Still More to Be Written

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Afterward, after Will Howard lowered himself from the shoulder pads of giants, and as the great purple sea parted for a brief instant, he found his mother. Maureen Howard, who for three years had been a phone call away during the good times and the not-so-good times, stood there on the field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on the evening of October 29. The mother and son hugged and they cried, a boatload of emotions finally spilling across the turf and under the majestic blue sky. As Will hugged his mother, his white wristband with a "N" and a heart written in black ink was ever present. Ann King, Maureen's mother, passed away unexpectedly on September 6. Will called her "Nana." And so a riveting silver-screen sequence between mother and son played out following a nationally-televised college football Saturday in Manhattan. After a precarious journey, Will was the hero of the Flint Hills, and he spoke a favorable outcome into existence — "Meet me on the field after the game," he told Maureen hours earlier — before leading No. 22 Kansas State to a 48-0 pounding of No. 9 Oklahoma State. It marked the largest shutout victory by a lower-ranked team against an AP Top-10 opponent since the Associated Press began its weekly poll in 1936.

"I knew the game was going to be special," Howard says. "I just had this feeling."

Nana would've been so proud.

Criticized by a segment of fans earlier in his career, sometimes creating a string of stormy days and sleepless nights, Howard passed for 296 yards and a school record-tying four touchdowns against the Cowboys. The pride of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, nearly hung half a hundred points against a Top-10 foe in knockout fashion.

Following the dominant display, Will, Maureen, and the thousands of jubilant purple-clad fans on the football field knew one thing to be certain:

Will Howard would never be seen the same way again.

Today, August 2, 2023, the 21-year-old Howard officially opens 2023 fall camp as full-time starting quarterback for the first time, and at times it seemed that this day might never arrive following the roller coaster that he braved like Storm Runner at Hershey Park. Today, the 6-foot-5, 242-pound senior stands as one of the physically bigger signal-callers in the country, and he's the undisputed leader for a Wildcat squad that captured the 2022 Big 12 Championship and battled No. 5 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. K-State finished No. 14 in the AP Top 25 and its 10-4 record marked its best since 2012. These days, Howard ambles about carrying a comforting cool confidence, as witnessed at the 2023 Big 12 Media Days in July at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas — site of the Wildcats' 31-28 overtime victory against No. 3 TCU to capture the school's first league title in a decade. Standing upon the same turf once covered in confetti one magical day in December, Howard politely answered questions about his 2022 campaign — and where he and the Wildcats could venture this fall. The trek begins with the season opener against SEMO on September 2 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

"I'm ready to tee it up right now," he says.

Although K-State lost some "dudes" — defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Consensus All-American running back Deuce Vaughn were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft while several others were drafted or signed as rookie free agents — Howard gazes with optimism at the path ahead. The Wildcats, picked second in the Big 12 Preseason Poll (behind Texas), return 15 starters, nine sixth-year seniors, secured six Division I transfers, and signed arguably the best K-State recruiting class in the last two decades.

"We have a lot of team goals, and obviously, first, we want to defend that Big 12 Championship," Howard says. "That's the first step, but there's so much more out there for us. I feel like being in the top four, playing in the College Football Playoff, is very, very achievable. 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."

Backup to Nebraska senior transfer Adrian Martinez at the start of last season, Howard finished the final seven games among the most efficient Power 5 quarterbacks in the country (a 60% completion rate for 1,633 yards and 15 TDs to just 4 INTs), and 100% excitement accompanies what could evolve into one of the most special stories by a K-State quarterback in history. Howard wasn't selected as 2023 Preseason Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (that honor went to Kansas junior quarterback Jalon Daniels), and he wasn't picked as one of the top three Big 12 signal-callers in the preseason by Pro Football Focus (Texas' Quinn Ewers, Daniels, and Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel were tabbed as the top three), but Howard has garnered mention by FOX Sports as a dark horse nominee for the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first K-State quarterback to enter the Heisman conversation since current second-year offensive coordinator Collin Klein was a finalist for college football's top individual award in 2012.

On Monday, Howard was named to the initial watch list for the 87^th Maxwell Award as the outstanding player in college football, the Maxwell Football Club announced.

"Will's story is still being written," Klein says. "We've all known and felt really good about the player Will is and is even becoming. Obviously, he's accomplished a lot and has played a lot of football already, but I truly think his story is still being written."

If there's a story to be written about Howard, it begins with his infancy. Born 9 pounds, 6 ounces and 22 inches long, he quickly grew — and eventually outgrew — his baby swaddle, causing him to awaken shortly after Maureen laid him down for a nap. Maureen, a pediatric physical therapist, made a sleepsuit for Will, which reaped highly-positive results: Will slept for hours. Maureen made sleepsuits for her next three children — Tori, Ryan and Grace — while also making sleepsuits for friends' children. Bob and Maureen Howard found that they created the swaddle transition niche and brought their passion to market. They launched sales for "Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit" in 2008 and their sleepsuits were at hit at the Golden Globe Awards and at Target and on Amazon. They sold their company in 2021.

"Will said, 'You have to thank me for not being a good napper, mom,'" Maureen chuckles.

At an early age, Howard was in the business of finding success. When Will was age 2, Bob bought his son a little basketball hoop. Will immediately made 10 shots in a row — "We said, 'Wow, this is interesting,'" Bob says. At age 8, Will's pee-wee coach instructed 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. As a sophomore at Downingtown West High School, Howard out-battled a returning senior quarterback for starting duties. The decision by head coach Mike Milano to start Will at quarterback was initially met with resistance from some veteran teammates, parents and fans, but it proved genius — Howard took Downingtown West from a 5-5 record in 2017 to a 10-3 mark in 2018 and a 13-2 mark in 2019, helping the Whippets capture their first district title since 1996 and a spot in the state semifinals. Howard passed for 2,543 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior to earn Maxwell Football Club Pennsylvania Player of the Year honors, and he was the 13^th-best pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2020 by 247Sports.

"You meet him and you'd never know he's had all these accolades," Milano says. "He was always humble. He has tremendous mental toughness. I've seen a lot of super-talented kids wilt when things got tough, and Will always rose to the challenge. He always had a plan, stuck to his plan, and his plan was always to achieve the goals that he had for himself and his team."

Howard's introduction to K-State? That arrived in April 2019 when he noticed that K-State offensive line coach Conor Riley followed him on Twitter. With a couple of clicks on the internet, Howard determined that the Wildcats could be on the lookout for a future signal-caller. Howard shot Riley a video of his football highlights.

Although Cincinnati, Harvard, Maryland, Minnesota, Rutgers and Yale offered Howard a scholarship, and Howard took unofficial recruiting visits to Penn State, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, he was intrigued with new K-State head coach Chris Klieman, who led North Dakota State to four FCS national championships, and who had coached one of Howard's favorite players, quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz went with the No. 2 overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2016 NFL Draft. Howard, too, carried NFL aspirations.

So imagine Howard's excitement when Riley responded to his direct message. Later, Riley and Klein phoned Howard to inform him that they would show Klieman his football highlights in a meeting that afternoon. Klieman phoned Howard and offered him a scholarship. Howard took his official visit to K-State on April 17, 2019. He loved the family atmosphere. He loved the coaches. He loved the players. He loved the city of Manhattan. He was sold.

"To be honest with you, at the beginning of the process, if you'd told me I'd be in Kansas, I'd tell you that you were crazy," Howard said upon arriving at K-State, "but I went on my visit and fell in love immediately."

When Will committed to K-State, Bob, a Penn State alum, removed the Nittany Lions flag that proudly hung outside their New Jersey beach house and he replaced it with a Powercat flag. Maureen, surprised that Will chose to play football at a school 1,200 miles from home, attended church and prayed for a sign that Will made the correct decision to join the Wildcats.

Ten minutes after Maureen arrived home, a woman rang the doorbell.

"I was riding my bike and saw your K-State flag," the woman said.

Maureen replied, "My son just committed to K-State last night to play football."

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that Manhattan is the greatest place and your son is going to love it there," the woman said. "I grew up there."

Howard became the highest-rated high school pro-style quarterback to sign with K-State since Josh Freeman in 2006. During his first meeting with reporters, Howard said, "I'm going to give you everything I've got every single day, and we appreciate the support, and we're going to go get a Big 12 Championship."

Howard checked off that box last December.

And he's eager for more.

"You really think about it, and I only played in six or seven games last year, and I feel like it was just as small sample size of what I feel like I can do," he says. "We have so much left in the tank."

It wasn't a particularly easy first 2 1/2 years for Howard. Forced into action following a season-ending injury to senior Skylar Thompson, he was one of just seven true freshmen quarterbacks in the country to make at least seven starts during the 2020 season. Howard, an 18-year-old literally learning on the run during the COVID pandemic, drew sharp criticism from some fans during the 4-6 campaign. As a sophomore, Howard saw the field when Thompson went down again — this time playing in six games with starts against Nevada, Oklahoma State and Texas. Seemed each time Howard took a step, the social-media armchair quarterbacks weren't far behind. And some were downright despicable.

"What have I learned most about Will during his time at K-State? His inner strength is a lot stronger than I thought," Bob says. "Going through and persevering through the difficult times and coming out ahead — there were times when I wasn't sure he would. It was a tough couple years. His perseverance and his fight to make it and get to where he knew he could be is impressive to me."

Howard's rate of improvement has been extraordinary. During his first 15 games as a freshman and sophomore, he completed 53.8% of his passes for 1,510 yards and nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions (a 114.14 pass efficiency rating). During his seven games of action last season, he completed 59.8% of his passes for 1,633 yards and 15 touchdowns to just four interceptions (149.58). This after Martinez came in and started seven games last season before going down to injury. When called upon, Howard went out and threw multiple touchdowns in six-straight contests, the longest streak ever by a K-State player in a single season. K-State averaged 36.0 points per game over the final seven games, a mark that ranked first in the Big 12 and 12^th among Power 5 programs. The Wildcats scored at least 34 points seven times last season, their most in seven years.

"His journey and his progress has been pretty consistent," Klein says. "Everyone would probably feel like it jumped last year, but he's been getting better since the day he got here. Credit to him, he's worked himself into being a really unbelievable player."

Klein and Howard appear to be a perfect offensive marriage. During his first season as offensive coordinator, Klein showed creativity and aggressiveness, and he utilized Howard's talents in the passing game to reap outstanding results when he was on the field. Last season, K-State finished seventh all-time in school history in total points (452), second in total offense (5,863), fifth in yards per game (418.8), ninth in yards per play (6.1), second in total plays (958), sixth in passing yards (2,947), and first in lowest interception percentage (1.54%).

"Going into this year having it be my team and being the guy is a big-time difference for me," Howard says. "In terms of leadership, this lets me be a stronger leader knowing I'm the starting quarterback going into the season. I've been here three years and it hasn't been my season yet. Now being able to go into a season where the offense is built around my strengths, it's different and it feels really good."

Consider Howard has 3,143 career passing yards and needs 2,019 more to pass Chad May for fifth all-time in K-State history. He has 24 career touchdown passes and needs 13 more to tie Ell Roberson for fourth all-time, and his career passing efficiency of 130.9 is within striking distance of catching Klein's rating of 139.4 for fifth all-time at K-State. By the end of the 2023 season, Howard could join Jake Waters (2013-14) and Thompson (2017-21) as the only quarterbacks in school history to rank top-5 all-time in passing yards, touchdown passes, and passing efficiency.

"We're going to see Will Howard's best year this year without question," Klieman says. "I thought the last half of last season he was probably the most improved player in all of college football, or at least in the Big 12."

In mid-February, Howard caught a flight to Dallas to get in some extra specialized training with the grind of spring practice fast approaching. He worked out with John Beck and the coaches at 3DQB, which trains Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz and Lamar Jackson on biometric training and motion analysis. Howard was already familiar with 3DQB having worked out with Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud the previous spring in California.

In June, Howard attended the prestigious Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning offered some pointers to the invitees, and Howard's confidence further grew as he introspectively evaluated his performance against that of other college participants. He roomed with Washington's Mike Penix, Arizona's Jayden de Laura, and Oregon's Ty Thompson. Howard, along with Texas' Ewers, West Virginia's Garrett Green, TCU's Chandler Morris and UCF's John Rhys Plumlee, represented the Big 12.

"I went out there and threw, and I felt like I was one of the best ones out there," says Howard, who earned Manning Award Star of the Week last season. "Some of the guys there are getting all the (national) attention, but I figured, 'Why shouldn't I?' They were just like me."

If there was an awestruck moment for Howard this offseason, it arrived at the Manning Academy. A longtime avid fan of Peyton Manning — there's a reason why Howard wore No. 18 in high school and now wears No. 18 for the Wildcats — Howard finally met one of his idols.

"That moment was so cool," he says. "For a second, I was kind of freaking out in my head. That was awesome."

So, too, is Howard's next-level diligence toward perfecting his craft.

"He's as cerebral of a player as I've been around," Klein says. "He's able to visualize all 22 pieces — 11 on offense and 11 on defense — very, very quickly. He's able to help people. If it's not right, he fixes so many problems before they can happen in the huddle, getting lined up, formation and motion, and play-clock management. If it's not right, it's getting right in a hurry. From a defensive perspective, he truly understands what they're trying to do and why they're doing it and then how to play the game accordingly.

"There are so many things that he does well."

Says All-American left guard Cooper Beebe: "It's so amazing. I love that dude to death. He's a great leader. There's nobody I'd rather be protecting. He's absolutely one of the top quarterbacks in the country."

For Howard, the process begins with a routine. He wears the same socks the exact same way and wears the same cleats. He draws Nana's initial "N" and a heart on his wristband. Then he listens to Nana's voicemails — and he listens to her final voicemail to him twice. Nana was always so proud. She always believed in him. She left beautiful voicemails. Howard recently bought his first tattoo to honor Nana — a cross from the sixth-grade confirmation necklace she gave him and that he wears every day. The tattoo is etched above his heart.

There's unfinished business for K-State, which, if it "wins the day" each game could find itself in a high-stakes showdown at Texas on November 4 in Austin, Texas. Already the game is touted by some to be the No. 1 matchup in the Big 12 this fall.

"That's one I'm definitely looking forward to, playing those guys," Howard says. "I've never beaten them. It'll be a hell of an environment. I'm looking forward to that."

Although it's difficult to top the environment and aftermath of a thrilling Big 12 Championship, there's another game-ending scene that played out in dream-like fashion that the Howards will never forget.

It arrived after Will and K-State crushed the Cowboys.

"There were so many emotions when I found Will in the crowd and we hugged," Maureen says. "I still get emotional talking about it."

She pauses.

"Someone snapped a picture of that moment, and Will got it printed and framed for me for Christmas," she says. "He wrote on the back about our special angel who was watching over us."

Today, Howard officially opens 2023 fall camp as full-time starting quarterback for the first time. There might be many more firsts to come. It's been a long journey from Downingtown to Manhattan, a long voyage from his freshman to senior year, and it'll be a long path from today to December and January. The gears are grinding and time is ticking, as Howard dons his practice jersey and leads the Wildcats onto the football field as the bonafide starter, and as he continues to craft a story bent on unflappable perseverance, inner strength, and boundless passion. Yes, his story isn't finished. And what a tale it could be. Who knows? It might feature him riding upon the shoulder pads of giants again, the toast of the Little Apple, smiling, basking in the moment, and in the midst of penning another riveting chapter to share with the college football world. But there's more. There's so much more.

"This season, "Howard says, "we're going to be coming for it all."

Nana would be so proud.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Felix Anudike-Uzomah

Cooper Beebe

Will Howard

Adrian Martinez

Deuce Vaughn

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