Entering this season, the earliest Ryan Day had ever declared a starting quarterback was Aug. 19. That happened in 2019 when he named Justin Fields the starter, according to On3’s Andy Backstrom. That changed on Thursday. Day announced Will Howard beat out Devin Brown for the job, meaning the competition ended with two weeks to go before the season opener against Akron. According to Chip Kelly, Howard looks much better than he did during spring ball. That was a big reason he won the job and will enter the year as QB1. “I think Will’s earned it,” Kelly said. “We grade everything. Obviously, he …