohio State team. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day spoke Saturday morning on ESPN College GameDay prior to the game with Indiana about how important Will Howard has been to Ohio State’s success in 2024.

“Well, players win this game,” Ryan Day said. “You know, we can talk and do all these different things. They have to go on the field and play. And a big part of that is the leadership that he brings, the maturity and the ability of him to get us into the right play.”

Howard is in his fifth season in college after starting his career at Kansas State. He has been in big games, played big games and Day trusts him completely.

“You know, if you have a 22-, 23-year-old guy who has as much experience as him, he can put you in the right game. He can make adjustments during the game,” Day said. “And also know that there will be momentum swings in a match. Get everyone on the same page.”

Howard’s ability to handle momentum swings came in handy for the Buckeyes in a top 5 matchup against Penn State earlier this season.

As Ohio State looked to seize control of the game, Howard fumbled the ball through the end zone, giving the Nittany Lions new life. However, he recovered to play well the rest of the game and led Ohio State to a 20–13 road victory.

Howard will have to come up big again for the Buckeyes on Saturday in a top 5 matchup against Indiana.

‘Just get back on the field. And then having the resilience like he did in the Penn State game to maybe let something go sideways and get back down and get us in the end zone,” Day said.