FILE - Kansas State quarterback Will Howard looks to pass during the second half of the team’s NCAA college football game against Baylor on Nov. 11, 2023, in Manhattan, Kan. Howard announced his intention to transfer to Ohio State on Thursday night, Jan. 4, giving the Buckeyes a replacement for Kyle McCord after his own decision to transfer to Syracuse. Howard made the announcement on his social media channels. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard announced his intention to transfer to Ohio State on Thursday night, giving the Buckeyes a replacement for Kyle McCord after his own decision to transfer to Syracuse.
Howard made the announcement on his social media channels.
Howard has one season of eligibility remaining after he went 12-5 as a starter for the Wildcats, leading them past TCU in the 2022 Big 12 title game and helping them reach the Pop-Tarts Bowl this past season. But with Kansas State expected to turn over its offense to five-star prospect Avery Johnson, who led the Wildcats to a victory in the bowl game, Howard announced he was entering the transfer portal and considered Miami and Southern California before settling on Ohio State.
He also considered declaring for the NFL draft before deciding to spend a year with the Buckeyes.
Howard has prototypical NFL size at 6-foot-5, 240-plus pounds, and along with a strong arm the ability to run. He also gives Ohio State some experience, having started 27 games and thrown for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns during his career.
The Buckeyes missed out on the College Football Playoff following their regular-season loss to Michigan, landing them in the Cotton Bowl. McCord’s decision to transfer forced them to start Devin Brown against Missouri, and he left in the second quarter with a sprained ankle, forcing Lincoln Kienholz to play the rest of the way in a 14-3 loss.
Johnson threw for 178 yards and two scores, ran for 71 yards and another TD and was voted the MVP of the Pop-Tarts Bowl for helping the Wildcats to a 28-19 victory over North Carolina State.
