Will Howard has been candid about his motivations for leaving Kansas State for Ohio State, saying the move was driven primarily by his own financial interests. As the Wildcats’ projected starter coming off a Big 12 title run, Howard grew frustrated upon learning that freshman backup Avery Johnson was earning more through NIL despite Howard’s established role.
At Ohio State, Howard landed a seven-figure deal for a single season one that included housing and a vehicle a significant step up from what he’d been making in Manhattan. He credited the move as transformative, noting how differently he was treated once he was the quarterback the program was actively investing in. The Buckeyes went on to win a national championship that year, with Howard posting career-high numbers.
Interestingly, Howard earned more from Ohio State than he did in his rookie NFL season. He signed a four-year, $4.45 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers last spring, but noted his NIL floor at Ohio State exceeded the roughly $500,000 he had been working with at Kansas State.
The signs of his eventual departure were apparent well before he entered the portal. Kansas State had brought in Johnson a top-100 recruit with dual-threat ability as the marquee in-state signing of the Klieman era, and offensive coordinator Collin Klein began integrating him into the offense almost immediately. Howard recalled being inexplicably pulled into a timeshare arrangement late in his final season, which he attributed to the program’s financial commitment to Johnson rather than any performance-based reasoning.
Since Howard’s departure, Johnson has gone 15-10 as the starter and now enters his senior year under Klein, who has returned to Kansas State as head coach after two seasons as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator. Klein described their early reconnection as smooth, emphasizing the importance of complete alignment between a quarterback and play-caller.
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