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ATLANTA – Will Howard was talking about this strange season, one that began long before he took his first snap as the Ohio State quarterback and long after a loss to Michigan brought the program to its collective knees.
There are the stories, he says, no one knows. Stories that make up Ohio State’s perplexing run to the College Football Playoff national championship game that can only be told if the Buckeyes win.
Or one that can be told for the first time right now.
It was November of 2023 when Howard sat down with Kansas State coach Chris Klieman, and a difficult conversation concluded with two options: head to the NFL, where he had an invite to the Senior Bowl to work out for NFL scouts, or use his final season of eligibility somewhere else.
While Kansas State wasn’t running off Howard, it most certainly was moving on. There was too much to like about rising sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson, and there was little doubt where the conversation was headed.
Howard hadn’t yet made an NFL decision, but knew if he were to return to college football, he could play at an elite level.
“We both knew it was kind of the way it was going to be,” Howard told USA TODAY Sports. “No ill intent on either side.”
But you better believe there’s motivation.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard (18) runs past Texas defenders during the 2025 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Because more than anything, this is a story about the ever-shifting state of college football. K-State moved on to Johnson because with free player movement and NIL collectives throwing around high-dollar compensation deals, it was either commit to him or lose him.
Howard had one year of eligibility; Johnson had three. These decisions are made all over college football now, including at the elite levels of the game.
There’s a reason Texas…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kansas-state-rejection-redemption-howard-110603146.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2025-01-19 11:06:00
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