Will Howard just led Ohio State to the national championship, and his girlfriend had his back throughout the team’s College Football Playoff run.
Howard, who transferred in from Kansas State, was everything Ohio State hoped he would be this season. The Downingtown, Pennsylvania native set career-highs in every major passing category, completing 73.1% of his passes for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also rushed for 226 yards and seven touchdowns.
In the 34-23 win over Notre Dame on Monday, Howard set a record for most consecutive completions in a College Football Playoff title game, finishing 17-of-21 passing for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He added 57 yards on the ground and sealed the game with a clutch 56-yard completion to freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
In the stands cheering Howard on were his family as well as his girlfriend Skyler Skoglund. Skoglund went viral in the crowd at the Rose and Cotton Bowls prior to Monday, though she was mistakenly identified as another woman Howard had previously dated.
According to her Instagram page, Skoglund graduated from Miami University in Ohio in 2023. Back on Sept. 1, she posted photos from Ohio State’s season opener, which she appeared to spend alongside the family and girlfriend of Buckeyes offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin.
In another post from early December, she “launched” her relationship with Howard, sharing a picture of the star quarterback sitting on the couch with his dog. It’s in the third slide right here.
On Jan. 4, she commemorated Ohio State’s Rose Bowl win with a series of pictures from Pasadena, including one with OSU defensive tackle Ty Hamilton’s girlfriend and others with Howard and his family.
Skoglund and the Howards got plenty of camera time on ESPN during the game, with the young blonde sporting a red t-shirt with the quarterback’s No. 18 on it.
ESPN.
Skoglund went viral in the crowd once again at the CFP National Championship on Monday as Ohio State won its first national title in a decade.
Thanks to some intrepid research from Madeline Hill and Charlotte Wilder at the “Sports Gossip Show,” she was correctly identified this week after being confused for Howard’s ex for some time.
Well done on their part.
The next step for Howard is the NFL. He still has the entire draft process to go through, but got a ringing endorsement from his star freshman wideout on Monday.
“In my eyes, he’s a first-round draft pick,” Jeremiah Smith said after the game. “Will is just a great leader, on and off the field.”
Whatever happens, Skoglund will be there helping support the signal caller.
Related: Will Howard’s Girlfriend Grabbed Everyone’s Attention During National Title Game