Ohio State football lands transfer quarterback Will Howard from Kansas State

Ohio State has picked up a transfer quarterback.

Will Howard, an experienced signal caller from Kansas State who has one season of eligibility left, told ESPN Thursday that he has committed to the Buckeyes following a visit.

The addition will put him in the middle of a competition to replace Kyle McCord as the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback after McCord transferred to Syracuse last month.

Howard was among the most sought-after passers in the transfer portal and was also reported to have taken trips to Miami and Southern California.

"When I started talking to Ohio State, everything kind of lined up," Howard told ESPN. "I had a list of things I was looking for, in terms of needing to go somewhere where there was a lot of talent around me and somewhere I could compete for a national championship."

Howard made 27 career starts with the Wildcats, including leading them to a win in overtime over TCU in the 2022 Big 12 championship game that resulted in a berth in the Sugar Bowl. He finished as Kansas State's all-time leader in passing touchdowns.

Howard, a 6-foot-5, 242-pound super senior, is more of a dual-threat quarterback than either McCord or C.J. Stroud, the most recent starters behind center for the Buckeyes.

Along with throwing for 5,786 yards, 48 touchdowns and 25 interceptions over four seasons, Howard ran for 921 yards and 19 touchdowns, making him the most prolific running threat that Ohio State has had at the position since Justin Fields.

It was not clear, though, how long the 22-year-old Howard would have remained entrenched as the starting quarterback at Kansas State had he remained for another season.

Avery Johnson, a freshman who was the highest-ranked quarterback to sign with the Wildcats in almost two decades, began taking more snaps in October and has figured into their long-term plans at the position.

Howard entered the portal in late November, leaving before the Wildcats wrapped up their season with a win over North Carolina State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl last week.

Before Ohio State brought Howard into the fold, Devin Brown had appeared to be the heavy favorite to replace McCord as its starting quarterback.

But Brown, who had pushed McCord for the starting job last offseason as a redshirt freshman, did not get much of an audition in his first start in the Cotton Bowl.

He suffered a high ankle sprain late in the first quarter, leading him to be sidelined for most of the 14-3 loss to Missouri.

Lincoln Kienholz, a freshman who replaced Brown, looked inexperienced as he was under frequent duress.

Along with freshman Air Noland who enrolls this month, Brown and Kienholz are the other scholarship quarterbacks who will be on the roster for spring practice.

In the aftermath of the bowl game, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day did not rule out adding a quarterback through the portal, saying that everything was on the table.

It’s been a long-standing preference for Day to maintain at least four quarterbacks on scholarship.

Ohio State added Tristan Gebbia as a transfer from Oregon State last January to fill out its room of passers, but Gebbia was less experienced as a starter than Howard and not expected to be much of a factor in the competition to replace Stroud. Gebbia, who had started only five games with the Beavers, didn't make an appearance for Ohio State in 2023.

If Howard prevails in a competition this offseason, he would become the first transfer quarterback to start for the Buckeyes since coach Ryan Day brought in Fields in 2019 for his first season at the helm.

The arrival of Fields from Georgia did have lingering effects on the rest of the depth chart, leading Tate Martell to transfer to Miami weeks later.

Brown might not follow that path. The window for undergraduate players to transfer does not re-open until April, and Brown has been resolved to compete for the job.

“I’ve always been worried about me,” he said before starting in the Cotton Bowl, “and that’s never going to change. I never cared who was in the room coming into this place. I was excited to have people in the room and go against them. That’s always been my deal.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.