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Seven months before Will Howard and Riley Leonard were to meet on the biggest stage in college football, they crossed paths in southern Louisiana.
The quarterbacks attended the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State and roomed together for several days in June, along with Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and Wisconsin’s Tyler Van Dyke.
“We probably wouldn’t have imagined that months later here we are playing for the national championship for two new schools,” Howard said, “but it is pretty cool.”
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) throws a pass during the first half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025.
In a camp hosted by arguably the most famous family in football, Howard and Leonard formed a bond that sits at the backdrop of Monday night’s title game between Ohio State and Notre Dame in Atlanta.
“It’s really cool to have those late-night conversations with him just about life and whatever,” Leonard said.
Both were instrumental as transfers leading their teams to the finals of the College Football Playoff.
Howard, who left Kansas State for Ohio State, has been a precise distributor to the Buckeyes’ wide cast of playmakers, throwing for six touchdowns during their postseason run. Leonard, who went from Duke to Notre Dame, has provided the Irish with mobility, rushing for nearly 900 yards this season.
More: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy
When they met with reporters earlier this week, each quarterback commended their counterpart.
“He’s a person I respect a lot,” Leonard said, “and obviously I always try to root for other quarterbacks in college, especially after I meet them at that camp, because you realize we’re all just…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/quarterbacks-howard-riley-leonard-were-110539652.html
Author : The Columbus Dispatch
Publish date : 2025-01-18 11:05:00
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