Ex-Kansas State QB Will Howard commits to Ohio State - ESPN

Former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard told ESPN that he has verbally committed to transfer to Ohio State, linking one of the top portal quarterbacks with a high-wattage destination.

Howard led Kansas State to the Big 12 title in 2022 and gives the Buckeyes one of the most talented and experienced signal-callers available on the transfer market.

Howard went 12-5 as Kansas State's starter in 2022 and 2023 and led the Wildcats to a Big 12 title game win over TCU in 2022. The Ohio State staff evaluated all of the top portal quarterbacks and concluded with conviction that Howard was the best among them, as the staffers valued his arm strength, experience and dual-threat ability.

He'll be a fifth-year senior with one year of eligibility remaining, and he'll enter Ohio State as the favorite to start in 2024. He chose Ohio State after visiting both Miami and USC. He also seriously looked at heading to the NFL. He visited Ohio State this week and is expected to wrap up there on Thursday night.

«I'm glad I took my time with this decision,» Howard told ESPN. «Through it, I got to learn a lot about myself and college football in general. It was a great process. I'm really glad I ended up choosing Ohio State.

»I knew that if I passed this up, I'd regret passing up the chance to go be the quarterback at Ohio State. I knew I'd be kicking myself if I passed up this opportunity."

In his career, Howard has started 27 games and thrown for 48 touchdowns and 5,786 yards. Howard brings a dual-threat element, as he has 921 career rushing yards and 19 additional touchdowns on the ground.

Howard's best statistical season came in 2023, as he completed 61.3% of his passes and finished the year with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.