Will Howard needed to wait.

It was in December when the transfer quarterback from Kansas State heard from Ohio State, the program examining possible options to replace Kyle McCord behind center.

But the search was only in its early stages. The Buckeyes were waiting until after the Cotton Bowl before picking up their pursuit.

“They were kind of holding me off until after that game just in fairness,” Howard said.

The Cotton Bowl presented a chance for the Buckeyes to evaluate the rest of the depth chart, especially Devin Brown, the redshirt freshman who had pushed McCord for the starter's job three games into the 2023 season.

Coach Ryan Day framed the game as an opportunity for Brown to stake his claim.

But Brown’s audition was cut short. In the season-ending loss to Missouri, he injured his left ankle late in the first quarter, leaving the staff without much of a window to take stock of the backup.

Replacing McCord became even more of an urgent priority in the aftermath.

“I really started to feel that interest after the Cotton Bowl,” Howard said.

In fact, it was just six days later that he verbally committed to transfer to Ohio State for his final season of eligibility.

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Howard saw patience as a reasonable calculation as he surveyed his transfer options and weighed the possibility of entering the NFL draft.

“I knew that going to Ohio State and playing quarterback would be a huge honor,” Howard said, “and an opportunity that would be hard to pass up. It was a long process, but I’m glad I ended up here.”

From the time Howard announced he was leaving Kansas State to making a commitment, 38 days elapsed.

In the intervening weeks, he visited Miami and Southern California, and potential destinations for quarterbacks dwindled. Oregon had secured a commitment from Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel in early December with Notre Dame following with a pledge from Duke’s Riley Leonard days later.

Howard remained steadfast in delaying a decision to see how events unfolded at Ohio State.

Even as other schools urged him to commit, he was undeterred.

“There were a lot of options for me on the table,” Howard said, “and I thought they were all really good options. I didn’t think any of them were as good as this one. This was the one I had circled in the back of my mind.”

He recognized Ohio State’s place in the pecking order of the sport. While the Buckeyes missed the College Football Playoff last fall, they had reached the four-team postseason in three out of Day's five years as head coach, making the team a perennial title contender.

Howard got a taste of winning in 2022 when he led the Wildcats to the Big 12 championship and saw an opportunity in Columbus to capture an even bigger prize.

“The biggest thing was I felt I could come compete to win a national championship,” he said. “That above anything else was one of the more important things. I felt like I had more I wanted to accomplish in college, and I wasn’t done yet. That was what drew me here.”

There were additional benefits. Day boasts a strong track record in preparing quarterbacks for the NFL. Stroud is the favorite to be named the league’s offensive rookie of the year, and his immediate predecessors – Justin Fields and Dwayne Haskins Jr. – were also picked in the first round of the draft.

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Howard sees a chance to start for the Buckeyes next fall as one that could boost his prospects. He said he was forecast to be picked between the third and sixth rounds this year had he entered the draft.

“Playing in an offense like this is really going to prepare me for the next level and give me a shot,” Howard said. “That’s sugar on the cake.”

Howard also took careful note of the pro-style offense run by Ohio State, a modern spread scheme that stood in contrast to the Air Raid systems used elsewhere.

“They got great offenses,” he said, “and I could put up great numbers, but I don’t know how much that would develop me for the NFL.”

As he recounted the additional factors in front of a scrum of reporters on Tuesday, Howard nodded slightly.

“All the things pointed to Ohio State,” he said.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Will Howard remained patient before committing to Ohio State football