Cleveland, OH
What Will Howard’s commitment means for Ohio State football and Ryan Day
COLUMBUS, Ohio — With a potentially dominant defense and an enticing collection of skill position stars, Ohio State football coach Ryan Day needed the quarterback who could bring it all together.
That circumstance confronted Day as soon as he accepted the reins of the program from Urban Meyer in the winter of 2018-19. His first major decision as head coach involved fixing the quarterback room immediately after Dwayne Haskins’ departure to the NFL and setting the course for years to come.
Day’s first foray into the transfer quarterback market become an unparalleled success. Justin Fields became a Heisman Trophy finalist and led two College Football Playoff appearances. Day now summons former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard to Columbus under similar, though not identical, circumstances.
Depending on the outcome of pending NFL Draft decisions, the Buckeyes could feature a former 1,000-yard receiver, one of the best running backs in the nation and a defense that spent the past season providing miles’ worth of margin for error every Saturday.
Unlike Fields, Howard will face real competition for the job. Devin Brown pushed Kyle McCord for the starting job last season through the first two weeks of the regular season. Current freshman Lincoln Kienholz and incoming five-star prospect Air Noland deserve a fair look this spring as well.
Also unlike Fields, Howard represents merely a one-year bridge back to the future of the Buckeye quarterback room.
Back in 2019, Day needed a jump-start to the kind of quarterback room he hoped to build. Now he needs a course correction — one season of stability (with upside) before he turns back to cycling through the upper-tier prospects who arrive on an annual basis.
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Day asked McCord and Brown a year ago to find that measure of dependability and consistency. They almost got there. They also had Marvin Harrison Jr. and Cade Stover — recognized among the best in the nation at their positions — at their disposal.
Howard, or whoever ultimately wins the 2024 job, will not. He will, though, throw to a receiving corps potentially led by Emeka Egbuka. While the 1,000-yard receiver in 2022 has not announced an NFL Draft decision, he has been considered at worst a lean to come back. He would become the top target in a room littered with former top prospects such as Jadyen Ballard, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss and Jeremiah Smith, among others.
The offense may also benefit from the return of TreVeyon Henderson, who finally reached an elusive combination of health and performance in the second half of this past season. As the offensive line recalibrates and potentially reassembles with new contributors, a return by Henderson would ensure a fairly high floor for a complementary ground game.
And if neither Egbuka nor Henderson return? Day’s system has always been rather kind to quarterbacks, and Howard’s specific skill set should fit in fairly easily. He is not a dual-threat quarterback, but rather a mobile pocket passer. (Fields was more of the former, though under Day he played like more of the latter.)
Howard rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns in back-to-back games against Central Florida and Oklahoma State last season. Ohio State quarterbacks netted minus-40 yards after lost sack yardage in 2023.
That’s quite a contrast, and Howard’s 6-foot-5, 242-pound frame scrambling for free yards would change how defenses must scheme and react.
The other difference between this transfer quarterback pickup and Day’s first: Back in 2019, the stakes were not yet make-or-break. Day had some leeway as a first-time head coach taking over a roster left a bit unprepared for Haskins becoming a first-round pick after one season as starter.
Day turns to Howard in need of a breakthrough. The list of players who have cycled through OSU in the past three seasons without playing meaningful snaps in a Big Ten championship game is staggering: C.J. Stroud, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Paris Johnson Jr., Mike Hall Jr.
Howard’s commitment comes as Michigan prepares to play the national championship game as a 4.5-point favorite. The Buckeyes’ relationship to their rivals and their place in the Big Ten hierarchy has flipped since Fields left.
Regardless of a lack of divisional strictures and an expanded playoff, Day must flip that relationship back. He is entrusting Howard to help make it happen.
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Cleveland, OH
TNA Rebellion Date And Location Announced – Fightful | WWE News, AEW News, Pro Wrestling Backstage News
TNA Wrestling announced upcoming live events, including TNA Rebellion.
Rebellion will take place on Saturday, April 11 from the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, OH. Plus, TNA iMPACT! tapings will be held on Tuesday, April 14 and Wednesday, April 15 at Upstate Medical Arena in Syracuse, NY.
From TNA:
TNA Wrestling Makes Long-Awaited Return to Cleveland, Ohio & Syracuse, New York
Spring Pay-Per-View Tradition, Rebellion, Will Be Held On The Campus of Cleveland State University
The stars of TNA Wrestling return to Cleveland, Ohio, for the first time since 2013 with the Rebellion showcase event on Saturday, April 11, airing live around the world on pay-per-view. Rebellion will be held at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University, a venue that has hosted NCAA Division I basketball games and countless major events. The action-packed, high-energy event will feature championship matches, grudge fights, and no doubt, surprise appearances.
The fallout from Rebellion spills into Syracuse, New York, for back-to-back nights of emotional-filled pro wrestling on Tuesday & Wednesday, April 14–15. All matches in Syracuse will be taped to air in the U.S. on AMC on future episodes of Thursday Night iMPACT! These shows mark the first TNA events in the hometown of the Syracuse Orange since 2009. Both live events will be held at the Upstate Medical Arena at the Oncenter War Memorial, featuring championship matches and appearances from WWE NXT Superstars, thanks to the ongoing cross-promotion between the two companies.
TNA Wrestling World Champion Mike Santana leads the TNA contingent heading to Cleveland and Syracuse, joined by Jeff & Matt Hardy, Frankie Kazarian, Nic Nemeth, Leon Slater, Moose, Eric Young, Eddie Edwards, Brian Myers, and Mustafa Ali, plus Knockouts including Léi Ying Lee, Ash By Elegance, Tessa Blanchard, Elayna Black, Rosemary and Mara Sade, among others.
TICKETS FOR CLEVELAND & SYRACUSE
Official Pre-Sale: Wednesday, February 25, beginning at 10 a.m. ET
Official On-Sale: Friday, February 27, at 10 a.m. ET
Fans can register now for the pre-sale at TNAwrestling.com.
Fightful will have coverage of TNA Rebellion.
Good evening, Ohio. We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.
Your Weather Planner
We turn cold again tonight as overnight lows drop back into the teens and low 20s. Throughout the day Friday, plenty of sunshine combined with Southwest winds will result in a bit warmup with highs in the 40s for much of Ohio. Even warmer air returns for the weekend.
Tomorrow’s Forecast
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CLEVELAND, Ohio — A final shot of midwinter chill will hang on across Northeast Ohio on Thursday before a significant warmup takes hold heading into the weekend and early next week.
Light lake-enhanced snow and flurries will persist across far Northeast Ohio through the day, though impacts are expected to remain minimal.
Across the Ohio snowbelt — including Geauga County eastward — accumulation should remain spotty and generally under a half-inch, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland.
High pressure building east from the western Great Lakes will gradually dry out the atmosphere, limiting moisture and keeping most communities to little more than occasional flurries.
Farther west, drier air and even intervals of sunshine are expected.
High temperatures Thursday will run slightly below normal for mid-February, generally topping out near 30 degrees. Overnight lows will dip into the teens as skies partially clear.
Warming trend begins Friday
Friday marks the transition to a milder pattern. Clouds will gradually give way to more sunshine, and temperatures will rebound into the upper 30s — closer to seasonal averages.
From there, the pattern flips.
Upper-level ridging will expand across the Ohio Valley this weekend and into early next week, sending temperatures well above normal. Highs are expected to reach the low 40s Saturday and Sunday before climbing into the 40s Monday and potentially surpassing 50 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday.
Normal highs for this time of year are in the mid to upper 30s.
Snowmelt, rising water and ice jam concerns
The extended stretch of mild air will accelerate snowmelt across the region, with temperatures climbing well above normal into early next week.
Most of the current snowpack contains roughly an inch or less of liquid water, though isolated areas could release closer to 2 inches as it melts. With limited precipitation expected over the next several days, widespread flooding is not anticipated. However, gradual rises on rivers are likely.
Thick river ice remains in place across parts of the region, and forecasters caution that ice jams could develop as melting and thermal breakup begin. Residents are encouraged to clear storm drains of snow and debris to help reduce localized ponding as runoff increases.
Aside from a small chance of light rain Sunday — mainly across southern counties — conditions are expected to remain largely dry until the middle of next week, when another system may bring rain along a warm front.
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