Former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard is in line to be the new starter at Ohio State after announcing his transfer on Thursday night.
Charlie Riedel | AP file photo
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard announced his intention to transfer to Ohio State on Thursday night, giving the Buckeyes a replacement for Kyle McCord after his own decision to transfer to Syracuse.
Howard made the announcement on his social media channels.
Howard has one season of eligibility remaining after he went 12-5 as a starter for the Wildcats, leading them past TCU in the 2022 Big 12 title game and helping them reach the Pop-Tarts Bowl this past season. But with Kansas State expected to turn over its offense to five-star prospect Avery Johnson, who led the Wildcats to a victory in the bowl game, Howard announced he was entering the transfer portal and considered Miami and Southern California before settling on Ohio State.
He also considered declaring for the NFL draft before deciding to spend a year with the Buckeyes.
Howard has prototypical NFL size at 6-foot-5, 240-plus pounds, and along with a strong arm the ability to run. He also gives Ohio State some experience, having started 27 games and thrown for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns during his career.
The Buckeyes missed out on the College Football Playoff following their regular-season loss to Michigan, landing them in the Cotton Bowl. McCord’s decision to transfer forced them to start Devin Brown against Missouri, and he left in the second quarter with a sprained ankle, forcing Lincoln Kienholz to play the rest of the way in a 14-3 loss.
Johnson threw for 178 yards and two scores, ran for 71 yards and another TD and was voted the MVP of the Pop-Tarts Bowl for helping the Wildcats to a 28-19 victory over North Carolina State.
SOONERS FIRE ROOF
NORMAN, Okla. — Former Penn State assistant Ted Roof was fired on Thursday as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Oklahoma, following a season in which the Sooners’ defense started strong but struggled down the stretch.
Sooners coach Brent Venables said in a news release that he told Roof he was being let go as defensive coordinator, and that Roof declined an offer to remain on the staff in a different role.
Oklahoma made significant improvements this season, Roof’s second with the Sooners. Oklahoma ranked second nationally with 20 interceptions and sixth in takeaways with 26.
The Sooners held their first five opponents to 20 or fewer points. Oklahoma then handed Texas its only regular-season loss, improving to 6-0.
The rest of the season didn’t go as well. The Sooners lost to Kansas and Oklahoma State, and they gave up 520 yards in a 69-45 win over TCU in the regular-season finale.
Roof’s final game was a 38-24 loss to Arizona in the Alamo Bowl. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita passed for 354 yards and two touchdowns.
The Sooners, who are leaving the Big 12 to join the Southeastern Conference next season, will have new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Before the Alamo Bowl, the Sooners promoted Seth Littrell from offensive analyst to coordinator, filling the void left by Jeff Lebby, who was hired as Mississippi State’s head coach. The Sooners also previously promoted tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley to co-offensive coordinator.