Will Howard is headed to the NFL Draft, but before he turns the page on his college career, he’s got one more shot to take at Tennessee—and he didn’t miss.
In a recent appearance on Barstool Sports’ Gruden’s QB Class, the former Ohio State quarterback recalled one of the more bizarre moments from the Buckeyes' 42-17 College Football Playoff beatdown of the Tennessee Volunteers this past December. The memory? Watching Tennessee players storm the field shirtless for warmups in 20-degree weather.
Howard didn’t hold back.
“Oh yeah,” he said laughing. “The funny thing is they came out with their shirts off and they ran over to the opposite endzone and immediately put them back on. I was like, ‘What the f**k are these clowns doing?’ At that moment, I knew that we had them.”
That quote right there has already been making the rounds—and Howard seems to be reveling in the moment. It's not every day a quarterback calls his College Football Playoff opponent “clowns,” but when you torch them for 311 yards and two touchdowns while jumping out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead, you earn the right to talk.
Let’s be real: Tennessee didn’t do themselves any favors. The shirtless warmup may have been an attempt at a flex—but it turned into a faceplant. They barely registered a first down until late in the first quarter, and Nico Iamaleava looked nothing like the five-star quarterback he was hyped up to be.
Howard, on the other hand, was sharp, accurate, and completely in control. His 24-of-29 passing performance was just another chapter in a career year at Ohio State after transferring from Kansas State. And yes, the “clowns” comment was brutal, but Howard said he really did see that pregame moment as the mental edge Ohio State needed.
“I knew right then they were just trying too hard,” he added. “Trying to put on a show, but we were focused. We knew what we came there to do.”
And while Tennessee fans might not be thrilled about being called out months later, Howard clearly isn’t over it—and he doesn’t think they should be either. When you lose that badly in the biggest game of the season, maybe it’s fair game to get roasted by the guy who beat you.
With the 2025 NFL Draft approaching, Howard is projected as a Day 2 pick, but it will be interesting to see exactly where he falls when selections start happening. He has the talent to potentially develop into a serviceable player in the NFL, but it will take him falling with the right organization.