Ohio
How Ohio State QB Will Howard’s path led him to Penn State showdown
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Maureen Howard glanced out of her window at 11 p.m. and found her son, Will, playing football by himself in the front yard.
The porch light and front floodlights were the only things giving him light, while he snapped the ball, took his drop and evaluated the field in front of him.
Once he got to the top of his drop, he lined up and did it again. And again. And again. Midnight came. And sometimes later, to the point that Maureen had to tell Howard to come inside. But it was all mental work for Howard, who was entering his sophomore year at Downingtown West High School in Pennsylvania.
He was in the middle of a year-long quarterback battle, a sophomore trying to take the starting job from a senior, but to make it fair for everybody involved the coach, Mike Milano, and his coaching staff tracked everything in practice. It meant, there was no time for mistakes if Howard wanted to start, so the extra work came at home when nobody could see him.
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That’s who Howard has been his whole life. He’s still that way at Ohio State. While he might not be on the field until midnight, he’s in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center for countless hours watching film.
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is widely respected for his work ethic behind the scenes and is usually one of the last players out of the facility at night. This offseason, particularly in preseason camp, there was always one car there every time he left: Howard’s.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever stayed at the Woody longer than him,” Egbuka said.
Will Howard (18) grew up a Penn State fan and will face off with the Nittany Lions on Saturday as Ohio State’s starting quarterback. (Joseph Maiorana / Imagn Images)
Howard’s personality is rooted in that work ethic. He’s not flashy, and he doesn’t seek attention or affirmation from people he doesn’t know because he believes in himself. And he does not need to be in the spotlight.
It’s why his comments, after the win against Nebraska, were such a big deal. Asked how excited he was for Saturday’s top-five matchup at Penn State, he said he was “stoked.”
“I grew up a Penn State fan. I wanted to go there my whole life,” he said. “They didn’t think I was good enough. I guess we’ll see next week if I was.”
Ever since his youth football days, Howard has been proving people wrong, and Saturday’s homecoming gives him a chance to show his growth in the state where it all started. Howard was a simple kid growing up in Downingtown, Pa., about two and a half hours from Penn State.
He loved his family, sports, playing outside with his dad, Bob, and Penn State. Nearly everybody in his hometown is a Penn State fan. His father and uncle graduated from Penn State. His younger sister, Tori, is currently a senior at Penn State.
So when he announced he was going to transfer to Ohio State, it caught everybody in town off guard.
“We heard from so many friends saying, ‘You’re making this hard on us,’” Maureen said with a laugh.
But the reality was that Penn State just wasn’t the place for him. Don’t get that confused. Growing up, Howard wanted to play for the Nittany Lions.
James Franklin rode a helicopter to his games, which was such a big deal that it made the school district website at the time. But Howard always has flown under the radar, in part because of who he is and some unforeseen circumstances.
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After taking a sack during his junior year, Howard broke his throwing arm, keeping him from doing any workouts in what is a crucial time for any player’s recruitment. Once he healed, he broke his other wrist, dunking a basketball. Although that one wasn’t as bad, he still went to offseason camps in a cast.
During that time, numerous colleges dialed back their interest, including Penn State. The Nittany Lions signed three-star recruit Micah Bowens instead.
That was hard for the family to watch, at first. Howard saw other players around him and knew he was as good, or better, than people who were getting more national recognition. But much like now, Howard internalized that and turned it into motivation.
“There was some frustration, and I think that fueled Will,” Maureen said. “He’s like, ‘There’s people who say I can’t play Power 5 football. Well, watch me.’ I don’t think he’d be the player he is today without everything.”
“He loves being the underdog,” Bob said.
That mentality has fueled Howard for much of his career, but when he’s on the field, he doesn’t feel like an underdog. Howard has a confidence that rubs off on the entire Ohio State offense and program.
It was the same way in his first year as a starting quarterback in high school. After beating out a senior for the starting job, he worked to earn the respect of the rest of the upperclassmen. He didn’t do it with some grand gesture, Milano said; he did it by just being Howard.
Milano knows saying a player has “it” is a sports cliche, but that’s the best way he can describe Howard. He has “it,” but “it” shows up in different ways for players.
For some, it’s making the big play in the biggest moment, which is the case for Howard, too. His 75-yard drive to beat Nebraska on Saturday was important for Ohio State’s season aspirations, but the calm and poise he plays with during those moments stand out.
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One of Howard’s longtime friends is Penn State offensive tackle Drew Shelton. Shelton is two years younger than Howard, so when Howard was a senior, Shelton was taking his first offensive line snaps for Downingtown West.
One of his lasting memories of Howard was the way he came into the huddle against Garnet Valley, one of the perennial powers in Pennsylvania high school football, and steadied the team despite early struggles.
“Just being calm and collected and knowing that it’s going to work out, that’s the kind of leader he is,” Shelton said. “That’s the kind of guy he is.”
Those moments in high school set the tone for an adversity-filled college career right away. As a freshman, Howard got COVID-19 soon after arriving back on campus in June and then played major time when starting quarterback Skylar Thompson was injured. Howard then bounced in and out of the starting lineup but remained focused on the ultimate goal of winning and helping the Wildcats win a Big 12 title.
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He has carried that over to Ohio State where he has found ways to lead in hard times. Howard took the Oregon loss hard, knowing the clock ran out with the ball in his hands. But behind the scenes, he has been one of Ohio State’s most vocal leaders.
“It falls on the shoulders of a quarterback to rally a team,” Egbuka said. “He took it personally, but he’s been vocal about everything in practice and establishing what he wants our identity to be as a team.”
Now, he gets a chance at redemption. A top-five matchup in his home state is huge, but as Howard tells Bob often, it’s “just a 100-yard field.”
And just like old times, he’ll be dropping back, reading the defense with the floodlights on him. This time, however, there will be 100,000-plus people watching him.
(Top photo: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
Ohio
Cleveland.com boys basketball state rankings: Defending champ proving its one of Ohio’s best regardless of division
CLEVELAND, Ohio — While weather conditions put some games in Northeast Ohio on ice, plenty of showdowns took place in the last week across the state.
Lutheran East continued to establish itself as a top program, regardless of division, with its 64-55 win Saturday at Garfield Heights during a Scholastic Play By Play Classic showcase. That event also saw Euclid come away with a 66-51 win vs. Reynoldsburg, which had been ranked in the cleveland.com state rankings.
That has changed since last week, but Lutheran East strengthened its hold atop Division V. Euclid remains one of the top teams in Division II, while Garfield Heights’ positioning in Division III is unaffected this week.
The No. 1-ranked teams in all seven divisions remain in place since last week, including Lakota West in Division I and Lima Senior in Division II.
See how the state stands with the top 10 teams in each of Ohio’s seven divisions for boys basketball. Results and records are based on what has been reported through Tuesday’s games to MaxPreps, which is providing the official RPI ratings for OHSAA postseason seeding.
DIVISION I
1. Lakota West (15-1)
2. Newark (16-0)
3. St. Ignatius (10-5)
4. St. Edward (13-2)
5. Cincinnati Princeton (13-1)
6. Lewis Center Olentangy (15-1)
7. Canton McKinley (13-2)
8. Brunswick (13-3)
9. Hilliard Bradley (14-2)
10. Huber Heights Wayne (12-3)
Also considered: Centerville (10-5), Dublin Coffman (12-3), Kettering Fairmont (10-5), Upper Arlington (11-4).
DIVISION II
1. Lima Senior (10-1)
2. Cincinnati Winton Woods (12-0)
3. Westerville North (11-1)
4. Brecksville-Broadview Heights (14-0)
5. Euclid (11-4)
6. North Canton Hoover (11-4)
7. Massillon Washington (11-1)
8. Toledo St. John’s Jesuit (11-5)
9. Highland (13-2)
10. Solon (9-5)
Also considered: Austintown-Fitch (10-4), North Royalton (10-4), Sunbury Big Walnut (8-5), Toledo St. Francis de Sales (7-5)
DIVISION III
1. Garfield Heights (10-5)
2. Toledo Central Catholic (10-2)
3. Trotwood-Madison (12-1)
4. Columbus Bishop Hartley (11-3)
5. Alliance (14-2)
6. Youngstown Ursuline (12-3)
7. Youngstown Chaney (12-2)
8. Hamilton Badin (13-3)
9. St. Vincent-St. Mary (9-7)
10. Miami Trace (13-2)
Also considered: Akron Garfield (13-3), Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas (13-4), Cincinnati La Salle (11-4), Columbus Bishop Watterson (11-3), Columbus Centennial (14-3), Defiance (11-4), Lima Shawnee (11-4), Wapakoneta (12-3).
DIVISION IV
1. Maysville (13-1)
2. Cincinnati Wyoming (15-0)
3. Dayton Northridge (15-1)
4. New Concord John Glenn (13-1)
5. Cincinnati Taft (10-3)
6. Canfield (14-2)
7. Sandusky Perkins (15-0)
8. Glenville (10-6)
9. Warrensville Heights (9-5)
10. Van Wert (13-3)
Also considered: Brookside (12-2), Caledonia River Valley (10-5), Circleville (13-2), Kettering Archbishop Alter (10-6), Norton (15-0), Ontario (14-3), Ottawa-Glandorf (10-3), Plain City Jonathan Alder (12-4), Shelby (9-4), Urbana (12-3).
DIVISION V
1. Lutheran East (12-0)
2. Columbus Bishop Ready (12-3)
3. Margaretta (14-2)
4. Columbus Africentric (13-2)
5. Columbus Academy (10-4)
6. Fredericktown (14-0)
7. Canal Winchester Harvest Prep (9-4)
8. Cincinnati North College Hill (15-2)
9. Genoa Area (13-0)
10. Willard (13-2)
Also considered: Chesapeake (14-1), Fairview (10-3), Ironton (13-2), Keystone (13-4), Lewistown Indian Lake (13-2).
DIVISION VI
1. New Madison Tri-Village (15-0)
2. North Robinson Colonel Crawford (12-0)
3. Berlin Hiland (11-3)
4. Monroe Central (13-1)
5. Van Wert Lincolnview (14-2)
6. Columbus Grandview Heights (13-2)
7. Maria Stein Marion Local (12-1)
8. Smithville (13-3)
9. Hamler Patrick Henry (12-3)
10. Kirtland (11-1)
Also considered: Caldwell (11-2), St. Henry (9-3), Toledo Maumee Valley Country Day (10-5).
DIVISION VII
1. Delphos St. John’s (15-0)
2. Botkins (11-2)
3. Sidney Lehman Catholic (13-3)
4. Miami Valley Christian Academy (13-3)
5. McDonald (16-0)
6. Miller City (13-3)
7. Fairport Harding (12-1)
8. Arlington (13-3)
9. Montpelier (13-2)
10. Cedarville (13-2)
Also considered: Sandusky St. Mary (12-2)
WASHINGTON (TNND) — A Democrat candidate running for Ohio Attorney General shared in a video posted on social media that he was going to “kill Donald Trump” by executing him.
In a 40 second video, Elliot Forhan explained a hypothetical scenario in which he tries and successfully convicts President Trump, who would be sentenced to death.
“I want to tell you what I mean when I say that I am going to kill Donald Trump,” Forhan said.
“I mean, I’m going to obtain a conviction rendered by a jury of his peers at a standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt based on evidence presented at a trial conducted in accordance with the requirements of due process, resulting in a sentence duly executed of capital punishment.”
The one-term state representative didn’t explain what crimes Trump had allegedly committed that would be worthy of the death penalty in the video.
Forhan’s video garnered a fierce rebuke from Republican leadership in Ohio such as State Auditor Keith Faber, who is also running for state attorney general but on the Republican ticket.
“That kind of vile comment makes it clear that Elliot Forhan is not qualified to be attorney general,” Forhan said in a video statement.
He also called on Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton to reject Forhan’s rhetoric, but she has yet to address it publicly.
Former state Rep. Jay Edwards, now a Republican running for Ohio treasurer, said Forhan’s video “fits his pattern” of seeking to cause harm to his political opponents.
“He posted “F*** Charlie Kirk” days after his assassination, has a history of rage and now openly fantasizes about executing the President,” Edwards wrote on X.
In 2023, Democratic Party leadership removed Forhan from all of his committee assignments and access to an office because of his abusive behavior toward staff and colleagues.
“I am going to kill Donald Trump”—dressed up in legal jargon about trials and capital punishment,” Edwards wrote. “This isn’t clever; it’s a deranged fantasy from someone seeking Ohio’s top law enforcement role.”
The National News Desk reached out to Forhan for comment.
Ohio
Northeast Ohio school closures for Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026; Cleveland School District plans to resume classes
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland Metropolitan School District is going to give it a try Wednesday.
The city’s school district posted a message on its website Tuesday night that it intends to resume classes Wednesday. However, the message says the district intends to monitor weather conditions overnight.
Temperatures are expected to go as low as minus-3 degrees with wind chills at minus-15, according to the National Weather Service. The predicted temperature at 7 a.m. is 1 degree with wind chills at minus-11. A cold weather advisory is in effect until 11 a.m. Wednesday.
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That’s led dozens of districts to already cancel classes for Wednesday, including Akron Public Schools, Avon Lake City Schools, Elyria City Schools, Lorain City Schools, Medina City Schools and Strongsville City Schools.
Below is a list of closures and delays for Wednesday, Jan. 28. For a more complete list that includes day cares, preschools, Head Start programs and church programs, go to the list from cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer news partner WKYC Channel 3.
Academy of St. Bartholomew
Akron Public Schools
Albert Einstein Academy (all campuses)
Amherst Exempted Village Schools
Archbishop Hoban High School
Around the Sun Montessori School
Ashtabula Area City Schools
Ashtabula County Tech Campus
Avon Lake City Schools
Avon Local Schools
Barberton City Schools
Berea City Schools
Bethel Baptist Christian Academy
Black River Career Prep High School
Brooklyn City Schools
Brunswick City Schools
Buckeye Joint Vocational School District
Buckeye Local Schools (Ashtabula County)
Buckeye Local Schools (Medina County)
Building Bridges
C.A.S.T.L.E High School (Parma)
Cascade Career Prep
Central Christian School
Chapel Hill Christian School, North and South
Chippewa Local Schools
Christian Community School
Cleveland Arts & Social Sciences Academy
Clearview Local Schools
Cleveland Central Catholic High School
Cleveland Shambhala Center
Cleveland Sports Academy
Cloverleaf Local Schools
Community Action Head Start (Akron, Barberton)
Conneaut Area City Schools
Constellation School Westpark Community Elementary
Constellation Schools Stockyard Community Middle
Constellation Schools Eastside Arts Academy
Constellation Schools Elyria Community Elementary
Constellation Schools Elyria Community Middle
Constellation Schools Lorain Community Elementary
Constellation Schools Lorain Community Middle
Constellation Schools Madison Community Elementary
Constellation Schools Old Brooklyn Community Middle
Constellation Schools Old Brooklyn Community Elementary
Constellation Schools Parma Community Elementary
Constellation Schools Parma Community Middle
Constellation Schools Parma Community High School
Constellation Schools Parma Community Intermediate
Constellation Schools Puritas Community Elementary
Constellation Schools Puritas Community Middle
Constellation Schools Stockyard Community Elementary
Constellation Schools Westpark Community Middle
Constellation Schools Westside Community School of Arts
Constellation Schools Pearl Road Elementary
Copley Fairlawn City Schools
Cornerstone Community School
Corpus Christi Academy
Coventry Local Schools
Crestwood Local Schools
Cuyahoga Falls City Schools
Dale Roy School
Education Alternatives (Bedford, Brook Park, Elyria, Ravenna, Springfield, Willoughby)
EHOVE Career Center (two-hour delay)
Elyria Catholic High School
Elyria City Schools
Fairlawn Lutheran School
Fairview Park City Schools
Field Local Schools
Geneva Area City Schools
Ginn-Thompson School for Girls
Global Ambassadors Language Academy
Global Village Academy
Gospel Haven Academy (two-hour delay)
Grand Valley Local Schools
GSCELC SCOPE Academy
Hametown Christian Academy
Happy Hearts
Hartville Christian School
Highland Local Schools
Hiram College
Holy Cross Lutheran School
Holy Family (Stow)
Holy Name High School
Horizon Science Academy Denison Middle, Cleveland Middle, High School
I.D.M.R. Akron
Imagine Bella Academy
Immaculate Heart (Cuyahoga Falls)
Incarnate Word Academy Elementary
Innovation Academy West
Insightful Minds
Jefferson Area Local Schools
Kent City Schools
KidsLink School
Kingsway Christian School
Lake Center Christian Schools
Lake Ridge Academy
Lawrence School (Lower, Upper)
Lincoln Park Academy
Lorain City Schools
Lorain Preparatory School
Magnificat High School
Maplewood Career Center
Mayfair Christian School
Medina Christian Academy
Medina City Schools
Medina County Career Center
Midview Local Schools
Mogadore Local Schools
Monroe Preparatory Academy
Noble Academy (Cleveland)
Nordonia Hills City Schools
North Olmsted City Schools
North Ridgeville City Schools
North Royalton City Schools
Northside Christian Academy
Olmsted Falls City Schools
Open Door Christian Schools
Orchard Park Academy (Akron)
Our Lady of Angels Elementary
Our Lady of Elms (all closed)
Padua Franciscan High School
Parma City Schools
Parma Heights Christian Academy
Pathways to Success
Portage Learning Center (Atwater, Kent, Ravenna, Streetsboro)
Positive Education Program
Pymatuning Valley Local Schools
R G Drage Career Center
Ramah Junior Academy
Ravenna School District
Redeemer Christian Elementary
Regina Coeli-St. Joseph
Revere Local Schools
Rising Sun Centers
Royal Redeemer Lutheran
S.U.P.E.R. Learning Center
Seton Catholic School
Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City Schools
Southeast Local Schools (Portage County)
Springfield Local Schools (Summit County)
SS Philip and James School (Canal Fulton)
St. Adalbert (Cleveland)
St. Albert the Great Elementary
St. Angela Merici.
St. Anthony of Padua (Akron, Lorain, Parma)
St. Augustine (Barberton)
St. Charles Borromeo School
St. Columbkille Elementary
St. John Lutheran (Cleveland)
St. John School (Ashtabula)
St. Joseph-Randolph
St. Jude Elementary (Elyria)
St. Leo The Great (Cleveland)
St. Mary Elementary (Elyria)
St. Mary Immaculate (Avon)
St. Mary (Akron)
St. Mary (Berea)
St. Michael Archangel
St. Patrick Elementary (Kent)
St. Paul Lutheran (Westlake)
St. Peter Elementary (Lorain)
St. Peter (North Ridgeville)
St. Sebastian Elementary
St. Stanislaus Elementary
St. Thomas More Elementary
St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (two-hour delay)
STEAM Academy (Warrensville)
STEPS Academy
Stepstone Academy
Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools
Streetsboro City Schools
Strongsville City Schools
Sts. Joseph and John (Strongsville)
Summit Academy Elementary (Akron, Lorain)
Summit Academy (Akron Middle, Secondary)
Summit Academy-Akron Secondary
Summit Christian School
Tallmadge City Schools
The Golden Key School
The Lippman School
Urban Vision (Akron)
Wadsworth City Schools
Warrensville Heights City Schools
Washington Park Community School
Windfall School
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