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 (WJW) — Crowds gathered along the Lake Erie shoreline Saturday morning to welcome the USS Cleveland as it arrived in its namesake city.
The Freedom Class littoral ship will be historically commissioned in Cleveland on May 16 during its weeklong stay, after which it will officially join active service in the U.S. Navy.
The arrival of the ship is a milestone for Ohio and the nation, marking the first time in the 250-year history of the United States that a U.S. Navy warship will be commissioned in the State of Ohio.
“There have been 81 ships in the history of the U.S. Navy that have been named after cities in Ohio or the state of Ohio itself, but out of all 81, this is the first that will be commissioned in its namesake city, so this is an incredibly historic moment and it’s fitting that it’s happening for the 250th anniversary of the Navy and our nation,” USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation Director Nick Lippert said.
Ahead of the commissioning ceremony next weekend, the public is invited to tour the ship starting Sunday, May 10, at the North Coast Yard. The USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation is hosting a “Community Day” Sunday that will include live entertainment, family-friendly activities, food, drinks and more.
“This special event will connect the crew with the community of Northeast Ohio for a day of excitement and celebration as residents will have the opportunity to meet the Sailors, learn more about the ship and our Foundation, and kickoff Commissioning Week in true Cleveland fashion,” the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation website reads.
Tours will be available through Thursday, May 14.
Click HERE For more information about the tours and the weeklong celebration.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – For the second day, Northeast Ohio school districts are receiving bomb threats.
On Friday morning, two schools in the Elyria City School District, the high school and Ely Elementary, received bomb threats.
Both schools are evacuating students, and emergency responders are on the way, according to a social media post.
All other district schools are in a lockout status as a precaution.
The district asks that family members not come to the schools or call school offices at this time so emergency communication lines remain available.
Elyria Police said that the department is working with the district to ensure the safety and security of students and school personnel following the threats.
“We are aware that neighboring school districts experienced similar swatting-related incidents yesterday, and our investigative personnel are working diligently with our law enforcement partners to identify the source of these threats,” police said.
Five Northeast Ohio school districts received bomb threats on Thursday, including:
- Alliance City School District
- Amherst Exempted Village Schools
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District
- Lorain City School District
- Shaker Heights School District
Below are the details from each district and the protocols in place to protect students and staff.
ALLIANCE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Alliance Police Department confirmed there was an ’anonymous’ robo-voice style call that came into the high school saying there were ’20 pipe bombs’ outside of the school” before 12:30 p.m.
Officers rushed to the high school and Rockhill Elementary School campuses “due to an alarm in which we were not getting a response from the school,” according to APD.
APD shared that the schools evacuated the students temporarily as officers conducted a sweep of the area.
“Nothing was found, thankfully,” APD Lt. Christopher McCord stated. “The school staff, and especially the students, did a great job of staying calm and making everyone’s jobs easier, smoother, and safer.”
“We will be looking into the source of the threats to hold those responsible accountable, if possible,” McCord added.
AMHERST EXEMPTED VILLAGE SCHOOLS
The Amherst Exempted Village School confirmed at 10:25 a.m. that Marion L. Steele High School and Walter G. Nord Middle School received a bomb threat.
AEVS said all district facilities were placed on a level 1 lockdown before the two schools were evacuated to a safe location under the supervision of administration and staff, according to district protocol.
The Amherst police and fire departments teamed up with the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office to perform perimeter and building sweeps to determine if the threat was substantiated, said AEVS.
The perimeter sweeps of the two schools were complete by 11:34 a.m., and law enforcement then conducted the interior sweeps of the buildings, AEVS explained.
Amherst Junior High School and Powers Elementary School lifted their lockdowns at that time and resumed normal procedures, according to AEVS.
AEVS also confirmed at that time that all students and staff were accounted for and safe.
The Amherst Police Department completed its sweep of Steele High School and cleared the building of any threat by 11:51 a.m., AEVS updated.
Students were dismissed for the day at that time, according to AEVS.
AEVS instructed student drivers to leave the campus, and students unable to immediately leave were to stay at the school until they could be picked up by a parent, guardian, or approved emergency contact.
The bus routes were running at the scheduled normal dismissal time for students who need a ride home, AEVS added.
APD completed its sweep of Nord School and cleared the building of any threat by 12:32 p.m., AEVS updated.
Nord School students were safely escorted back into the building, according to AEVS, after evacuating to the New Beginning Church as a safe location.
AEVS instructed parents, guardians, and approved emergency contacts who wanted to pick up their student to report to the school’s front entrance, where staff and APD officers would help.
Classes, activities, and normal dismissal procedures resumed as scheduled for students who stayed at the school, AEVS shared, and bus dismissal also proceeded per usual.
“We appreciate the cooperation, patience, and support of our families and community throughout today’s situation,” AEVS stated.
According to AEVS Superintendent Mike Molnar, all evening activities at the school will continue as scheduled, and school will resume on Friday.
Molnar added that AEVS will have an increased police presence at schools on Thursday night and Friday.
CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District confirmed two threats were received on Thursday morning. The threats were against East Tech High School and Buhrer Dual Language Academy.
According to CMSD, Cleveland police and CMSD’s Department of Safety & Security conducted an investigation and found the buildings to be safe.
From the information gathered during the searches, Cleveland police believe both calls were swatting incidents.
Classes at both schools were uninterrupted, and the school day progressed normally.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Communications Officer Jon Benedict added that parents were informed about the incident.
LORAIN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Lorain City School District confirmed the high school has been evacuated due to a bomb threat on Thursday afternoon.
This is the third Northeast Ohio school district to receive a bomb threat on May 7.
The district announced the evacuation of Lorain High School at 12:23 p.m., and dismissed students at 12:40 p.m.
Bus riders were escorted to the buses waiting to take them home, according to LCSD.
LCSD said many elementary and middle school students were at the high school for the dance showcase.
Those elementary and middle school students were brought back to their home schools, said LCSD.
All students and staff are safe and following established protocols, LCSD stated, and these measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution.
The district safety team and law enforcement partners continue to investigate this threat.
“Your students’ and our staff’s safety is our top priority,” LCSD stated.
A 19 News crew is on their way to the scene to learn more.
SHAKER HEIGHTS SCHOOL DISTRICT
Shaker Heights High School received its second threatening phone call this week on Thursday, the district confirmed.
Shaker Heights School District said it immediately teamed up with the Shaker Heights Police Department to investigate the threat and determined its credibility.
SHSD said it was aware of the other Northeast Ohio school districts that received similar threats on Thursday.
“Based on the SHPD’s assessment and established safety protocols, the decision was made to continue normal school operations rather than initiate a shelter-in-place,” SHSD stated.
Additional SHPD officers and a K-9 unit were sent to the school out of an abundance of caution to support the safety and security of the building as the investigation continues, SHSD added.
Orrville City Schools were also placed on a soft lockdown on Thursday.
However, this was not a bomb threat, nor any direct threat to the school.
The soft lockdown was a precautionary measure for an incident that happened not just off school property, but out of the town.
This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.
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