It’s easy to overlook the doubt and turmoil the Ohio State Buckeyes faced when they matched up against the Tennessee Volunteers before their first round College Football Playoff. However, after securing a national championship, quarterback Will Howard can only laugh at Tennessee’s attempts at intimidation. Coming off their fourth consecutive loss to Michigan, Ryan Day found himself firmly on the hot seat as the Volunteers from the big, bad SEC came north. Many believed the Buckeyes could be one and done, even with home-field advantage, especially with Volunteers fans clamoring to take over the Horseshoe and turn it into “Neyland North.” This bravado intensified when Tennessee players took the field for warm-ups in the frigid conditions, shirtless.
Shirtless Tennessee players during warm-ups in the 25-degree Columbus weather.
“He looks luuuubed up now.”
(via @SECNetwork) #CFP pic.twitter.com/7A7usEDJ4i
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 22, 2024
As fate would have it, that was the high point of Tennessee’s playoff run. The Buckeyes blitzed the Vols 21-0 in the first quarter and ultimately secured a 42-17 victory, marking the beginning of an unprecedented four-game run to a national championship in the newly expanded 12-team playoff. Now focused on preparing for the NFL Draft, Will Howard was the first guest with Jon Gruden for his revamped QB Class at Barstool Sports. When Gruden brought up the shirtless stunt by the Vols, Howard didn’t hold back his true feelings.
Cracking up at Will Howard talking about Tennessee coming out shirtless
“What the f— are these clowns doing, man?” pic.twitter.com/Ia0feh6TRK
— Stefan Krajisnik (@skrajisnik3) April 8, 2025
Gruden commented, “It’s a cold night in Columbus. And you see these guys come roaring out of here, the SEC, Tennessee Vols without their shirts? It seemed like they were trying to intimidate you guys.” In response, Howard remarked, “The funny thing is they came out with their shirts off and ran over to the opposite end zone, then immediately put them back on. I was like, ‘What the f— are these clowns doing, man? At that moment I knew we had them.” If only Ohio State fans had known how much confidence the players exuded at that moment. Will Howard transformed from a “hired gun” to a Buckeyes legend during the course of the playoff, and if Pat McAfee has his way, he may well become a Hall of Famer in the NFL too.
