Nick Saban makes something clear about Will Howard, Riley Leonard ahead of National Championship Game

The NCAAF season is finally reaching its final chapter. The National Championship Game will pit two great rivals against each other, featuring two outstanding quarterbacks. On one side, Will Howard and his Buckeyes, and on the other, Riley Leonard‘s Fighting Irish. Nick Saban, an authoritative voice on the subject, made his opinion clear about these two elite players.

In a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban highlighted the strengths of both Howard and Leonard, subtly suggesting that Ohio State’s QB holds a slight edge over his counterpart.

“Will Howard has done a good job of taking what the defense gives,” Saban started. “They got a lot of weapons now. They got two really good runners, they got three really good receivers, they got a good tight end, so he just got to give the take what the defense gives, and they’re going to be able to do a good job.”

For his part, the head coach made it clear that the offensive strategy employed by Notre Dame throughout the season contrasts with that of Ryan Day’s team, but in games like this, any strategy is valid as long as it produces results.

Will Howard #18 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after beating the Texas Longhorns 28-14 to win the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium on January 10, 2025 in Arlington, Texas.

“I think Riley Leonard on the other hand, you know, it’s more about him being able to be a runner, having more diversity as a quarterback, which he’s done a really good job of,” Saban said. “He’s really good athlete, he’s a great competitor, and his throwing has gotten better, especially the short throws, where they can keep, you know, the sticks moving. They haven’t made a lot of explosive plays, but that’s okay if you’re playing keep away.”

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NCAAF News: Riley Leonard highlights the key reason why he chose to join Notre Dame

Chip Kelly praises Will Howard’s leadership

Chip Kelly, one of Ryan Day’s assistants at Ohio State, works closely with talented quarterback Will Howard. One of the aspects that the offensive coordinator highlighted is the leadership role he took on after his teammate, Seth McLaughlin, went down with an injury.

“One of the things, Will is conscience of what’s going on. He’s very aware. Not only did we lose a great player in Seth, we lost a great leader in Seth,” Kelly said to the press. “So, there was a little bit of a vacuum, from a leadership standpoint. Will did a great job, between Will and Donnie [Donovan Jackson]. Those are the two leaders, and those other guys up front, bringing those other guys along with them. So, that was evident to us, after Seth went down.

“Both Will and Donnie kind of stepping up and filling that void with losing Seth, because Seth was such a great leader for that group up front,” he finally concluded.