By Erin Drumm
WASHINGTON – On the White House lawn, the United States Marine Corps Band played We Are the Champions and President Donald J. Trump welcomed Downingtown native Will Howard and the Ohio State football team to the White House on April 14 to celebrate its 2024 national championship title.
The Buckeyes are the first team to win a title with a 12-team College Football Playoff, winning four postseason games to earn the championship. Ohio State last won a national championship a decade ago, capturing the 2014 title and visiting President Obama at the White House.
Howard, a graduate student transfer from Kansas State who led the team as quarterback, attended Downingtown West High School. Howard started all 16 games for the Buckeyes in 2024 and set an Ohio State record by completing 71.4 percent of his passes, according to Ohio State Football. He has declared for the 2025 NFL draft.
Howard was singled out by Trump for his strong arm and accuracy.
Trump said he watched the Ohio State-Tennessee playoff game and after seeing Howard’s performance thought, “That guy is good!”
“We’ll be watching him for about 15 years, maybe longer,” Trump said.
The president noted that Howard set an all-time College Football Playoff record with 1,150 yards passing.
“He’s going to be so rich. To look like that and to play, that’s a good combination,” Trump joked after shaking hands with Howard, who will be at the NFL Draft on April 24.
Other Philadelphia notables also contributed to the team’s championship season.
The team includes Philadelphia native defensive back Keenan Nelson Jr., a St.Joseph’s Prep ‘22 graduate who played in the 2022 All-American Bowl.
Another St. Joseph’s Prep graduate, Jim Knowles ‘83, was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Buckeyes. Knowles, who also attended St. William School in Lawncrest, is returning to Pennsylvania to serve as the defensive coordinator for the Penn State football team in the upcoming season.
Former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly led the team as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the 2024-25 season. Kelly coached the Eagles from 2013-2015 and returned to his roots in college football as the UCLA head coach after his NFL runs with the Birds and the 49ers. Now, on the heels of his successful season with the Buckeyes, Kelly is returning to the NFL as offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders.
While staging a photo with the president, Vice President JD Vance dropped the trophy the team was awarded at the College Football Playoff national championship, but Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson saved the top of the trophy from a fall.
“I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it,” Vance, an Ohio State alum, joked in a post on X.
The Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles are scheduled to visit the White House on April 28. ••
