Even as he's preparing to leave Ohio State and head to the NFL, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard just couldn't help but get one final jab in at OSU's archrival Michigan.
Howard made waves last month at the NFL combine in Indianapolis after what many believed was a poor showing in front of NFL scouts, coaches and general managers.
Many were critical of Howard's accuracy, or lack thereof, and some wondered if the national championship-winning QB, who most mock drafters predict will go somewhere in Rounds 3-5, had hurt his draft stock with Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart and Louisville's Tyler Shough both shooting up draft boards.
Howard, however, didn't think his performance was a terrible as it was made out to be on social media, and he offered up one Michigan-related theory as to why there was so much blowback following his showing at the combine.
"The combine, obviously, there were some things said about it afterwards, but I thought I did pretty well," Howard recently said at Ohio State's pro day. "I think, really, it was team up North's fans blowing it out of proportion. I missed two throws obviously, but other guys did too.
"It's definitely better being here in this building with my guys. You're more comfortable, but you always want to put yourself in uncomfortable situations. I wasn't mad about it. I thought I did well at the combine and I got good feedback from people except pretty much the media. It is what it is, it's part of it."
"I thought I did pretty well, I think it was like Team Up North fans blowing it out of proportion"
Loved this -
Will Howard said he got really good feedback from teams after the combine.
The narrative about him having a bad Combine was odd after he missed just a couple throws: pic.twitter.com/OfXLk9AqQS
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) March 27, 2025
Naturally, Michigan fans didn't take kindly to Howard's accusations, and some of them put him on blast in the comment section on X.
"Won a natty and we're still rent free," one fan wrote.
"The only team he played with an NFL-level D, he scored a total of 10 points," another added.
"You don't earn the right to call us ‘the team up north' if you lose at home as 22 point favorites….." a third chimed in.
"He's not even allowed to talk about Michigan," one user quipped.
"We really ruined this guy," another user remarked.
In his lone game against the Wolverines, Howard completed 19 of 33 passes for 175 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in a 13-10 loss in the final week of the regular season.
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This story was originally published March 30, 2025 at 9:53 AM.