Why Will Howard encouraged two Ohio State football transfers to play for Kansas State
George Fitzpatrick and Gabe Powers had many questions for Will Howard when Kansas State football coaches began recruiting the Ohio State duo out of the transfer portal.
Fitzpatrick and Powers were both on the lookout for new schools after they helped the Buckeyes win a national championship during the 2024 season. They had many options, so they tried to learn everything about the teams that were calling.
Howard, quarterback for the Buckeyes’ title run after spending the bulk of his college career at K-State, was a valuable resource when it came to the Wildcats.
Turns out, he was also a good salesman.
“He had the highest praise,” Powers said, “for not only the team and the coaches, but the city as well.”
“We had some pretty good conversations about Kansas State,” Fitzpatrick added. “He said he thought I would fit right in here and that this is a great program with a bunch of great guys.”
K-State can thank its former quarterback for providing an assist when it comes to the transfer additions of these two.
Fitzpatrick is a 6-foot-6 and 306-pound offensive lineman who played in all 16 games for Ohio State this past season. He can play left tackle or right tackle, and the Wildcats will give him an opportunity to compete for a starting spot at either position as they look to rebuild their front five.
Powers is a 6-foot-3 and 237-pound linebacker who saw action in all 12 regular-season games for the Buckeyes but decided to leave the team and focus on the transfer process when the College Football Playoff began. He will also get an opportunity to play immediately next season.
In a happy coincidence, they were roommates at Ohio State.
Adding a pair of players with national championship rings is an exciting development for the Wildcats.
They are ready to experience what Howard sold them on about K-State.
“That was big, hearing him give this place the highest praise,” Powers said. “He was obviously played here for a while, so getting second-hand experience like that was really good. A lot of fan bases kind of hate on guys who transfer. You didn’t see that here. You saw the most love from this fan base towards Will. They were cheering Will on. Seeing both sides of it was really amazing.”
For anyone who doesn’t remember, Howard spent four seasons as a quarterback at K-State before the Wildcats pivoted to Avery Johnson and Howard transferred to Ohio State.
Howard led the Wildcats to a Big 12 championship in 2022 and then a winning season in 2023. That set him up for a move to Ohio State, where he helped the Buckeyes win a national title by throwing for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns.
“It was awesome playing with him,” Fitzpatrick said. “Me and Will got really close. He is a great guy. He just came in and took over the locker room.”
The next step for Howard is the NFL Draft. Fitzpatrick and Powers are focused on their futures at K-State. They all helped each other get to where they needed to be.
This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 1:13 PM with the headline "Why Will Howard encouraged two Ohio State football transfers to play for Kansas State."