One of the biggest offseason storylines of any team in the Big 12 Conference took place in Manhattan, Kansas, with Kansas State electing to make a quarterback change in 2024.
The Wildcats had seen veteran passer Will Howard start for the full duration of the 2023 season after being an integral piece in Kansas State’s 2022 title run. Still, Chris Klieman felt like change was needed.
In a recent article providing a profile on rising sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson, ESPN’s Pete Thamel pulled back the curtain on the conversation to move on from Will Howard.
Klieman and Howard discussed the future of the program in depth, as the K-State head coach recalled Howard saying, “I think what’s going to happen is you’re going to go with Avery next year.”
Klieman responded simply by saying, “Yeah, Will, he’s going to be the guy next year.”
“Will Howard and I have a really good relationship and we’ve always been honest with each other, and he knew that that’s what we had to do,” Klieman continued. “[He knew we could] have a kid for three to four more years, or you can have a kid for a semester more, which was all Will was going to have. We really thought Will was going to go [to the NFL] anyway, and it really worked out well for both guys.”
The conversation led to a mutual decision for the two parties to split up as Howard approached his final year of eligibility. Ultimately, the Pennsylvania native would end up at Ohio State, where he won the quarterback battle and had the opportunity to lead the Buckeyes on Saturdays.
At Kansas State, Johnson recalled his feelings regarding Howard’s departure and was disappointed that his friend was moving on.
“It was a bittersweet moment for me because I finally get to have my first start, and I’m obviously happy for [Will] because he gets to go out and play at a great college like Ohio State and gets to showcase his ability,” Johnson said. “But it’s like the part where I hurt the most is Will, who was actually a really good friend of mine, a really good person, and he deserves a lot of credit for how advanced I was mentally.”
With both teams starting off 2-0 and currently projected to be contenders for a spot in the 2024 College Football Playoff, the mutual move appears to have worked out for the best.
