New Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard has a mentor.
None of than ‘Big Ben’ Roethlisberger is mentoring Howard. Howard appeared on Roethlisberger’s ‘Footbahlin’ podcast, but beyond that, Roethlisberger has taken an active role in teaching Howard the ropes.
“He’s been good. He’s been super supportive throughout the whole process,” Howard said on Up and Adams.
Beyond that, Howard wants to be the next franchise quarterback for the Steelers, and he grew up watching Roethlisberger as the face of the Steelers. His toughness always stood out to Howard, which something he hopes to embody when he takes the field.
“They need a gritty guy,” Howard said on Up and Adams. “Growing up, for me, watching the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was Big Ben. He was that guy. He was Pittsburgh. He was the Steel City, blue-collar, gritty guy. I want to be that, too. I want to bring the guy. I want to bring that edge, that energy, and I think I did a pretty good job at it at Ohio State. I like to pride myself on that and try to bring it to the Steel City.”
Howard transferred into Columbus from Kansas State, where he was a multiple-year starter. During his season, the Buckeyes were an up-and-down offense, but became an elite unit once Howard’s play took a significant leap in the College Football Playoff.
This season, Howard threw for 4010 passing yards, a career-high. With that, he posted a 73 percent completion percentage, another career-high mark. Howard had 35 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
Howard is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the entire class, having started 50 games since 2020, with four years at Kansas State. The Steelers now have three quarterbacks on their roster, as Howard joins Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson.