A Leader On and Off the Field
Feb 21, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
It's 5:12 p.m. Friday when Will Howard picks up the phone. Usually Friday dinnertime entails hanging out with buddies, sometimes the Kansas State offensive linemen who protect him on the football field. But this evening finds Howard alone, and he's perfectly fine with that, his excitable voice going through his day, which began with a morning workout at the Vanier Family Football Complex, followed by a leadership meeting with teammates, which then turned into a quick flight to Dallas to throw footballs, and to get in some extra mid-February training with the grind of spring practice fast approaching.
He works out with John Beck and the coaches at 3DQB, which hammers home elite biometric training combined with motion analysis. He worked out with 3DQB last spring break in California along with Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud. Now Howard is alone. He just finished throwing at a local high school in Allen, Texas, about 45 miles north of where he led K-State to a 31-28 overtime victory against No. 3 TCU for the Big 12 Championship last season.
"I thought I get some training in and do some quarterback stuff," Howard says. "Just finished up. The guys at 3DQB hit me up last week and they were like, 'We're coming down to Dallas, do you want to meet up?' I said, 'Sure.' This is worth my time. These are some of the top dudes. They train Dak Prescott, and work with Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz and Lamar Jackson. Today, it was just me. And it's really good stuff.
"I was like, 'I might as well shoot down there for the weekend, you know?'"
This is where Howard feels most comfortable, with the football in his hands. It's always been that way. He was a quarterback his first tackle football game at age 8, back when his coach told him to run the play, "18 Sweep," in which Howard took the snap, ran to the sideline, and turned up field. He scored 12 touchdowns doing that. He chuckles on the other end of the phone at the memory, which turns into so many more memories, which conjures a particularly pleasant memory of him standing at the 2020 Maxwell Award ceremony as an outstanding high school player, his whole college football career ahead of him, and soon he'll attend the Maxwell Award ceremony again — this time for what he's achieved off the football field.
Howard and K-State assistant head coach Van Malone have been selected as the winners of Get in the Game Impact Award presented by the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation. The honor is given to the person or persons who have gone above and beyond to help save lives through their involvement in "Get In The Game. Save a Life." program. Howard was excited when presented with the information that he could help save the lives of patients in need by getting his team to participate in the Get in The Game program with Coach Talley and Be the Match. Howard immediately became ambassador for the cause and brought the idea to both his coaches and teammates, culminating in a Be the Match Registry event in which 350 students were registered for the program.
Howard and Malone will be honored March 9 at the Maxwell Football National Awards Gala at the Mohegan in Pennsylvania.
Already out of the 100 K-State football players to participate in the registry, place kicker Chris Tennant has found a match, and will save a life.
"Obviously, Chris got picked and he'll be doing a transplant with somebody to save their life, and all I did was convince people to swab their mouth for one second," Howard says. "The fact that I can do something as little as that and have that big of an impact, it was a no-brainer for me. It's such a good cause and it takes such little effort. It's life-changing stuff. It's way more meaningful than anything I could do on a football field."
His leadership off the field continues to spread. He's an adamant supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters. He has acquired a little brother, a 13-year-old in the seventh grade, and they hang out twice a month. Howard took him to the K-State/TCU men's basketball game. Howard recently got a new car, and his little brother is big into cars, so next week, they're going to take Howard's car for a spin. He's also going to spend an evening with the Boys & Girls Club of Manhattan.
"A lot of times, Coach Klieman comes to me with stuff because he knows I like to do that kind of stuff," Howard says. "He kind of lets me take care of that. I'm really down to do whatever, but those are the big ones — Big Brothers Big Sisters and Be the Match."
Leadership came at an early age for Howard, who quickly learned, and embraced the role, of being the guy teammates looked to as the quarterback. First it started with his first game of tackle football, then it progressed to Downingtown West (Pa.) High School, where Howard threw for 5,308 yards and 48 touchdowns in his career, including a 2,543-yard, 27-touchdown effort as a senior, to lead Downingtown West to a 13-2 record and a trip to the state semifinals. He was named 2020 Maxwell Football Club Pennsylvania Player of the Year.
When he spoke publicly for the first time as a member of the Wildcats on February 6, 2020, it became apparent that Howard carried that "it" factor. From the moment he stepped foot on campus, he was leader of the Wildcats' freshman class.
"Skylar Thompson was the guy and I knew that fifth- and sixth-year seniors weren't going to listen to me right away, so it's about just knowing your role and adapting," Howard says. "I knew I could be the leader of the new guys coming in, and if I could get close with those guys and have good relationships with those guys, if they knew that I cared about them and wanted them to be successful, then they were going to listen to me when I go to lead them.
"My biggest goal was to be the leader of that class and I thought I did a pretty good job of it. It's kind of come along from there."
Thrust into the starting quarterback role when Thompson went down with injury, Howard played in nine games and was one of four true freshmen quarterbacks to make seven starts during the 2020 season. He threw for 1,178 yards and eight touchdowns and added 364 rushing yards and three scores, setting the school record for passing touchdowns by a freshman, and he earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors following a 21-14 win at TCU.
After seeing limited playing time during the 2021 season — Howard played in six games with starts against Nevada, Oklahoma State and Texas due to another Thompson injury — he most prominently came to life last fall, coming in for injured Adrian Martinez before assuming starting duties and emerging as one of the finest quarterbacks in the Big 12 Conference.
Howard played in seven games. Had he played in enough games to qualify, he would've ranked third in in the Big 12 in passing efficiency (149.59), fifth in average passing yards (233.4), seventh in completion percentage (59.8%) and seventh in passing touchdowns (15).
"Last year, I really came into my own as a leader," Howard says. "I felt like I was cemented into this program, I knew everyone well, I knew the coaches well, and I felt more comfortable. That's when I could really focus on being a good leader and focus on my teammates in that aspect."
Which brings us to present day, and with the departure of Deuce Vaughn to the NFL Draft, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Howard becomes the unquestioned face of the K-State program. With Martinez gone, Howard will enter a season as a full-time starter for the first time in his career. All eyes will be on him. And he plans to take his leadership to a whole another level.
"It's night-and-day different," Howard says. "It hasn't really been my show yet and now it's finally kind of my team, my show, and I'm trying to just remind myself how blessed I am to be in this position, and to take advantage of it. I'm just trying to step into that leadership role and be that guy that the whole team can look to now, even more than I was before.
"It's a huge responsibility and a huge honor for me to be that guy. It's kind of surreal. You have to stay humble but it's something I worked really hard for and, man, it's kind of all you ever want. You want to be that guy that everyone looks to. With that comes huge responsibility. You have to live up to that standard every day. You can't have off days. I'm blessed to be where I'm at, and I'm excited for what's to come."
And what exactly is to come? What does Howard hope to achieve in 2023 as leader of the Wildcats?
"We have a lot of team goals, and obviously, first, we want to defend that Big 12 Championship," Howard says. "Last year, we were chasing that Big 12 Championship, and now we're defending it. We've said that it's in the past now and what happened last year happened last year and now we have to go out there and do everything we can every day to defend it. That's the first step, but there's so much more out there for us.
"I feel that being in the top four, playing in the College Football Playoff, is very, very achievable. I'd like to say we're coming for it all this year. This is going to be an exciting year. I think we have the potential to be as good as any team that's ever come through here, and it all starts with how we are attacking things right now. We're doing a really good job with that, and we just have to keep it going. I'm really, really, really excited to see what happens this year. It's going to be a fun year, to say the least."
It started long ago with a boy, a ball and a dream. It pauses Friday after a solo workout with his 3DQB coaches. Howard is refining his skills. He's like the Terminator, always acquiring more knowledge for the battles ahead.
A leader both on and off the field, the football now rests in his hands.
It's exactly where he wants it to be.
It's 5:12 p.m. Friday when Will Howard picks up the phone. Usually Friday dinnertime entails hanging out with buddies, sometimes the Kansas State offensive linemen who protect him on the football field. But this evening finds Howard alone, and he's perfectly fine with that, his excitable voice going through his day, which began with a morning workout at the Vanier Family Football Complex, followed by a leadership meeting with teammates, which then turned into a quick flight to Dallas to throw footballs, and to get in some extra mid-February training with the grind of spring practice fast approaching.
He works out with John Beck and the coaches at 3DQB, which hammers home elite biometric training combined with motion analysis. He worked out with 3DQB last spring break in California along with Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud. Now Howard is alone. He just finished throwing at a local high school in Allen, Texas, about 45 miles north of where he led K-State to a 31-28 overtime victory against No. 3 TCU for the Big 12 Championship last season.
"I thought I get some training in and do some quarterback stuff," Howard says. "Just finished up. The guys at 3DQB hit me up last week and they were like, 'We're coming down to Dallas, do you want to meet up?' I said, 'Sure.' This is worth my time. These are some of the top dudes. They train Dak Prescott, and work with Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz and Lamar Jackson. Today, it was just me. And it's really good stuff.
"I was like, 'I might as well shoot down there for the weekend, you know?'"
This is where Howard feels most comfortable, with the football in his hands. It's always been that way. He was a quarterback his first tackle football game at age 8, back when his coach told him to run the play, "18 Sweep," in which Howard took the snap, ran to the sideline, and turned up field. He scored 12 touchdowns doing that. He chuckles on the other end of the phone at the memory, which turns into so many more memories, which conjures a particularly pleasant memory of him standing at the 2020 Maxwell Award ceremony as an outstanding high school player, his whole college football career ahead of him, and soon he'll attend the Maxwell Award ceremony again — this time for what he's achieved off the football field.
Howard and K-State assistant head coach Van Malone have been selected as the winners of Get in the Game Impact Award presented by the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation. The honor is given to the person or persons who have gone above and beyond to help save lives through their involvement in "Get In The Game. Save a Life." program. Howard was excited when presented with the information that he could help save the lives of patients in need by getting his team to participate in the Get in The Game program with Coach Talley and Be the Match. Howard immediately became ambassador for the cause and brought the idea to both his coaches and teammates, culminating in a Be the Match Registry event in which 350 students were registered for the program.
Howard and Malone will be honored March 9 at the Maxwell Football National Awards Gala at the Mohegan in Pennsylvania.
Already out of the 100 K-State football players to participate in the registry, place kicker Chris Tennant has found a match, and will save a life.
"Obviously, Chris got picked and he'll be doing a transplant with somebody to save their life, and all I did was convince people to swab their mouth for one second," Howard says. "The fact that I can do something as little as that and have that big of an impact, it was a no-brainer for me. It's such a good cause and it takes such little effort. It's life-changing stuff. It's way more meaningful than anything I could do on a football field."
His leadership off the field continues to spread. He's an adamant supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters. He has acquired a little brother, a 13-year-old in the seventh grade, and they hang out twice a month. Howard took him to the K-State/TCU men's basketball game. Howard recently got a new car, and his little brother is big into cars, so next week, they're going to take Howard's car for a spin. He's also going to spend an evening with the Boys & Girls Club of Manhattan.
"A lot of times, Coach Klieman comes to me with stuff because he knows I like to do that kind of stuff," Howard says. "He kind of lets me take care of that. I'm really down to do whatever, but those are the big ones — Big Brothers Big Sisters and Be the Match."
Leadership came at an early age for Howard, who quickly learned, and embraced the role, of being the guy teammates looked to as the quarterback. First it started with his first game of tackle football, then it progressed to Downingtown West (Pa.) High School, where Howard threw for 5,308 yards and 48 touchdowns in his career, including a 2,543-yard, 27-touchdown effort as a senior, to lead Downingtown West to a 13-2 record and a trip to the state semifinals. He was named 2020 Maxwell Football Club Pennsylvania Player of the Year.
When he spoke publicly for the first time as a member of the Wildcats on February 6, 2020, it became apparent that Howard carried that "it" factor. From the moment he stepped foot on campus, he was leader of the Wildcats' freshman class.
"Skylar Thompson was the guy and I knew that fifth- and sixth-year seniors weren't going to listen to me right away, so it's about just knowing your role and adapting," Howard says. "I knew I could be the leader of the new guys coming in, and if I could get close with those guys and have good relationships with those guys, if they knew that I cared about them and wanted them to be successful, then they were going to listen to me when I go to lead them.
"My biggest goal was to be the leader of that class and I thought I did a pretty good job of it. It's kind of come along from there."
Thrust into the starting quarterback role when Thompson went down with injury, Howard played in nine games and was one of four true freshmen quarterbacks to make seven starts during the 2020 season. He threw for 1,178 yards and eight touchdowns and added 364 rushing yards and three scores, setting the school record for passing touchdowns by a freshman, and he earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors following a 21-14 win at TCU.
After seeing limited playing time during the 2021 season — Howard played in six games with starts against Nevada, Oklahoma State and Texas due to another Thompson injury — he most prominently came to life last fall, coming in for injured Adrian Martinez before assuming starting duties and emerging as one of the finest quarterbacks in the Big 12 Conference.
Howard played in seven games. Had he played in enough games to qualify, he would've ranked third in in the Big 12 in passing efficiency (149.59), fifth in average passing yards (233.4), seventh in completion percentage (59.8%) and seventh in passing touchdowns (15).
"Last year, I really came into my own as a leader," Howard says. "I felt like I was cemented into this program, I knew everyone well, I knew the coaches well, and I felt more comfortable. That's when I could really focus on being a good leader and focus on my teammates in that aspect."
Which brings us to present day, and with the departure of Deuce Vaughn to the NFL Draft, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Howard becomes the unquestioned face of the K-State program. With Martinez gone, Howard will enter a season as a full-time starter for the first time in his career. All eyes will be on him. And he plans to take his leadership to a whole another level.
"It's night-and-day different," Howard says. "It hasn't really been my show yet and now it's finally kind of my team, my show, and I'm trying to just remind myself how blessed I am to be in this position, and to take advantage of it. I'm just trying to step into that leadership role and be that guy that the whole team can look to now, even more than I was before.
"It's a huge responsibility and a huge honor for me to be that guy. It's kind of surreal. You have to stay humble but it's something I worked really hard for and, man, it's kind of all you ever want. You want to be that guy that everyone looks to. With that comes huge responsibility. You have to live up to that standard every day. You can't have off days. I'm blessed to be where I'm at, and I'm excited for what's to come."
And what exactly is to come? What does Howard hope to achieve in 2023 as leader of the Wildcats?
"We have a lot of team goals, and obviously, first, we want to defend that Big 12 Championship," Howard says. "Last year, we were chasing that Big 12 Championship, and now we're defending it. We've said that it's in the past now and what happened last year happened last year and now we have to go out there and do everything we can every day to defend it. That's the first step, but there's so much more out there for us.
"I feel that being in the top four, playing in the College Football Playoff, is very, very achievable. I'd like to say we're coming for it all this year. This is going to be an exciting year. I think we have the potential to be as good as any team that's ever come through here, and it all starts with how we are attacking things right now. We're doing a really good job with that, and we just have to keep it going. I'm really, really, really excited to see what happens this year. It's going to be a fun year, to say the least."
It started long ago with a boy, a ball and a dream. It pauses Friday after a solo workout with his 3DQB coaches. Howard is refining his skills. He's like the Terminator, always acquiring more knowledge for the battles ahead.
A leader both on and off the field, the football now rests in his hands.
It's exactly where he wants it to be.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
K
/ Football
RB
/ FootballK-State Athletics | Gene Taylor Press Conference - February 15, 2026
Monday, February 16
K-State Men's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference at Houston
Sunday, February 15
K-State Football | Stanton Weber Press Conference - Feb. 12, 2026
Thursday, February 12
K-State Football | Thad Ward Press Conference - Feb. 12, 2026
Thursday, February 12
