Donald Trump, who speaks highly of Patrick Mahomes, feels Will Howard will be the next great NFL quarterback
During the Ohio State Buckeyes' visit to the White House, President Donald Trump praised quarterback Will Howard, declaring that he will be rich someday.

Donald Trump and Will Howard at White House (Image via IMAGO/X)
Will Howard won the College Football Championship in his first and only season with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Howard, along with his other Buckeyes team members of the 2024 winning roster, visited the White House and met President Donald Trump.
Howard, along with the 2024 College Football Championship-winning team, visited the White House on Monday, April 14. They met with Trump and Ohio State alumnus and Vice President JD Vance, along with several other dignitaries, including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel.
Trump was in a chirpy mood and dished out jokes at every opportunity. Will Howard was standing right behind when the 78-year-old called out the departing Buckeyes quarterback’s name.
Trump turned out and chatted with Howard briefly (inaudible as he was moved away from the microphone) before saying that the 23-year-old Pennsylvania native is going to be a rich man someday.
LOL: Donald Trump continues to be the most hilarious President of all time as he cracks jokes with the 2024 College Football Champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes. 🏟️ 🌰
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 14, 2025
A thread. 🧵🪡
1. Donald Trump on quarterback Will Howard: "Ohh he's gonna be so rich." pic.twitter.com/jjAyx8Wjxx
Trump fumbles a key piece of information about Will Howard
It has become an annual tradition for champions of various sports to visit the White House. While some went without a hitch, Ohio State’s visit will be talked about for a long time.

The top of the list has to be VP JD Vance accidentally breaking the CFP trophy in half. Although he gave a cheeky response to the incident. Vance joked that he didn’t want any other team to get the trophy, so he broke it.
Vance wasn’t the only one to fumble on the day. Even Donald Trump had a slip that more or less went unnoticed. Trump, while introducing Will Howard, said he was the Tennessee quarterback instead of Ohio State’s.
In the first playoff game… Tennessee quarterback Will Howard scorched the Volunteer defense. I watched that game [and] I said, ‘that guy is good’.
Donald Trump said before rattling off Howard’s stats from the game
A Tennessee quarterback has been in the news, but it’s not Howard. Trump confused the Buckeyes quarterback with Nico Iamaleava. Lamaleava became the talk of the town after quitting the Volunteers. He reportedly wanted a better NIL deal, but the program was against paying him. Howard is not even remotely connected with the incident.
Will Howard wanted to prove his worth by winning the CFP Trophy
Howard wasn’t considered a top quarterback prospect coming out of high school. He didn’t receive offers from top colleges like his predecessors, CJ Stroud and Justin Fields. Howard believes he has been overlooked his entire career.
I didn’t have an offer from Pitt [Pittsburgh], I didn’t have an offer from Syracuse [Orange]… [or] from Boston College, Penn State, Duke, or Carolina. None of those schools offered me. I was trying for years. And [that’s when] I went to Kanas State and said ‘I want to prove those people wrong. I hope Penn State looks back and says ‘damn, we missed out on Will Howard’.
Will Howard said via Sports Illustrated
"I'm going to make it my mission to make sure they regret not picking me."@whoward_ makes his Draft pitch. 🗣️
— NFL (@NFL) April 14, 2025
New #HeyRookie tonight 7:30pm ET on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/TPR7ak0OJE
Howard committed to Kansas State and spent four seasons with the Wildcats. He became the school’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns. Howard threw for 5,786 yards, 48 touchdowns, and 25 picks on 58.8% completion along with 921 yards and 19 touchdowns before entering the transfer portal in 2024.
The Buckeyes signed Howard after Kyle McCord transferred to Syracuse. Howard started 16 games for the Buckeyes, winning on 14 occasions. He completed 73% of his throws for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, along with 226 yards on the ground and 7 rushing touchdowns.
Howard is considered to be a sleeper pick by many scouts. According to nfl.com’s Chad Reuter, New Orleans might draft Will Howard in the fourth round (112th pick).
Related: 3 reasons why the 2025 NFL season will be ‘make or break’ for Joe Burrow