Ex-Kansas State QB Howard picks Ohio State

• Pete Thamel, ESPNJan 4, 2024,

06:42 PM ET Previous Kansas State quarterback Will Howard told ESPN that he has actually verbally dedicated to transfer to Ohio State, linking among the leading portal quarterbacks with a high-wattage destination.Howard led Kansas State to

the Big 12 title in 2022 and gives the Buckeyes one of the most gifted and knowledgeable signal-callers offered on the transfer market.Howard went 12-5 as Kansas State’s starter in 2022 and

2023 and led the Wildcats to a Huge 12 title game win over TCU in 2022. The Ohio State staff evaluated all of the top portal quarterbacks and concluded with conviction that Howard was the very best amongst them, as the staffers valued his arm strength, experience and dual-threat ability.He’ll be a fifth-year senior with one year of eligibility staying, and he’ll enter Ohio State as the

preferred to start in 2024. He selected Ohio State after checking out both Miami and USC. He also seriously looked at heading to the NFL. He checked out Ohio State today and is expected to wrap up there on Thursday night. “I’m pleased I took my time with this choice,” Howard informed ESPN.”Through it, I got to discover a lot about myself and college football in basic. It was a terrific process. I’m actually happy I ended up choosing Ohio State.”I knew that if I passed this up, I ‘d regret missing the chance to go be the quarterback at Ohio State. I understood I ‘d be kicking myself if I skipped this opportunity.”Editor’s Picks 2 Associated In his career, Howard has actually started 27 games and thrown for 48 goals and 5,786 backyards. Howard brings a dual-threat

component, as he has 921

profession rushing

backyards and 19 extra goals on the ground.Howard’s finest statistical season came in 2023, as he finished 61.3 %of his passes and finished the year with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Opposing coaches regularly matched his development, as he became a refined passer and made second-team All Big-12 honors in 2023. There were numerous pulls to Ohio State. Howard worried that he delighted in being familiar with both Miami offensive organizer Shannon Dawson and USC coach Lincoln Riley. But he eventually found Ohio State to be the most all set to complete right away for a national title.”When I began talking with Ohio State, whatever type of lined up,”Howard said.”I had a list of things I was looking for, in terms of requiring to go someplace where there was a great deal of skill around me and somewhere I might contend for a national championship.” Howard likewise has specific goals, as he stated the feedback he received from the NFL is that he predicted anywhere between the late second round and the fourth round.Howard received a desired Senior Bowl invitation

this week, per sources. However he recognizes a season of winning big at Ohio State would go a long way in assisting his draft stock.”The objective I have, I wish to go win a championship game, “he stated.”At the end of the day, I wish to go be a starting quarterback in the NFL … I seem like the best place to stick as a quarterback in the NFL is as a first-or second-round choice in the NFL draft. Going to Ohio State offers me a possibility to make a dive and leap into that discussion.”That’s where Ohio State’s scheme proved appealing, as coach Ryan Day has actually tutored three first-round choices at quarterback because 2019, including present Rookie of the Year favorite C.J. Stroud.”Speaking With Coach Day about the plan,

I got delighted, “Howard said, stressing the appeal of the professional principles in Ohio State’s offense.”Kansas State is extremely pro-style, and gets you ready for the pros better than the majority of programs in the nation. I didn’t want to lose any of that momentum.”When Coach Day and I met and went through the plan, I’m a total football geek and talk ball all the time. We struck it off in that way. I understood that was the system that would get me the most ready for that level. “Howard said that initially

when he left Kansas State, he was genuinely unpredictable about whether or not he ‘d state for the NFL draft. He enjoyed his experience at Kansas State and stated it was surreal to watch the Wildcats play in the Pop Tart

Bowl on tv.(He stated a group FaceTime with a handful of previous colleagues made that easier. )”Kansas State was whatever I could have desired out of a college experience,” he stated.” When I began playing as a true freshman, I didn’t know what I was doing out there. It was COVID year. I got tossed into the fire and was unsure of myself.”He ended up by leading the group to the Huge 12 title last season after taking control of the starting task and beating TCU in the Huge 12 championship. He then led Kansas State to an 8-4 season in 2023. It included an overtime loss to Texas and being up to Missouri on

a 61-yard field goal.He stated that he has remained near to Kansas State coach Chris Klieman, whom he has actually spoken with throughout his transfer procedure. “All the experiences and the stuff I needed to go through there, the bumpy rides and the great times and the relationships, it turned me into who I am today

,” he stated, summarizing his Kansas State experience. “I would not alter any of it for the world. “Howard knows he’s entering

Ohio State at a pressure-packed time, as the Buckeyes started the past 2 seasons 11-0 but lost to Michigan both years. In 2015, Ohio State lost to Georgia in the last seconds of a College Football Playoff thriller. This year, the Buckeyes lost 14-3 to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. They’ve lost 3 straight to Michigan.He rapidly has actually embraced the enthusiasm of the competition, as when a reporter asked him about Michigan he rapidly cut in–” You imply the Collaborate North.”He laughed: “They won’t state that M word. I think I will not be stating it either. “He did acknowledge the pressure cooker he’s strolling into, as the Buckeyes enter 2024 on a two-game losing streak and there will be an increased onus on beating Michigan.” We absolutely talked about that,”he stated.” That game suggests a lot. The pressure is on. Beating that Team Up North is top priority No.

1 on the way to the championship game and all our other objectives. That’s huge and it’s whatever when it pertains to playing for Ohio State. “” I know the ramifications and what it implies to

the fan base and everybody in the program. That’s the Collaborate North now.”