LOS ANGELES – Oregon and Ohio State are two of the most daunting teams left in the College Football Playoff in no small part because they've both got starting quarterbacks who had already seen — and beaten — just about everything they're ever going to face at this level of the sport before they joined their new teams for one last college try.
They’re both in their first year at their respective schools, but not much else is new about these quarterbacks facing off in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.
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The Ducks' Dillon Gabriel is in his sixth season with his third top program, starting a record 62 games along the way. The Buckeyes' Will Howard is in his fifth year at his second school. Combined, they've thrown 3,192 collegiate passes for 230 touchdowns even before they meet in the Oregon-Ohio State rematch that doubles as the most anticipated of the four CFP quarterfinals.
Gabriel turned 24 years old last weekend, while Howard is still a fresh-faced 23. They've both got teammates who could have been watching them play since middle school, yet neither was among the top four oldest starting quarterbacks in the FBS this season.
Gabriel, the former UCF and Oklahoma starter, is a big proponent of what has become the new normal, when quality players can make solid NIL money while playing elite college football through their full eligibility — and even becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist like Gabriel — instead of filling out an NFL depth chart, particularly if their draft prospects aren't yet stellar.
“It’s going to happen more and more, and the older the player you are, I think at a certain point you’ve got to ask yourself, if you’ve got the biggest interview of your life, and someone said, ‘Hey, you can have six years to study, or three years,’ I think anyone would say six, and being able to get as much experience and as much knowledge as you can,” Gabriel said.
Some football traditionalists and former players don’t like it, particularly when records fall because of the expanded opportunities and schedules of the modern game. Gabriel broke the FBS record for total touchdowns, surpassing the numbers put up by Houston’s Case Keenum — but Gabriel did it in his 59th career start over six seasons, while Keenum played in 57 games over five seasons to set the mark in 2011.
“It’s just different, the way people look at it,” Gabriel said Monday. “I think a lot of people are just mad that they weren’t able to play to a certain age. I think anytime there’s more people playing football, there’s better individuals, there’s more disciplined individuals, there’s more loving, caring individuals that are being coached and mentored by people who are living the right way. Why wouldn’t you want more people playing football for longer?”
Howard is Ohio State’s first major contributor as a transfer quarterback since Justin Fields, who spent only one season at Georgia before moving to Columbus for two years. Howard spent four years at Kansas State, not winning the full-time starting job until last season, before choosing the Buckeyes over the NFL draft.
“This has been a little different for us,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “Typically the quarterbacks that come into Ohio State, we take a lot of pride in being able to develop them over their time while they’re here. ... In this situation, with Will coming in, we saw that he was a winner. We saw he was a leader. We saw what he did at Kansas State, the success he had, and we felt like this would be a really good match for him and for us. And I think Will has been great for Ohio State, but I also think Ohio State has been great for Will.”
Not everything is easier for veteran quarterbacks. Howard admits he had a rough spring in Columbus while forging a connection with his teammates and newly hired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
The Buckeyes persevered, Howard won the starting job anyway — and despite two heartbreaking regular-season losses, they’re in the CFP.
“It’s good to have experience to lean on at times, but the reality is I’m still in my first year with these guys, and they’re in their first year with me,” Howard said. “We had to learn about each other and grow as a team, and we’ve done that, but it takes time and hard work.”
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