‘I Loved K-State from the Jump’
Sep 10, 2026 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Ryan Howard saw it. He saw it all along. He was 12 years old that first time he entered the Vanier Family Football Complex. He was a younger brother accompanying his father and big brother on a midweek official recruiting visit in April 2019. Will Howard was a 17-year-old quarterback heading into his senior season at Downingtown West High School. When it came to choosing a college home, older brother wanted to weigh his options. He was hesitant being far from his family home in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
But 12-year-old Ryan sensed something special in the air in Manhattan, Kansas. He could feel it. When the Howards returned home from the trip, Ryan told his older brother, "Dude, I think K-State is where you're going to end up."
Three months later, Will announced his decision to come to K-State.
Little brother said, "I told you so."
Ryan is five years younger than Will. Football was their first love. When Will was the little boy on the football field, Ryan was cheering him on from the sideline. Eventually, Ryan followed the same path — flag football, then on through middle school and high school.
While Ryan wanted to play video games with friends, Will asked Ryan to play catch, throwing the football with such velocity that Ryan often retreated inside the house frustrated and bruised.
"I'd have to catch the football for him," Ryan says, "which with my hands was pretty tough. It didn't go very well."
Will says: "I'd murder his hands. He has the self-proclaimed lineman hands that can't catch a freaking burger, but he tried, and he wouldn't be happy about it."
While Will's presence grew on the football field at Downingtown West, Ryan's stature began to grow.
"When we were kids, I could beat up on my little brother as much as I wanted, but the doctors said that there was no doubt Ryan would grow to be bigger than me," Will says. "I thought I'd whip his butt forever. Then I went to K-State as an 18-year-old and then came home and he was 14 years old and 6-foot-2, then he was 15 and 6-foot-4, and then he was 16 and he was 6-foot-7 and gaining weight.
"I tried to pretend when I was at K-State that I still could take him, but I admit now that he's surpassed me physically. He's a big drink of water, man."
Turned out Ryan's eighth-grade year carried some significance for the Howard brothers, who maintained a close relationship: It was the final time Will would see Ryan play in a live football game.
That changed on the evening of Saturday, September 5, 2026. That's when Ryan, a junior who saw no action on the field in 2024 and 2025, trotted out onto the field as starting left tackle for K-State during its 71-3 win over Nicholls in the 2026 season opener at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Will, who's entering his second year as backup quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, joined his parents, Bob and Maureen, and sisters Tori and Grace, at Bill Snyder Family Stadium to witness and cheer on Ryan's milestone moment, as the 6-foot-7, 297-pounder, who arrived at K-State as a 335-pounder before cutting weight and rebuilding himself, turned in an admirable performance in his first official action as a Wildcat.
"It was surreal, man," Will says. "It was a special moment. It's full circle for me. It's emotional watching him go through the experiences that I went through and how special it was when I ran out onto that field for the first time and the sea or purple and roar and smoke when you're running out. That was his first Cat Walk and first time staying in the hotel. He got his first playing time, and it was as a freaking starter. It was emotional and a special moment for me and him."
Ryan thinks back to his 12-year-old self the first time he entered Vanier — and the journey that's followed.
"Walking through that door, I loved K-State from the jump," Ryan says. "Throughout my own recruiting process, I tried to look at other schools and didn't want to be dead set on going here and have options, but I always knew where home was at.
"Will has been nothing but supportive. Obviously, having him be able to come out here with him being off this past weekend was great. He's been great in helping me. We FaceTime for a couple hours watching film and just talking and looking over stuff. It's been awesome."
K-State head coach Collin Klein remembers that day in April 2019 when the Howards visited the Little Apple. Klein, then a K-State assistant coach under Chris Klieman, thinks back to Ryan, and grins.
"He's grown a lot since then," Klein says. "He was absolutely tremendous and an unbelievable young man. You could tell even at that point. He has an incredible family, and I'm so proud that he's been able to step up and contribute and help lead our team. I'm not surprised at all by his success on Saturday. I had really good confidence in what he was going to do and in his ability to play, and his effort level was absolutely tremendous and preparation was good, and good things happen when those two things are in place."
Howard was virtually an unshakable force in the season opener, during which K-State gained 559 total yards on 71 total plays, and averaged 7.9 yards per play from scrimmage. Howard helped K-State to 312 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, and Avery Johnson and the quarterbacks suffered no sacks in 27 combined passing attempts.
"Definitely there was just a comfort thing of settling into the game," Ryan says. "Going out there, getting it done, and knowing, 'I got this.' Then being able to just go out there and repeat it and repeat it and continue to work on things and get better throughout the game was great.
"There are some things to clean up. Overall, looking at the little things, I did what I wanted to do in both the pass and run game, but there are some things that I need to clean up. Overall, I got done what I wanted to do."
Ryan doesn't take his appearance on the field lightly. He's proud of himself for the hard work it required for him to physically construct himself into a domineering yet agile lineman and for him to feel at home along the offensive line. But there's an added motivation for Ryan to succeed this season.
Ryan wants to do well for his roommate and close friend, senior John Pastore, a 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 selection, who started all 12 games a year ago at left tackle, seeing time on 715 offensive snaps en route to All-Big 12 Second Team honors. Pastore went down with an injury in August, spurring questions about the left tackle position heading into the season. Ryan, who was listed as No. 2 on the depth chart behind Pastore, felt ready for the opportunity.
"It was tough because John is my roommate and one of my closest friends, so it was tough seeing him go down with a bad injury," Ryan says. "Then it quickly turned into, 'You're the next man up, and you have to step up.' There were a lot of emotions but being able to have some time and really settle in, build that confidence, and get ready, was great."
The concern was evident to Will, who picked up his cellphone after a meeting during Steelers training camp in August to find text message after text message from Ryan, reading, "Call me really quick."
"I called Ryan and the first thing Ryan said was, 'John got hurt,'" Will says. "He was devasted and so sad for John. He had just seen his other roommate, Michael Capria, go through the same injury the previous year, a brutal injury, and it's not an injury easy to come back from. Ryan was devastated for John. I asked, 'What does this mean for you?' Ryan said, 'I was running with the ones today.' Ryan feels like he's doing this for John, too. He has a little more to play for because John is his guy. It gives him a little bit more motivation.
"But, man, I'm just so excited for Ryan because when he made the decision to go to Kansas State, I wanted it to be his decision and wanted him not to just go there because I went there, but because it was what he truly wanted to do. When it came down to it, he knew when he was coming in that I was going to be gone, so he really made that decision on his own. He said, 'K-State is where I want to be and where I can get the most out of my college experience.' He really embraced it. I'm just excited for him to have his own journey and make his own legacy at K-State."
Klein says that he "isn't surprised at all" by Ryan's success at left tackle.
"It's been fun watching his growth progression and that consistency of work through the growth and his body changing," Klein says, "going from a young kid to his size and length in high school, and now even in the last couple years being able to work as hard as he has from a skill standpoint and footwork standpoint and in being able to develop himself into a very fine player."
Ryan saw his older brother develop into a very fine player as well.
"I got a little bit more of a jump at K-State than most freshmen do because I knew a lot of guys in the locker room, and the atmosphere, and the people around here, so it really helped me to get a little bit of a head start," Ryan says. "Seeing what Will was able to accomplish helped and really motivated me to want to chase excellence, too."
Now the journey toward excellence is in Ryan's hands, those big lineman mitts that, as Will puts it, "can't catch a freaking burger."
"I'm just really glad that he's getting to have this crack at this thing," Will says. "It's obviously special that it's at K-State, where we share a love and admiration for and have a lot of shared memories together. Seeing him on the football field on Saturday was special. It really was.
"The sky's the limit for Ryan. He's got all the tools, and ability physically and mentally. He's got a really bright future, and I'm really excited for him. We spend a lot of time talking football because it's a love language for both of us."
It's a shared love language that didn't begin with words, but rather with feel — a 12-year-old just sensing that he and his big brother would someday return to Manhattan, and that their story was just getting started that day in April 2019. Older brother returned and set records and lived out an incredible tale for several years at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Now younger brother is getting his chance to contribute and start at the school he calls "home."
Ryan Howard saw it. He saw it all along. He was 12 years old that first time he entered the Vanier Family Football Complex. He was a younger brother accompanying his father and big brother on a midweek official recruiting visit in April 2019. Will Howard was a 17-year-old quarterback heading into his senior season at Downingtown West High School. When it came to choosing a college home, older brother wanted to weigh his options. He was hesitant being far from his family home in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
But 12-year-old Ryan sensed something special in the air in Manhattan, Kansas. He could feel it. When the Howards returned home from the trip, Ryan told his older brother, "Dude, I think K-State is where you're going to end up."
Three months later, Will announced his decision to come to K-State.
Little brother said, "I told you so."
Ryan is five years younger than Will. Football was their first love. When Will was the little boy on the football field, Ryan was cheering him on from the sideline. Eventually, Ryan followed the same path — flag football, then on through middle school and high school.
While Ryan wanted to play video games with friends, Will asked Ryan to play catch, throwing the football with such velocity that Ryan often retreated inside the house frustrated and bruised.
"I'd have to catch the football for him," Ryan says, "which with my hands was pretty tough. It didn't go very well."
Will says: "I'd murder his hands. He has the self-proclaimed lineman hands that can't catch a freaking burger, but he tried, and he wouldn't be happy about it."
While Will's presence grew on the football field at Downingtown West, Ryan's stature began to grow.
"When we were kids, I could beat up on my little brother as much as I wanted, but the doctors said that there was no doubt Ryan would grow to be bigger than me," Will says. "I thought I'd whip his butt forever. Then I went to K-State as an 18-year-old and then came home and he was 14 years old and 6-foot-2, then he was 15 and 6-foot-4, and then he was 16 and he was 6-foot-7 and gaining weight.
"I tried to pretend when I was at K-State that I still could take him, but I admit now that he's surpassed me physically. He's a big drink of water, man."
Turned out Ryan's eighth-grade year carried some significance for the Howard brothers, who maintained a close relationship: It was the final time Will would see Ryan play in a live football game.
That changed on the evening of Saturday, September 5, 2026. That's when Ryan, a junior who saw no action on the field in 2024 and 2025, trotted out onto the field as starting left tackle for K-State during its 71-3 win over Nicholls in the 2026 season opener at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Will, who's entering his second year as backup quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, joined his parents, Bob and Maureen, and sisters Tori and Grace, at Bill Snyder Family Stadium to witness and cheer on Ryan's milestone moment, as the 6-foot-7, 297-pounder, who arrived at K-State as a 335-pounder before cutting weight and rebuilding himself, turned in an admirable performance in his first official action as a Wildcat.
"It was surreal, man," Will says. "It was a special moment. It's full circle for me. It's emotional watching him go through the experiences that I went through and how special it was when I ran out onto that field for the first time and the sea or purple and roar and smoke when you're running out. That was his first Cat Walk and first time staying in the hotel. He got his first playing time, and it was as a freaking starter. It was emotional and a special moment for me and him."
Ryan thinks back to his 12-year-old self the first time he entered Vanier — and the journey that's followed.
"Walking through that door, I loved K-State from the jump," Ryan says. "Throughout my own recruiting process, I tried to look at other schools and didn't want to be dead set on going here and have options, but I always knew where home was at.
"Will has been nothing but supportive. Obviously, having him be able to come out here with him being off this past weekend was great. He's been great in helping me. We FaceTime for a couple hours watching film and just talking and looking over stuff. It's been awesome."
K-State head coach Collin Klein remembers that day in April 2019 when the Howards visited the Little Apple. Klein, then a K-State assistant coach under Chris Klieman, thinks back to Ryan, and grins.
"He's grown a lot since then," Klein says. "He was absolutely tremendous and an unbelievable young man. You could tell even at that point. He has an incredible family, and I'm so proud that he's been able to step up and contribute and help lead our team. I'm not surprised at all by his success on Saturday. I had really good confidence in what he was going to do and in his ability to play, and his effort level was absolutely tremendous and preparation was good, and good things happen when those two things are in place."
Howard was virtually an unshakable force in the season opener, during which K-State gained 559 total yards on 71 total plays, and averaged 7.9 yards per play from scrimmage. Howard helped K-State to 312 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, and Avery Johnson and the quarterbacks suffered no sacks in 27 combined passing attempts.
"Definitely there was just a comfort thing of settling into the game," Ryan says. "Going out there, getting it done, and knowing, 'I got this.' Then being able to just go out there and repeat it and repeat it and continue to work on things and get better throughout the game was great.
"There are some things to clean up. Overall, looking at the little things, I did what I wanted to do in both the pass and run game, but there are some things that I need to clean up. Overall, I got done what I wanted to do."
Ryan doesn't take his appearance on the field lightly. He's proud of himself for the hard work it required for him to physically construct himself into a domineering yet agile lineman and for him to feel at home along the offensive line. But there's an added motivation for Ryan to succeed this season.
Ryan wants to do well for his roommate and close friend, senior John Pastore, a 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 selection, who started all 12 games a year ago at left tackle, seeing time on 715 offensive snaps en route to All-Big 12 Second Team honors. Pastore went down with an injury in August, spurring questions about the left tackle position heading into the season. Ryan, who was listed as No. 2 on the depth chart behind Pastore, felt ready for the opportunity.
"It was tough because John is my roommate and one of my closest friends, so it was tough seeing him go down with a bad injury," Ryan says. "Then it quickly turned into, 'You're the next man up, and you have to step up.' There were a lot of emotions but being able to have some time and really settle in, build that confidence, and get ready, was great."
The concern was evident to Will, who picked up his cellphone after a meeting during Steelers training camp in August to find text message after text message from Ryan, reading, "Call me really quick."
"I called Ryan and the first thing Ryan said was, 'John got hurt,'" Will says. "He was devasted and so sad for John. He had just seen his other roommate, Michael Capria, go through the same injury the previous year, a brutal injury, and it's not an injury easy to come back from. Ryan was devastated for John. I asked, 'What does this mean for you?' Ryan said, 'I was running with the ones today.' Ryan feels like he's doing this for John, too. He has a little more to play for because John is his guy. It gives him a little bit more motivation.
"But, man, I'm just so excited for Ryan because when he made the decision to go to Kansas State, I wanted it to be his decision and wanted him not to just go there because I went there, but because it was what he truly wanted to do. When it came down to it, he knew when he was coming in that I was going to be gone, so he really made that decision on his own. He said, 'K-State is where I want to be and where I can get the most out of my college experience.' He really embraced it. I'm just excited for him to have his own journey and make his own legacy at K-State."
Klein says that he "isn't surprised at all" by Ryan's success at left tackle.
"It's been fun watching his growth progression and that consistency of work through the growth and his body changing," Klein says, "going from a young kid to his size and length in high school, and now even in the last couple years being able to work as hard as he has from a skill standpoint and footwork standpoint and in being able to develop himself into a very fine player."
Ryan saw his older brother develop into a very fine player as well.
"I got a little bit more of a jump at K-State than most freshmen do because I knew a lot of guys in the locker room, and the atmosphere, and the people around here, so it really helped me to get a little bit of a head start," Ryan says. "Seeing what Will was able to accomplish helped and really motivated me to want to chase excellence, too."
Now the journey toward excellence is in Ryan's hands, those big lineman mitts that, as Will puts it, "can't catch a freaking burger."
"I'm just really glad that he's getting to have this crack at this thing," Will says. "It's obviously special that it's at K-State, where we share a love and admiration for and have a lot of shared memories together. Seeing him on the football field on Saturday was special. It really was.
"The sky's the limit for Ryan. He's got all the tools, and ability physically and mentally. He's got a really bright future, and I'm really excited for him. We spend a lot of time talking football because it's a love language for both of us."
It's a shared love language that didn't begin with words, but rather with feel — a 12-year-old just sensing that he and his big brother would someday return to Manhattan, and that their story was just getting started that day in April 2019. Older brother returned and set records and lived out an incredible tale for several years at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Now younger brother is getting his chance to contribute and start at the school he calls "home."
Players Mentioned
Thursday, September 10
Tuesday, September 08
Tuesday, September 08
Monday, September 07
