The confetti was still falling in Atlanta when Will Howard started talking. Not about the trophy. Not about the game plan. About Kansas State. About the program he gave four years to, the one that handed him the keys to a Big 12 championship offense and then quietly funneled more NIL money to the freshman sitting behind him on the depth chart. Howard committed to Ohio State on January 4, 2024. Months later, he was holding a national championship trophy. K-State was holding a coaching search.
The Deal That Wasn’t
Nov 22, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) looks to pass against the Utah Utes during the first quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Howard told reporters everything he did for NIL at Kansas State “was on my own.” Meanwhile, freshman backup Avery Johnson was building an NIL portfolio that would later be valued by On3 at roughly $1.6 million, anchored by partnerships with brands such as EA Sports, Red Bull, and Manhattan-based Bev-Hub. Howard was the projected starter coming off a conference championship season, and he watched the money flow past him to a player who hadn’t yet locked down the starting job. That’s the kind of math that sends a quarterback to the transfer portal.
Politics on the Depth Chart
Kansas State coach Collin Klein walks the field during practice on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
Howard didn’t mince words: “There were games I was splitting time with him for no reason that I knew other than there was money going to him that wasn’t going to me.” Read that again. The Big 12 champion quarterback believes his own program benched him in spots to justify a freshman’s NIL investment. K-State’s tradition of running quarterbacks like Collin Klein and Michael Bishop made Johnson’s athletic profile appealing. But Howard had just helped deliver the conference title. The assumption that your job is safe if you perform died right there.
The Escape and the Payday
Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State quarterback Will Howard (QB07) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
“They kind of took advantage of me and got me for cheap, so I decided to go somewhere else and make a little money.” Howard signed a one-year, seven-figure NIL deal at Ohio State, with reporting indicating housing and car perks were part of the package. Miami and USC came calling too, with Miami reportedly “throwing around a lot of money.” He picked Columbus. Started all 16 games. Threw for 4,010 yards. 35 touchdowns. A 73% completion rate that set an Ohio State single-season record. Then he won the national championship as Offensive MVP.
The Hidden Valuation System
Oct 26, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard warms up for a game against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Here’s what K-State effectively did: they priced a freshman’s ceiling higher than a senior’s floor, according to Howard’s own account. In the NIL marketplace, projected potential can outrank proven performance. Johnson’s athletic upside fit K-State’s running-QB tradition, and deals accumulated accordingly. Howard said it plainly: “It’s different when you go to a school, and you’re the guy getting money. It’s amazing how different you’re treated.” Treatment tracks money, not merit. That’s not a football problem. That’s a labor market operating exactly as designed.
The Numbers Nobody Wants to Say Out Loud
Nov 29, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats running back Joe Jackson (4) takes the handoff from quarterback Avery Johnson (2) during the fourth quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images
At Kansas State, Avery Johnson’s collective NIL deals have been valued at about $1.6 million by On3, ranking him among the top college athletes nationally. Howard, by his own description, was “got for cheap” before leaving, then signed a seven-figure package at Ohio State. The gap between those two realities is several multiples over, based on Howard’s own description. That’s the same player. Same arm. Same brain. Different zip code, different price tag. The portal didn’t create free agency. It revealed it.
The Fallout in Manhattan
Kansas State football head coach Chris Klieman gives a thumbs up after leaving a press announcement inside the Vanier Football Complex on Dec. 3, 2025.
Howard left. Questions about Chris Klieman’s long-term future followed, and offensive coordinator Collin Klein has long been discussed as a potential in-house successor given his program ties. K-State faces a quarterback transition and possible staff turnover, tracing in part back to an NIL miscalculation Howard has publicly described. Programs like Kansas State, Iowa State, and Texas Tech now stare down the same math: pay your stars or lose them to Ohio State, Miami, and USC. Smaller-market schools don’t just lose players anymore. They lose the institutional stability that held everything together.
The Bet That Paid Off Too Late
Nov 1, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) runs with the ball for a touchdown against Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive back Brice Pollock (14) in the first quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images
The strangest part of this story? Avery Johnson is thriving. He enters 2025 as K-State’s starter after a junior campaign in which he accumulated 3,317 yards and 32 total touchdowns, and after earning 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl MVP honors. K-State’s bet on his potential was correct. They just couldn’t keep Howard long enough for it to matter. Every transfer now reflects a hidden NIL valuation the exiting program placed on that player. Once you see that, every portal announcement reads differently. This wasn’t an exception. It set the new rule for how programs lose their best.
The Arms Race Accelerates
Jul 24, 2025; Latrobe, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard (18) participates in drills during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Howard finished his college career with 9,796 passing yards and 83 touchdowns. Pittsburgh drafted him in the sixth round, 185th overall. A national championship quarterback, Offensive MVP, school-record setter, picked on Day 3. The NFL valued his ceiling differently than Ohio State did. Which means Howard lived the same lesson twice: your worth depends entirely on who’s doing the math. Competing programs are already responding with multi-year NIL guarantees to lock up quarterbacks before the portal window opens.
Loyalty Is a Line Item Now
Dec 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard (18) and Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers (14) talk at mid-field after the game at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Howard called the transfer “the best decision I ever made.” Hard to argue with a championship ring and Offensive MVP hardware. But the real takeaway isn’t about one quarterback’s revenge tour. It’s that any starting player who perceives themselves undervalued on NIL now has an explicit exit strategy with immediate eligibility. K-State did everything right with Johnson and still lost their champion. The old loyalty system assumed players couldn’t leave. Now they can. And the programs still pretending otherwise are the next ones holding a coaching search.
Sources:
Why former QB Will Howard said Kansas State ‘took advantage’ of him — CBS Sports
Will Howard opines to The Athletic about his last year at K-State — The Athletic / New York Times
Steelers select Howard in sixth round — Steelers.com
Will Howard (American football) — Wikipedia
Kansas State QB Avery Johnson adds to portfolio with new NIL deal — Yahoo Sports / On3
Kansas State wins 2022 Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championship — Big12Sports.com
