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Ohio State’s Will Howard seemingly wills Steelers into drafting him

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11 months ago

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Ohio State’s Will Howard seemingly wills Steelers into drafting him


Will Howard fell a bit further than some might have expected in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the former Ohio State quarterback might have manifested his landing spot before the Pittsburgh Steelers took him in the sixth round.

In a clip shared by the NFL previewing the next episode of “Hey Rookie: Welcome to the NFL,” Howard pleaded for the Steelers to select him as he watched the final rounds of the draft with family and friends.

“Please pick me, please,” Howard said in the clip. “Please pick me, Pittsburgh.”

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The next shot of the edited clip shows Howard getting a phone call from the Steelers, informing him that Pittsburgh is drafting him with the 185th overall pick.

“Are you ready to be a Steeler?” an unidentified member of the Steelers’ organization asked Howard.

“F—–g right, man,” Howard said with a grin as he slapped the tabletop next to him in excitement. “Let’s go!”

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin eventually took the phone to chat with Howard. 

“I’m doing great, coach,” Howard replied when Tomlin asked how he was doing. “How are you?”

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“Hey, man. Congratulations, man, to you,” Tomlin told Howard. “You deserve it, man. To your family, you guys enjoy it today.”

Howard, who grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, told Tomlin that his family was set to change their NFL allegiance. 

“All Eagles fans, but now they’re gonna be some damn Steelers fans in this world,” Howard said with a laugh while his family applauded around him.

When the pick was officially announced on the broadcast of the draft, Howard got emotional. He teared up as he hugged his mother, Maureen. A few moments later, he and the rest of his family ran to the backyard and jumped into their pool in excitement.

As Howard’s football career brings him back to Pennsylvania, he had moved closer to home this past college football season. He transferred from Kansas State to Ohio State ahead of the 2024 season, a move that paid major dividends. He led Ohio State to a national championship, standing out in all four of its College Football Playoff wins. He threw for 1,150 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions in the postseason, finishing the year with 4,010 passing yards, 42 total touchdowns and 10 interceptions. 

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Prior to joining Ohio State, Howard started 27 games at Kansas State. He was named second-team All-Big 12 in 2023 before being named third-team All-Big Ten in 2024 and eventually won Offensive MVP of the national championship game this past season.

FOX Sports NFL Draft expert Rob Rang ranked Howard as his No. 101 top prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, giving the Steelers a “B” grade for their draft haul as he liked Pittsburgh’s selection of the former Ohio State quarterback. Howard figures to be a part of the Steelers’ quarterback room this upcoming season as Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson (who Howard backed up at Kansas State) are the only other quarterbacks on Pittsburgh’s roster as of Tuesday. The Steelers have still been strongly linked to free agent Aaron Rodgers.

Howard will also reunite with former Ohio State Jack Sawyer in Pittsburgh. The Steelers took Sawyer in the fifth round of the draft.

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Ohio BCI breaks ground on new evidence collection building in London, Ohio

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6 hours ago

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March 25, 2026

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Ohio BCI breaks ground on new evidence collection building in London, Ohio


LONDON, Ohio (WSYX) — Officials broke ground on a new evidence collection building for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation in London, a project aimed at strengthening the agency’s crime-scene and cold-case work.

The new facility will replace BCI’s current evidence collection building, which is 800 square feet. Attorney General Dave Yost said the new building is needed to better track evidence and bring justice to victims as DNA technology evolves.

“But this story illustrates why it’s so important to have enough space to be able to hold the materials for these cases, to be able to store them properly, to maintain their integrity, so that when the science does catch up, we’re able to process a rape or a murder case and find the person who did it. There’s nothing that keeps me up at night more than thinking about unsolved cases,” Yost said.

The project is expected to take one year.

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BCI also unveiled a new gun range at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy in London, intended to boost officers’ training.



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More than half of Ohio Immigrant Hotline reports came from Columbus area

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18 hours ago

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March 25, 2026

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More than half of Ohio Immigrant Hotline reports came from Columbus area


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  • A statewide hotline for immigrants in Ohio has seen nearly half its calls come from the Columbus area.
  • Calls to the Ohio Immigrant Hotline surged after increased ICE activity in Columbus in December 2025.
  • The hotline connects callers with legal aid, provides financial support, and helps resolve civil rights issues.
  • More than 500 incidents were reported to the hotline between January 2025 and February 2026.

Nearly half of the more than 500 incidents reported to the Ohio Immigrant Hotline in the past year were from Columbus-area callers.

The hotline, which is run by advocacy group Ohio Immigrant Alliance, serves loved ones of immigrants; immigrants (including those in detention) who need help; ordinary and concerned Ohioans; and professionals who are seeking guidance on how to deal with ICE enforcement actions against their staff, clients, customers and community.

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The hotline launched in January 2025, when President Donald Trump took office for his second term, promising increased immigration enforcement. It catalogued 548 incidents between its start and February 2026, according to a report released March 25 titled “Connecting Ohio: The Ohio Immigrant Hotline’s First Year in Action.”

The goal is to provide immediate help and to use data to advocate for systemic change, according to the report.

Of the 548 incidents, 229 happened in an 11-county region of central Ohio. A 21-county region in northeast Ohio had the second-most at 123.

After a wave of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests and activity in December in Columbus, dubbed “Operation Buckeye” by ICE, hotline calls surged and haven’t let up, said Lynn Tramonte, executive director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance.

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Hotline staffers who speak English, Spanish, French and other languages handled 94 incidents in December.

Before that, the hotline’s busiest month was October, with 40 incidents.

‘Operation Buckeye’: Advocates, attorneys say ICE activity escalated in December in Columbus

Last year, the hotline averaged 39 incidents a month, the report said, but this year that has ballooned to 96 monthly. Most of the incidents were reported via email, with the most common reports discussing ICE and Border Patrol activity within the state.

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Who called the Ohio Immigrant Hotline?

The Ohio Immigrant Alliance often gets requests for help from individuals, but the hotline allowed it to be able to report and track its work, according to the report.

Though some people thought the hotline was ICE’s tip line and reported immigrants’ presence and a few harassing or prank calls, the majority wanted to help immigrants, according to the report.

“It’s heartening,” the report reads, about those wishing to help. “The spirit of solidarity and community in Ohio is real.”

The hotline manager, who the Alliance did not name because of threats to their safety, has often engaged with people in distress, including those who cannot find a loved one they suspect may have been arrested and detained by ICE. There were 73 reports of arrests by ICE or Customs and Border Patrol agents.

ICE at jails: How Franklin County jails cooperate with immigration enforcement

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The hotline gathers details about those individuals and connects callers with resources to help.

Other callers have included attorneys or friends of detainees calling because medication or other needs are being denied to someone in detention.

What has the hotline accomplished?

The hotline helped people find immigration attorneys; deposited thousands of dollars in immigration detention commissary and phone accounts for 50 people; helped families raise money for attorneys, filing fees, medical needs, and support after deportation; and connected callers to volunteer, donation, and advocacy opportunities.

The hotline also helped defend civil rights and the quality of life for detained immigrants. After reports from immigrants in detention detailed violations of Ramadan meal services, the Ohio Immigrant Hotline notified the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. The ACLU Ohio resolved the issue with leadership at the jail, which was not identified in the report.

The Ohio Immigrant Alliance is also part of a lawsuit due to one report that came in through the hotline.

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People can report incidents about ICE arrests and raids to the Ohio Immigrant Hotline, at 419-777-HELP or 4357 or hotline@ohioimmigrant.org. Resources for immigrants and advocates can be found at OhioIsHome.org.

Underserved Communities Reporter Danae King can be reached at dking@dispatch.com or on X at @DanaeKing.



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How mutual connections led Arthur Smith to Ohio State football

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1 day ago

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March 24, 2026

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How mutual connections led Arthur Smith to Ohio State football


Arthur Smith had only limited familiarity with Ryan Day before being hired as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator over the winter.

He had spent the past decade in the NFL. Their interactions were largely confined to the school’s annual pro day when Smith and other coaches and front office personnel from the league descended upon the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to scout prospects for the draft.

“I didn’t know him really well personally,” Smith said.

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But Smith’s recent years offered a unique window into Day and his program, deepening a level of respect he held from afar. During his two seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator, he coached Justin Fields and Will Howard, two former starting quarterbacks for Day at Ohio State.

The mutual connections extended to previous stops. When Smith was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, they drafted defensive end Zach Harrison and traded for cornerback Jeff Okudah in 2023. Both played for Day as well.  

“I’ve had such a good experience with some of the players that have come through,” Smith said, “so I was intrigued.”

Smith had not coached in college since 2010, when he was an administrative assistant and intern at Mississippi, and spent little time in recent years considering a return.

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But Mike Tomlin’s sudden resignation as the Steelers coach in January left Smith exploring his options.

“We had just been in the playoffs,” Smith said. “It kind of hits you fast in these cycles.”

It allowed him time to give the opportunity at Ohio State a closer look.

“I weighed my options and talked to a lot of people,” Smith said. “It just made sense.”

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His list also included Mike Vrabel, the former All-America defensive end for the Buckeyes in the 1990s who also vouched for Day. Smith was on Vrabel’s staffs with the Tennessee Titans from 2018-20, including two seasons as their offensive coordinator.  

“He knows Ryan really well,” Smith said, “and gave me the whole picture. I know from afar, because I love the history of this game, and understand how important this place is in football.”

The hiring of Smith marked another offseason in which Day found a coordinator steeped with NFL experience.

It was last year when Day brought in Matt Patricia, a former Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator with the New England Patriots and head coach of the Detroit Lions, and branded him as the head coach of the defense.

Smith arrives with a similar stature on the other side of the ball, enabling Day to continue delegating play-calling for the offense, a role he once held following his promotion from offensive coordinator to head coach in 2019.

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“Arthur seemed like the right fit,” Day said.

His background is part of that, adding another coordinator with head-coaching experience in the NFL to the staff.

“You understand what happens in that office and comes across his desk,” Smith said. “You’re a little more empathetic, and you try to your job really well, so you can take that stress off and he doesn’t have to worry about the unit responsibility he gives you.

“It’s a big part of your job, because there’s a lot that goes into that job besides just coaching on the field.”

In his two months with the Buckeyes, Smith has taken to the program, seeing the immense pressure surrounding Ohio State as similar to his time in the NFL.

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“You don’t go to Ohio State if you don’t welcome those expectations,” Smith said. “It’s the same thing in the NFL. You have an expectation to win every Sunday, and you love that challenge as a competitor. It kind of gets you going as a coach.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.



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