Will Howard Gets Backing That Could Change His Path

Getty

Former Ohio State star Will Howard with the Pittsburgh Steelers

Former Ohio State Buckeyes star quarterback Will Howard went through a rough start to his NFL career during the 2025 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After being selected with the No. 185 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2025 draft, Howard dealt with injuries that derailed his rookie season. However, he has continued working hard and his future looks bright with the Steelers.

Heading into the NFL offseason, no one knows who Pittsburgh’s quarterback will be next year. Aaron Rodgers was playing on a one-year contract and will now enter free agency once again. He could return to play for his old head coach Mike McCarthy, but Howard’s chance to earn playing time could be close.

In his final season at Ohio State, Howard led a magical run to a National Championship. He went from being an afterthought to a potential NFL starting quarterback.

With that being said, a new strong endorsement has been given to Howard as he heads toward his second professional season.

Bruce Arians Doesn’t Hold Back About Will Howard

During an appearance on “Inside the NFL,” Arians spoke to Ryan Clark with strong praise for Howard. He was talking about being a big fan of the McCarthy hire for the Steelers and Rodgers as well, but ended by dropping a strong quote about Howard.

“I thought the Steelers did a great job in hiring Mike McCarthy. Obviously, he’s got a great track record offensively developing quarterbacks,” Arians said.

“I think the big hope, obviously, is to keep Aaron Rodgers for another year or two and they have a great relationship, so that makes it very easy. But I think he’ll do a good job of developing the young guy who I think has a ton of upside. Will Howard, I think is the future of Pittsburgh.”

Pittsburgh fans have to love hearing that from Arians. McCarthy also spoke out about Howard after taking the Steelers’ head coaching position.

“It’s super important, and frankly, that’s my foundation, developing quarterbacks,” McCarthy said. “I can’t wait to work with Will Howard. It’s important to have a complete understanding of who he is, where he is, and what his starting point is, and the fact he’s going into year two.”

Ohio State Will Never Forget Will Howard

Even though he’s no longer playing in Columbus and has gone off to the NFL, Buckeyes fans will always remember the run that Ohio State had with Howard at the helm.

In his one year with the Buckeyes, Howard completed 73.1 percent of his pass attempts for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while also running for 226 yards and seven more touchdowns.

His numbers were great, but his leadership was top-notch. Without him making his teammates better around him and being a vocal leader, Ohio State doesn’t make that run.

Moving forward in his NFL career, the Buckeyes’ fan base will continue rooting Howard on. When his time to start for the Steelers comes, Ohio State fans are going to be among the loudest voices supporting him.

Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey