How Will Howard ended up at K-State and why he might be the Wildcats’ future QB
When Will Howard announced he was going to play football at Kansas State his friends had a few questions.
Where is Manhattan? Who are the Wildcats? Did you mean to say Kentucky?
“They didn’t know anything about Kansas State,” Howard said. “To me, that stuff didn’t matter. I wanted to be somewhere where I was wanted and where I wanted to be. It was the right place for me and I am 100% clear it’s the right place for me, no doubt about that.”
For that reason, Howard calmly answered every question that came his way. He knew some would second guess his college choice. As perhaps the first K-State quarterback who grew up in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, he took an unusual recruiting path to Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Chris Klieman doesn’t usually recruit in Pennsylvania. Neither did Snyder or any of the coaches that came before him.
The only reason K-State coaches knew about Howard: He asked them to recruit him.
One day last year he noticed that K-State offensive line coach Conor Riley began following him on Twitter. So Howard sent him a direct message with a link to his highlight video. Howard knew Klieman used to coach Carson Wentz, his favorite NFL player, at North Dakota State. He wanted to put himself out there and took “a shot in the dark.” What was the worst that could happen?
Two days later, Klieman called and offered a scholarship. A few months later, Howard accepted. Now he’s on campus a semester early, ready for spring practice in hopes of becoming K-State’s quarterback of the future.
“I knew they were looking for quarterbacks,” Howard said. “That is part of the recruiting process. You have to be proactive and send your film out there. That is what I did. It kind of helped me get on the map a little bit and I am so thankful I did that. If I didn’t, I might not be here.”
If Howard matures into K-State’s starting quarterback in a few years, Klieman might assign one of his assistant coaches to recruit in Pennsylvania more regularly.
He has a long way to go before that’s a possibility, but Howard has all the tools to take control of the Wildcats’ offense after current starter Skylar Thompson finishes up his senior season.
Howard, 6-foot-4 and 220-pounds, is a dual-threat quarterback who tends to make a few more plays with his arm than his legs. He threw for 5,308 yards and 48 touchdowns while also rushing for 512 yards and 21 touchdowns during his high school career.
He was at his best as a senior, throwing for 2,543 yards and 27 touchdowns as he guided his team to 13 victories and the state semifinals.
Klieman likes two things about him most. First, he’s a Wentz fan. Second, he’s a winner.
“He’s a really, really smart football player,” Klieman said. “He’s athletic, he’s got a really strong arm. He’s a guy that’s a sponge, that wants to learn. And he comes at semester, which is for us to be able to get him in.”
Arriving a semester early was an easy choice for Howard. People have asked him a lot if he’s home sick since he began living on campus, but he shakes his head. He enjoys hanging out with his roommates and his older teammates have already embraced him as one of their own.
Freshman tight end Will Swanson says Howard has an “elite arm.” Freshman linebacker Demarrquese Hayes says “he can definitely spin the ball. He has great accuracy and he can put it on the spot.”
It will be interesting to see how quickly Howard can translate those skills into on-field success. There is no question that Thompson will start at quarterback next season, but the position is loaded with uncertainty for 2021 and beyond.
Howard could be the quarterback of the future. But he will have to beat sophomore Nick Ast, freshman Jaren Lewis and maybe 2021 pledge Jake Rubley for the job.
He’s not afraid of a little competition. This is where Howard wanted to play college football, and he’s ready to work for playing time, even if his friends back in Pennsylvania aren’t familiar with his new home.
“I want to get on the field as soon as I can,” Howard said. “That is obviously a goal and I want to be able to compete every day with the guys in the room. That is what we talked about in our first meeting today. If you are a freshman, we don’t want you to take anything lightly. Hey, I’m sitting here and Skylar is playing so I’m not going to compete my butt off every day. No, I’m going to come in here and work my butt off and try to get on the field as much as I can and impact the team in the best way possible.”
This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 11:56 AM with the headline "How Will Howard ended up at K-State and why he might be the Wildcats’ future QB."