Ohio State quarterback Will Howard capped off a remarkable season on Monday night, leading his team to a national championship in dramatic fashion against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
After spending four seasons at Kansas State, Howard transferred to Ohio State with the clear goal of competing for a national title. Through all the highs and lows of the season, he achieved just that in Columbus.
Following the victory, he appeared on the “Today Show” Tuesday morning, where he discussed the golf-cart incident after the game, the feeling of winning a national championship, and—most notably—how important his family is to him and the joy of getting to celebrate with them.
"Obviously, I appreciate you guys shouting out my mom—she’s a big fan of the 'Today Show,' so what's up, Mom? I know she’s watching right now." Howard said. "You know, my family, my parents, and my three siblings, Ryan, Tori, and Grace, they mean the world to me. We're so close. We've been that way our whole lives, and our parents have always drilled into us that we're all we have, and all we need. I just love them so much, and I’m so thankful we got to share that moment last night. It was unbelievable."
Will Howard had an incredible season and postseason, leading the Buckeyes on a remarkable run with four straight wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame.
He played exceptionally well in each game, capping off the season with a standout performance against the Fighting Irish. Howard completed 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing 16 times for 57 yards, and was rewarded the Offensive MVP of the game.
Throughout the postseason, he totaled 1,150 passing yards, eight touchdowns, just two interceptions, and rushed for 95 yards. On the season, Howard set career highs in completion percentage (73.0%), passing yards (4,010), and touchdown passes (35).
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In 2024, Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis was suddenly given the keys to the offense under center after Jordan Love suffered an injury in Week 1’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. Despite limited time with the Packers in the offseason, Willis managed to be a steady presence on the field, with Green Bay tailoring the offense for him. With Love reportedly undergoing a procedure on his left thumb, Willis filled in as the Packers’ QB1 during Thursday’s joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts. Willis appeared to make a good account of himself on the field, with Packers running back Josh Jacobs taking notice of the quarterback’s performance. “We know what Malik is and what we have in Malik,” Jacobs said, per Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers’ website. Jacobs also shared his confidence in Willis’ NFL outlook. “He made a few throws today that was kinda like, ‘Wow.’ Just him being more comfortable and him being the leader, I think he’s naturally a guy that he puts in the work, so I think he’s going to succeed.” Will Jordan Love be ready for the Green Bay Packers’ 2025 NFL season opener? The Packers are less than a month away from kicking off their 2025 campaign, with a date with the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field scheduled for September 7. Green Bay, however, doesn’t seem all that worried about Love’s availability for that contest. “We’ll get him back in plenty of time,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said (h/t Rob Demovsky of ESPN). “I don’t foresee this affecting him long term at all.” As for the upcoming preseason clash with the Colts and the one after that versus the Seattle Seahawks, Love can be expected to sit out both contests, with Willis possibly getting some snaps.
Dolly Parton has urged Kelly Clarkson to "remember the very best" of her time with Brandon Blackstock. The 79-year-old music icon has offered some advice to her friends Kelly and Reba McEntire following the death of Blackstock - who was Kelly's ex-husband and Reba's stepson - and touched on her own experiences with grief after her husband Carl Thomas Dean died earlier this year aged 82. She told Entertainment Tonight: "I think you just have to be grateful for the years that you’ve had with someone. “And you just try to remember the very best of all that. And take their energy that they had given you then and kinda just recycle that and let that become a part of you. "Just honour their memory." Blackstock - a former music manager turned full-time rancher - died aged 48 from melanoma on 7 August. His 18-year-old son Seth Blackstock - who he had with first wife Melissa Ashworth Wells - recently took to Instagram to share his devastation at the passing of his beloved father and "best friend". He wrote on Instagram over the weekend: “I lost my hero yesterday, words can’t describe how proud of you I am on raising me and your 3 other kids. “You were a father, a son, a brother, and most importantly my best friend. “You’ll have to watch me grow up from a Birds Eye view now but that’s OK with me. There’s no one else on this earth that I would want to be my dad because no one can be half the man you were to me. “I’ll see you everyday when the sun rises and falls. I can confidently say all the deer and elk took a sigh of relief when the best hunter I’ve ever known laid his rifle down for the last time.” He concluded: “I love you so much and can’t wait to throw a line in the water with you again. Love you dad. Be good or good at it -love your son Seth." Kelly, 43, is yet to address his death publicly. She and Blackstock were married for seven years before divorcing in 2022, and despite their split, Kelly prioritised his relationship with their two children, River Rose, 11, and Remington, nine, rearranging her schedule to allow them frequent visits during his illness. A source has now told UsWeekly about how she is dealing wit the fallout from his death from cancer: “It has been draining, exhausting, emotional (and) devastating. “(But) her children have always come first. “A big part of (her care for Brandon) was making her schedule available for transporting the children to visit Brandon.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers played their first preseason game of 2025 on Saturday, and the organization was able to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 31-25. The offense looked surprisingly good in the game, although it was mostly backups playing in the contest outside of the offensive line. The passing game was efficient, and both Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson looked good in the game. Logan Woodside came in at the end, but he didn't attempt a pass. The offensive player of the night was certainly Thompson, who was the fourth quarterback on the depth chart before Will Howard got hurt. Thompson is certainly on the outside looking in when it comes to the final roster, but his impressive performance during the first week of the preseason likely caught the eyes of some other teams around the NFL. Ben Roethlisberger spoke about the game on the most recent episode of Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger, and he shared that he thinks the quarterback could end up elsewhere. "I don't think the Steelers are going to keep four quarterbacks," Roethlisberger said. "Let's be honest. I think he is playing himself into like a really legit chance for a backup job somewhere on a team. Which is what you want." Thompson is going to need to continue to stack good performances in the preseason, and if he does, the Steelers may have the chance to trade him before cutting down to the final roster at the end of August. It is known that the top two quarterbacks on the roster are Aaron Rodgers and Rudolph, with Howard being right behind them. Thompson will likely end up elsewhere, it just depends on how that comes about. Other teams across the league probably know that the Steelers do not have the intention to keep Thompson around for the regular season, and that could make navigating a potential trade difficult. However, if there are multiple teams that are going to be interested in Thompson's services, one might be willing to trade a Day 3 draft pick in order to get him. The Steelers would not get much in any deal surrounding Thompson, but an additional sixth or seventh round pick for the 2026 NFL Draft would not hurt. No organization would trade for Thompson based off just one good preseason performance, especially with how the rest of the quarterback's career has gone when he was with the Miami Dolphins. He has struggled when he has been asked to start in games, but maybe he has turned over a new leaf that might make him valuable as the top backup for another organization. Another strong performance or two should definitely put him on the radar of quarterback-needy teams. Steelers' Skylar Thompson Could Have A Few Potential Destinations When looking around the league and trying to figure out what teams might be interested in bringing in Thompson, it is hard to ignore a team like the New Orleans Saints. The entire quarterback room in New Orleans has limited experience with Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener barely ever seeing the field. Rookie Tyler Shough is an interesting prospect, but there is no telling how he will play. The Saints may want to consider Thompson, at the very least to bring in someone who has legitimate playing experience. Another team to consider would be Thompson's former team, the Dolphins. Tua Tagovailoa has struggled with injuries, and neither Zach Wilson or Quinn Ewers looked great in the team's first preseason game. A reunion could be in play as Thompson has a handle on the offensive system and has a decent amount of game experience playing in Miami. Another option is the New York Jets, as Tyrod Taylor is going through an injury and the rest of the room has a lot of question marks.
It has been roughly six months since the Los Angeles Lakers made one of the most stunning blockbuster trades in NBA history, and LeBron James and Anthony Davis appear to still be missing one another. Davis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in February as part of the deal that sent Luka Doncic to L.A. The 10-time All-Star has since spoken about how he remains close with LeBron, and some strange social media activity on Tuesday seemed to illustrate that. LeBron and Davis both shared the exact same cryptic quote on their Instagram stories on Tuesday. They each posted the quote at around the same time of the day, too. The quote said, “Becoming the best version of yourself comes with a lot of goodbyes.” Fans were left a bit confused. The move looked like one a high school couple might pull after a breakup, but a lot of time has passed since Davis was traded. Some people speculated that LeBron might be sending some sort of message to the Lakers, as there have been rumblings that the 40-year-old is unhappy with his current situation. James and Davis were teammates on the Lakers for five-plus seasons and won an NBA title together. One report claimed LeBron had grown frustrated with Davis prior to the trade, and James had a very enthusiastic response to that. For whatever reason, the two pals felt the need to share the same cryptic quote.