MANHATTAN — Former Kansas State football quarterback Will Howard, who helped lead the Wildcats to 18 victories and a Big 12 championship over the past two seasons, is headed to the Big Ten.

After leaving K-State at the end of the regular season, Howard became a hot commodity on the transfer market, and on Thursday he announced on social media that he is headed to national powerhouse Ohio State.

“THE Ohio State University. Thank You God!!” Howard posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

Howard had plenty of options after entering the transfer portal as a graduate. He visited both Miami and Southern California before settling on Ohio State, where he will have a chance to close out his career as the successor to Kyle McCord as the Buckeyes’ quarterback.

Ohio State also will put him closer to his hometown of Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

The first sign that Howard might leave K-State with a year of eligibility remaining came on senior night, after the Wildcats lost to Iowa State, 42-35, to close out the regular season.

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“It’s hard to put it into words, honestly. This place has meant the world to me,” he said. “All the relationships that I’ve had, the people that I’ve come across. All the coaches, all the players.

“Genuinely I love this place and I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life. This place turned me into a man.”

Howard had his ups and downs in four years at K-State, but the highlight was clearly a run to the 2022 Big 12 championship and a Sugar Bowl invitation after he took over for injured starter Adrian Martinez midway through the season.

In 2023 he started every game, throwing for 2,643 yards and 24 touchdowns, and he left as the school career recordholder with 48 touchdown passes. He finished his four years with 5,786 passing yards.

But Howard also struggled in a disappointing loss at Oklahoma State, which pushed true freshman and fan favorite Avery Johnson into the spotlight and led the two of them to be listed as co-starters on the depth chart the rest of the year.

But Howard regained his footing to finish the season strong and was named to the All-Big 12 second team by the league coaches.

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Howard also had some rough patches early in his career, especially after he was forced into action as a true freshman during the 2020 pandemic season when starter Skylar Thompson got hurt. K-State finished on a five-game losing streak with Howard behind center.

With Howard’s decision to transfer, it opened the door for Johnson to get a jump on the 2024 season in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. He responded by leading the Wildcats to a 28-19 victory over North Carolina State and was named the game’s most valuable player.

But Howard leaves a legacy as one of K-State’s top quarterbacks. And now he has a chance to do more of the same at Ohio State.

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.