Former Kansas State QB Will Howard transferring to Ohio State

Ohio State is grabbing a quarterback out of the transfer portal.

Former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard announced Thursday that he is transferring to the Buckeyes. Howard has one season of eligibility remaining and is immediately the favorite to be OSU’s Week 1 starter.

Ohio State’s quarterback position for 2024 has been in flux since 2023 starter Kyle McCord entered the transfer portal the day it opened Dec. 4. McCord’s decision to transfer — he has since committed to Syracuse — came after coach Ryan Day made it clear that he’d have a competition for the No. 1 QB job ahead of the 2024 season.

Backup Devin Brown started the Cotton Bowl against Missouri but struggled and was injured in the first half. He was replaced by freshman No. 3 QB Lincoln Kienholz as the Tigers held the Ohio State offense to three points and 203 yards in a 14-3 win.

Howard played four seasons at Kansas State and emerged in the second half of the 2022 season. Adrian Martinez opened the season as Kansas State’s starter, but Howard took over after Martinez was injured against TCU in the regular season and never relinquished the job. Howard was 119-of-199 passing for 1,633 yards, 15 TDs and four interceptions a season ago.

That performance made him the undisputed starter ahead of the 2023 season, and he played in all 12 of Kansas State’s regular-season games before entering the transfer portal. However, Howard was banged up during the season, and freshman QB Avery Johnson also saw time. Johnson’s emergence — especially as a serious rushing threat — was a reason Howard entered the transfer portal. Howard was 219-of-357 passing for 2,643 yards and 24 TDs with 10 interceptions in 2023. He also rushed 81 times for 351 yards and had nine rushing touchdowns to go with a receiving TD.

McCord was 229-of-348 passing for 3,170 yards and 24 TDs with six interceptions in his first season as a starter in Columbus. While those statistics don’t look bad, they were far below what C.J. Stroud accomplished the past two seasons.

Howard’s arrival on campus likely means that Brown and Kienholz will compete for the No. 2 job ahead of the season if they both stay while Air Noland redshirts. Noland signed with Ohio State in December, and the five-star recruit was the No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2024.

Ohio State’s addition of Howard might also be a loss for Big Ten newcomer USC. Howard had visited USC, as the Trojans are looking for a new starting QB following Caleb Williams’ imminent departure for the NFL. Howard visited USC before the Holiday Bowl, and backup Miller Moss threw six TDs in that game as USC beat Louisville.