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Why did Will Howard transfer to Ohio State? Explaining Kansas State departure

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Why did Will Howard transfer to Ohio State? Explaining Kansas State departure


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Rewind to Week 8 of the 2023 season, and Will Howard found himself on the bench in the second half of Kansas State’s game against Texas Tech.

Howard, who attempted only one pass in the second half of the game, was relieved by true freshman Avery Johnson, who scored five rushing touchdowns as Wildcats coach Chris Klieman said the quarterback-run game was open. Johnson’s performance led to Kansas State’s 38-21 win that night.

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Fast forward a year, and Howard is in a position no one saw coming. After losing his role for a short time in 2023, the fifth-year senior has Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal and has thrown for a CFP-leading 630 yards with five touchdowns in two dominant wins over Tennessee and Oregon.

The 6-foot-4 signal caller heads into the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl matchup with Texas on Friday with 3,490 passing yards with 32 touchdowns to nine interceptions this season, putting himself on the NFL draft radar.

While Howard took the majority of the snaps the rest of the way for Kansas State, he did surrender some work to the Wildcats’ young phenom in 2023. His transfer to Ohio State has been clearly the right move for the Downing, Pennsylvania, native.

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Here’s everything to know about Howard’s transfer last offseason, and how he has excelled at Ohio State this season:

Why did Will Howard transfer to Ohio State?

Howard never explicitly stated his reasoning to leave Kansas State, however, with one extra season of eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Howard likely wanted to play for a team ready to compete at the national stage.

Howard likely wasn’t going to achieve that at Kansas State, although he went 12-5 as the starter there in 2022 and 2023 with a 2022 Big 12 championship win over TCU, who reached the national championship that season. He also knew he’d be one of the top transfer portal quarterbacks available in a year where numerous teams had a spot to fill, along with respecting that the Wildcats had Johnson in waiting.

Ohio State, of course, also had a spot open, as Kyle McCord entered the transfer portal despite throwing for 3,170 yards with 24 touchdowns to six interceptions last season. All signs pointed to the Buckeyes taking a quarterback regardless of McCord’s move, however, to promote competition for the spot after some of McCord’s blunders in big games.

Howard took official visits to Miami, USC and Ohio State, and ultimately chose the Buckeyes due to the opportunity to win a national championship, plus the exposure on the national stage that would hopefully improve his NFL draft stock.

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“The goal I have, I want to go win a national championship,” Howard told ESPN after committing. “At the end of the day, I want to go be a starting quarterback in the NFL. … I feel like the best place to stick as a quarterback in the NFL is as a first- or second-round pick in the NFL draft. Going to Ohio State gives me a chance to make a jump and leap into that conversation.”

Howard nearly entered the NFL draft last offseason, especially after landing a coveted invite from the Senior Bowl. However, he seemingly thought that a season at Ohio State would do more for his chances than leaving last season.

Howard made huge strides as a passer during his time at Kansas State, going from a run-first quarterback to a consistent passer. His biggest jump came at Ohio State, however, as his completion percentage rose to 72.6% this season, over 10 points higher than his previous best of 61.3% in 2023.

Howard said his production at Kansas State didn’t match what he thought of himself as a player, and that rung true after his showing with the Buckeyes this season.

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“The week before I committed here I received a Senior Bowl invite,” Howard told reporters at his introductory press conference last January. “That was probably the thing I was closest to doing was going in the draft. I was projected a third- to sixth-round pick, that’s what I was hearing. You can never really trust everything you hear, but that was consensus what I was hearing.

“I just felt like I had the opportunity and felt like my talent level didn’t match where my stock was. And I felt like I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try and bump that up and go somewhere to compete for a national championship.”

Will Howard stats

Here are Howard’s year-by-year college stats:

  • 2020 (Kansas State): 90 of 168 passing (53.6%) for 1,178 yards with eight touchdowns to 10 interceptions; 78 rushes for 364 yards with three touchdowns
  • 2021 (Kansas State): 30 of 55 passing (54.5%) for 332 yards with a touchdown to an interception; 32 rushes for 184 yards with four touchdowns
  • 2022 (Kansas State): 119 of 199 passing (59.8%) for 1,633 yards with 15 touchdowns to four interceptions; 35 rushes for 22 yards with three touchdowns
  • 2023 (Kansas State): 219 of 357 passing (61.3%) for 2,643 yards with 24 touchdowns to 10 interceptions; 81 rushes for 351 yards with nine touchdowns
  • 2024 (Ohio State): 268 of 369 passing (72.6%) for 3,490 yards with 32 touchdowns to nine interceptions; 82 rushes for 165 yards with seven touchdowns



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Ex-husband arrested in deaths of Ohio dentist and his wife | CNN

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Ex-husband arrested in deaths of Ohio dentist and his wife | CNN


The ex-husband of Monique Tepe has been arrested in connection with the killings of the mother and her husband Spencer Tepe, a respected dentist, in their Ohio home last week, Columbus police said Saturday.

Michael David McKee, 39, who court records identify as Monique Tepe’s ex-husband, is in custody in Winnebago County, Illinois, according to inmate records with the sheriff’s office.

McKee is scheduled to appear in court Monday, records show. He was arrested on two counts of murder in the killings on Saturday, an incident report shows, and was taken into custody “without incident” in Rockford, Illinois, police said.

Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, were found dead with apparent gunshot wounds on December 30 in their house in Columbus. The couple’s two children, ages 4 and 1, were also inside but were not physically harmed, police said.

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The arrest marks a major development in the case after the suspect in the couple’s killings remained on the loose for more than 10 days, during which police released scant details on the investigation.

Police said Saturday they will release further information “as appropriate” to avoid compromising the “active and ongoing case progress” and urged people to contact them with any information related to the tragedy.

Authorities did not find any obvious signs of forced entry or any firearm at the scene, CNN affiliate WSYX reported.

Colleagues in Spencer Tepe’s dental practice called 911 after he uncharacteristically didn’t show up to work. One of Tepe’s friends went to the couple’s house, peered inside and saw a gruesome scene next to a bed, according to emergency dispatch audio.

“There’s … there’s a body,” the friend told 911. “Our friend wasn’t answering his phone. We just did a wellness check. We just came here. And he appears dead.”

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Asked if Tepe had been ill, the friend responded, “No, no. I was just with him yesterday.”

The couple’s two children and dog are now in the care of relatives, the Tepes’ brother-in-law said.



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Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

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Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Friday, Jan. 9, 2026


CLEVELAND, Ohio — OHSAA girls basketball scores from Friday in Ohio, as provided by The Associated Press.

Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, Mich. 43, Notre Dame Academy 35

Baltimore Liberty Union 47, Cols. Hamilton Twp. 34

Berlin Center Western Reserve 68, N. Jackson Jackson-Milton 46

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Blanchester 40, Bethel-Tate 37

Chagrin Falls 37, Burton Berkshire 32

Circleville 62, Amanda-Clearcreek 40

Cle. Hay 88, Cle. Glenville 2

Cols. Centennial 78, Columbus International 50

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Cols. Linden-McKinley 54, Cols. Whetstone 28

Cols. Walnut Ridge 73, Cols. Marion-Franklin 12

Delaware Buckeye Valley 50, CSG 43

Delta 48, Bryan 44

Dublin Coffman 47, Cols. Upper Arlington 39

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Hilliard Darby 43, Thomas Worthington 32

Johnstown 47, Johnstown Northridge 41

Mason 54, Cin. Colerain 32

Newark 56, Ashville Teays Valley 42

Oak Harbor 52, Millbury Lake 31

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Ohio Deaf 50, Ky. School for the Deaf, Ky. 9

Pemberville Eastwood 65, Rossford 35

Pickerington North 41, New Albany 33

Springboro 66, Centerville 33

Stryker 54, Montpelier 20

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W. Chester Lakota W. 76, Fairfield 24

Wauseon 55, Swanton 13

Western Reserve Academy 65, Lawrenceville School, N.J. 33

Westerville Cent. 57, Grove City Cent. Crossing 20

Worthington Christian 57, Tree of Life 16

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Zanesville 58, Newark Licking Valley 40



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Ohio State students hone academic, business skills through study abroad programs

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Ohio State students hone academic, business skills through study abroad programs


Students across various majors at The Ohio State University recently gathered at the Fisher College of Business to discuss how study abroad opportunities have helped them hone skills that will benefit their studies and chosen career paths.

Fisher’s Office of Global Business and its Office of Advancement hosted the inaugural Global Experience Luncheon. The event was held at the Blackwell Inn on the Columbus campus.

The luncheon brought together alumni who have donated to study abroad programs with students who have participated in them, said Dominic DiCamillo, senior director of the Office of Global Business.

“We were excited to partner with Advancement for the first time to facilitate this type of personal connection. The families that have created these endowments, oftentimes, they hoped it would have some sort of positive impact,” he said. “This is the first time for them to hear firsthand from the students who recently participated.”

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Xin Lin, a third-year finance student, shared her experiences studying abroad in Hamburg, Germany, and Chiang Mai, Thailand. While in Germany in summer 2024, Lin completed the Fisher Freshman Global Lab with Professor Michael Knemeyer and studied at the Kühne Logistics University.

During Lin’s semester in Germany, her cohort toured the facilities of several international companies, including the Mercedes-Benz auto manufacturer, Seven Senders logistics enterprise, and Jack Wolfskin outdoor apparel.

“This was my first time being in Europe,” she said. “It was a really eye-opening experience and taught me to be curious about exploring other cultures, which is why I made the decision to study abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand.”

This past summer in Chiang Mai, Lin completed the competitive Fisher Global Consulting: Nonprofit program, which is funded by an endowment established by Chris Connor, a 1978 Ohio State alumnus, and his wife, Sara. The participating students, called Connor Scholars, gain firsthand insights into the cultures and business practices of countries in developing regions worldwide.

“We were there for two weeks working on the sustainability and the marketing for the local elephant foundation, as well as to support the villagers,” she said. “And my team and I, we worked on the sustainability curriculum for the local school.”

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Lin said participating in study abroad programs sharpened her decision-making and problem-solving skills.

“Leveraging these experiences has strengthened my understanding of international business and macroeconomics,” she said. “Most importantly, it is the growth mindset and the endless learning that these experiences have taught me, and I’m really excited to be carrying these values into my future career and my academic journey.”

Jacob Brodson, a fourth-year marketing major, said participating in the Fisher Global Marketing Lab in Taiwan this past summer was “a transformational, life-changing trip.”

Jacob Brodson (center) said he met more than 25 Ohio State alumni in Taiwan.“If you can go to someplace that’s so fundamentally different from what we experience here on a day-to-day basis, you should absolutely take the opportunity to,” he said. “And Taiwan is that opportunity.”

Brodson said studying marketing and visiting 10 companies in Taiwan gave him a broader perspective on business practices in different countries.

“We went to TSMC, which is the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. That’s the 10th largest company in the world that you probably have never heard of, but they make all the phone and computer chips that are in your cellphones,” he said. “It was an unbelievable experience to see that.”

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Brodson and his classmates also toured a Kenda Tire facility.

“They actually do a lot of marketing at Ohio State sporting events because their U.S. headquarters is out in Reynoldsburg,” Brodson said. “We got to see their entire manufacturing plant in Taiwan.”

Brodson said he was pleasantly surprised to discover a Buckeye community overseas. He met more than 25 Ohio State alumni throughout Taiwan.

“We are halfway across the world and yet the most beautiful thing is that there are still reminders of home. We’re halfway across the country and there are still Buckeyes there,” he said. “That is one of the coolest things – seeing the Ohio State alumni and the fact that this Buckeye tradition transcends countries.”

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