How is Ohio State QB Will Howard different since the spring? Let us count the ‘weighs’

Will Howard spent several weeks in college football purgatory after entering the transfer portal in late November.

Ohio State wanted to wait until after the Cotton Bowl before giving the green light to the former Kansas State quarterback coming. Howard spent a little too much of that time eating.

When he arrived in January and first stepped on the scale, it wasn’t pretty: 249 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame.

Aug 1, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) throws during football camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex.

“A little portal weight put on,” Howard said Tuesday with a chuckle. “Coach Mick had some words for me.”

That would be OSU’s strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti. But Howard didn’t need to be told.

More: Reunited at last, Ryan Day and Chip Kelly hope for Ohio State football glory together

“I didn’t feel great myself,” Howard said. “I knew I had to lose some weight.”

Marotti and team dietitian Kaila Olson devised a plan to help Howard reshape his body, and he has done so. He said he now weighs between 233 and 235 pounds.

“All I had to do was listen to what they told me and follow the plan, and it worked out,” Howard said.

More: Reunited at last, Ryan Day and Chip Kelly hope for Ohio State football glory together

He did extra cardio work. He learned to cook.

“I felt a little more grown up,” he said. “I had fun with it. It was cool. It feels good to eat well and treat your body right.”

The body change is already paying dividends. Though offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Chip Kelly said no front-runner has emerged in the quarterback competition, Howard looks poised to assume that status whenever it is announced.

All five of Ohio State’s quarterbacks can run, but Howard is the fastest. Kelly said Howard exceeded 22 mph in testing. In…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-qb-howard-different-184202944.html

Author : The Columbus Dispatch

Publish date : 2024-08-06 18:42:02

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