Life has dramatically changed for Kansas State quarterback Will Howard this season
“If you were to ask any Kansas State fan if Will Howard would have been the quarterback in the Big 12 championship game a couple of months ago, I think they would have told you, ‘You’re crazy.’ But here we are.”
One of the first things they teach sports writers in journalism school is that you should rarely, if ever, begin a story with an unattributed quote. But we are breaking the rules in this instance, because the words found above this paragraph weren’t spoken by some random college football analyst.
They came straight from the mouth of Kansas State quarterback Will Howard.
There is no better way to illustrate just how much life has changed for him now that he has led the Wildcats to a conference championship and a date with Alabama in the Sugar Bowl after struggling through a parade of disappointments during his first two years of college football.
At the beginning of the season, he was the K-State QB that nobody wanted. Seriously, most fans would not have complained had he entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal after Adrian Martinez joined the roster. And Howard is self-aware enough to know it. Now, he is the unquestioned QB1 that everybody loves. Fans would revolt if he tried to transfer today. He has become so popular in such a short time that he can’t go out to eat in Aggieville without someone approaching him for an autograph or a picture.
“I had a kid ask me to sign his hand the other day,” Howard said. “He didn’t have anything for me to autograph, but he still wanted one so he just opened up his palm for me. I guess he will just never wash that hand again. That was one of those moments that made me realize, ‘OK, things are different now.’
“Nobody used to notice me anywhere before. It’s been really cool to see how fired up the fan base is about me and all of K-State football right now.”
Few other college quarterbacks have experienced both ends of the popularity spectrum like Howard. He handled the good and the bad by reminding himself that he needed to stay the same person no matter how outsiders viewed him.
As a freshman, he stepped in for an injured Skylar Thompson and K-State stumbled to a losing season as Howard threw 10 interceptions in seven starts. As a sophomore, he was once again called upon to play and delivered similar results. Fans seemed to give up on him when he threw for just 65 yards in a 22-17 loss at Texas.
His play was so uninspiring that K-State coaches went shopping for a better quarterback and brought in Adrian Martinez as a one-year rental. The plan was to let him command the offense this season while Howard spent a year developing as a redshirt. Maybe he would be ready to play at a higher level in 2023.
But then Martinez suffered injuries against TCU and Baylor, which forced Howard into action once again. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because Howard has played like an All-American ever since. He has thrown for 1,423 yards and 15 touchdowns in six games while leading K-State to one of its best seasons in program history.
The Wildcats are averaging 38.3 points when Howard plays and 43.5 points when he starts. Senior receiver Malik Knowles set career highs while catching passes from him. He has helped tight end Ben Sinnott become a dangerous weapon in the passing game. Even Deuce Vaughn’s numbers have surged with Howard at the controls.
“Will has played with an insane amount of confidence,” K-State receiver Kade Warner said. “It’s been great to see him go out there and play that way in games. I’m super proud of the guy and he’s done some great, great things this year to help us win some big time games.”
It’s not unreasonable to project Howard as the Big 12’s top returning quarterback heading into next season or even a Heisman Trophy contender if he keeps playing this way.
“Nothing should surprise you about Will Howard anymore,” Knowles said. “I can’t even say I think what he did this season was a surprise, because we’ve been seeing him do this in practice forever.
“This is normal for us. You guys are just seeing a more confident Will and he is more comfortable with our offense. He’s throwing the ball into tight windows and taking shots downfield. You’re starting to see the type of quarterback he can be, but we see it every day.”
Howard can further validate his success at 11 a.m. on Saturday when he gets a chance to beat Bryce Young and mighty Alabama at the Sugar Bowl.
Add that to the list of potential accomplishments that seemed unfathomable for Howard a few months ago.
This story was originally published December 30, 2022 at 12:31 PM with the headline "Life has dramatically changed for Kansas State quarterback Will Howard this season."