Will Howard is a fan favorite in Columbus for the national championship season. The former Buckeye just dropped a bold statement on his transfer decision.
Ohio State football was forced to turn to the transfer portal a couple of offseasons ago when Kyle McCord decided to leave the program. The Buckeyes came out with Will Howard to be their guy and it couldn't have worked better for either side.
Howard was able to come to Columbus and help Ohio State win a national championship while becoming a draftable quarterback . When it came to leaving Kansas State after four seasons, the decision looks much clearer now.
When Howard first landed at Kansas State, he was a low-profile recruit early in the NIL era, and he wasn't making much cash. As his career went on at Kansas State, NIL became bigger and eventually, the Wildcats were paying his backup Avery Johnson more than he was making.
"I was a naive kid. I didn't know. The nature of myself, I didn't want anything or need money. I said I was good," Howard stated recently, via The Athletic . "There were a lot of politics the last year. There were games I was splitting time with him for no reason that I knew other than there was money going to him that wasn't going to me."
Howard went on to explain that he never inked a deal with a Kansas State collective, and that any cash he made came through his own NIL path.
"Everything I did was on my own. They kind of took advantage of me and got me for cheap, so I decided to go somewhere else and make a little money," Howard stated. "It's different when you go to a school, and you're the guy getting money. It's amazing how different you're treated. It was the best decision I ever made."
Ohio State paid Howard handsomely for his one season in Columbus. While with the Buckeyes, he completed 73 percent of his passes for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback had seven rushing touchdowns for the Buckeyes in 2024.
Everything worked out for Howard and the Buckeyes, and he's glad he made the decision he did. But you now have to wonder, does Kansas State regret how they handled his time there?
