Kansas State non-committal on Will Howard as starter due to Avery Johnson

Kansas State coach Chris Klieman faces a conundrum on who to start at quarterback between Will Howard and Avery Johnson. The players were listed with an “or” in between their names on the Week 8 depth chart, indicating the Wildcats are at least considering switching things up after Howard started the first six games.

It’s a possibility few could have seen coming after Howard led K-State to its first Big 12 title since 2012 last season. However, after Johnson rushed for 90 yards and a school-record five touchdowns in a 38-21 win against Texas Tech, it’s certainly up for discussion.

Derek Young of K-State Online joined On3‘s Andy Staples on Tuesday to discuss Johnson’s record performance. He also revealed Klieman has been “non-committal” on Howard remaining the starter heading into a rematch of last year’s Big 12 Championship against TCU on Saturday.

“It was one of the not just best performances ever by a true freshman, but Avery Johnson in general tied the school record for rushing touchdowns in a game, which by the way, was held by his offensive coordinator in Collin Klein,” Young said. “So that makes it kind of interesting in its own right. Everyone’s gonna be pining for him to start this upcoming week when they host TCU in what is a rematch from the Big 12 Championship Game.

“That hasn’t been announced yet, but I thought it was at least significant that coach Klieman, who tends to be conservative in what he shares to the media and how he addresses his team and his roster, was at least noncommittal when asked if it was still Will Howard’s team.”

Johnson arrived on the Kansas State campus in January as one of the most highly rated recruits in school history. Not only was he the No. 1 player from the state of Kansas, but also the No. 9 quarterback in the 2023 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The freshman didn’t just make an impact on the ground Saturday either, as he also went 8-of-9 (88.9%) passing for 77 yards. His talent has been evident from the moment he stepped on campus, when coaches raved about him in spring and fall camp.

Still, given how Howard performed last year to throw for 1,633 yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions in just seven games, it won’t be an easy choice to make.

“Will Howard won them the Big 12 Championship a year ago against TCU, which is the team that they’re about to play this week,” Young explained. “So it’s really hard, especially, it still feels quick to kind of come off the quarterback that led you to your first conference title in about a decade. So it’s a tough decision to be had, but I think they knew probably in the back of their minds that something like this was possible.

“Even in the spring, they said, ‘he’s good enough to go now. We have something.’ They knew even in a month of him being on campus that he was someone they could play right away and provide either a spark or some offensive explosiveness. At one point I had someone tell me at the team practice in August, ‘whenever we put him in, even with the ones, it’s a touchdown nearly every time.’ So I think they knew at some point they were going to have no other choice.”

Still, Howard hasn’t looked quite like the same player, especially over the past few games. The turning point began when the quarterback when 15-of-34 (44.1%) passing for just 152 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in a 29-21 Week 6 loss to Oklahoma State.

Klieman told reporters after that game that he nearly put Johnson in the game then, and followed through on the decision to play both quarterbacks the next week. That led the the big performance from Johnson, and has now created the possibility of a midseason quarterback change.

“Unfortunately for Howard, he hasn’t been as good this year as he was last year,” Young said. “So he’s kind of forcing that decision even a little bit. Avery got in against Missouri, but Howard’s performance against Oklahoma State ignites this conversation further.”

We’ll see whether Kansas State sticks with Will Howard next week against TCU, but it’s looking more and more likely that Johnson may have taken over. Kickoff between the Wildcats and Horned Frogs is set for 6 p.m. CT on Saturday in Manhattan.