When Will Howard left the Kansas State football team after the 2023 regular season, he had a decision to make.
He could either enter the NFL Draft and embark on a professional career or take one last shot at his dream of winning a College Football Playoff National Championship.
Howard opted for one more college season at Ohio State, and on Monday night it paid off big as he helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship with a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Howard had been red-hot throughout the Ohio State’s playoff run in victories over No. 9-ranked Tennessee, No. 1 Oregon and then No. 5 Texas in the semifinals. He topped it off by completing 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns with 57 rushing yards against Notre Dame. He was named the game’s offensive most valuable player.
“When I came into the transfer portal, it was really between going to Ohio State, and then there were a couple of other schools on the docket, but it was really the NFL was what my other option was,” Howard said during Saturday’s media day leading up to the game. “I had a senior bowl invite. Everything was teed up for me to kind of go into the draft process.
“I came to coach (Ryan) Day and said I want to go somewhere that I can develop into a better player and win a national championship. That was really the ultimate motivation for me.”
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Howard also said he had fond memories of Kansas State, where he played in 34 games and started 28 over four seasons from 2020-23, passing for 5,786 yards and a school career-record 48 touchdowns.
“I say in close touch with my guys over at K-State,” Howard said. “All my coaches have been great. Coach (Chris) Klieman has reached out, especially during this playoff run, and coach (Conor) Riley and even coach (Collin) Klein down at A&M. All the coaches.
“I’ve still got some of my best friends in the world that went there. Some of them still play for the Cats, but a lot of them are moved on now. Those guys and the relationships I made there, I’ll never take for granted.”
When Howard left K-State, it opened the door for then-freshman Avery Johnson to lead the Wildcats to a victory over North Carolina State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. He then took over as the full-time starter in 2024 and helped the Wildcats win nine games.
Howard now can move on to the NFL Draft with a national championship on his resume.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Ex-Kansas State football QB Will Howard a national champ with Buckeyes
