New Steelers quarterback Will Howard gets a hero’s welcome in Downingtown

Will Howard is having quite the year.

In January, Howard led the Ohio State Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff championship. He was the offensive MVP in the Buckeyes’ 34-23 win over Notre Dame. Just three months later, the Downingtown West graduate was on his way to the NFL after being selected in the sixth round by the cross-state Pittsburgh Steelers.

Downingtown Mayor Phil Dague declared July 9 as Will Howard Day on Wednesday. To recognize the occasion, over 100 residents, including Howard’s former teammates, coaches, and teachers, gathered at Downingtown Borough Hall to celebrate.

“It means so much to me that Mayor Phil and everybody here was willing to do something like this for me,” Howard said. “It still doesn’t feel real for me that I’m this highly looked-at person; I still feel like I’m a senior at Downingtown West.”

Said Dague: “Will has been a great ambassador of Downingtown, and I felt he should be honored. We’re all going to be living vicariously through Will.”

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Howard played football at Downingtown West from 2016 to 2019 and took over the starting job his sophomore year. His start on opening night in 2017 marked the first time a sophomore started at quarterback for Downingtown West since 2010.

The now-Steelers quarterback led the Whippets to a 5-2 record in the seven games he started in 2018 but suffered an arm injury that ended his season prematurely. During his senior year, Howard led Downingtown West to its first 13-win season since 1996. His 39 total touchdowns also marked the most in a season for a Downingtown West quarterback since at least 2004.

Howard weighed interest from several Division I schools before committing to Kansas State. He played four of his five collegiate seasons there, but his fifth season, at Ohio State, was his most productive.

After transferring in 2024, Howard led the Big Ten in completion percentage (73%), passing yards (4,010), and touchdowns (35), and guided the Buckeyes to their ninth national championship during his lone season in Columbus, Ohio.

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The title helped propel Howard onto NFL draft boards, and he was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with Pick No. 185. Howard will learn from Aaron Rodgers, a 10-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion, who signed with the Steelers in June.

“I could not have been more impressed with [Rodgers] and the way he operates and conducts himself,” Howard said. “He was super excited to be a part of the Steelers organization and is super willing to help a guy like me.”

The event focused on Howard’s lasting impact on Downingtown, not just his future in the NFL. Among the evening’s speakers was Howard’s high school football coach, Mike Milano, who led the Whippets for 21 years and retired after the 2023 season.

“Will’s a great kid,” Milano said. “It’s been fun to watch him grow and mature. To see someone you know who’s had a chance and done it, it’s got to be inspiring.”

Jackson Reger, 11, said he came to Wednesday’s event because “Will Howard is my favorite player, and because he’s from Downingtown.” Reger’s mother added that her son is a diehard Steelers fan and that “he almost lost his mind” when Howard got drafted by Pittsburgh.

» READ MORE: Will Howard is playing for a national title as his football journey comes full circle

Reger, along with many other youngsters, got to meet Howard, who stayed nearly an hour and a half after the ceremony to sign autographs, take pictures, and chat one-on-one with guests.

On July 16, Howard will attend the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, where he and his Ohio State teammates have been nominated for Team of the Year.