Why Kansas State football quarterback Will Howard is oozing confidence for the 2023 season

Cooper Beebe has been around Will Howard for three years now — ever since Howard arrived at Kansas State as a mid-year high school graduate in the spring of 2020.

He watched Howard struggle through two seasons as a backup when veteran starter Skylar Thompson got hurt, and then while he patiently went about his work last spring knowing that fifth-year Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez was the presumptive starter.

Beebe also has seen the change in Howard since he took over for an injured Martinez midway through last season. Not only did he fill in, but he took K-State’s offense to another level while leading the Wildcats to five victories in six starts, including the Big 12 championship game.

"I think you just see a whole lost more confidence," said Beebe, the Wildcats' All-Big 12 left guard and conference offensive lineman of the year. "He's the guy.

"He plays with that swagger, he plays with that confidence, and he's ready to roll. He's a great leader and it's just fun to see."

More: How Kansas State football quarterback Will Howard bet on himself, and came out a winner

Even before his 2022 breakout season, Howard had logged plenty of practice time with the first-team offense. Each of the previous two springs he served as the de facto No. 1 quarterback while Thompson and Martinez recovered from injury.

Only this year, he knew the job was his.

"Going into this year having it be my team and being the guy is a big-time difference for me," said Howard, who in his seven appearances last year threw for 1,633 yards and 14 touchdowns with just four interceptions. "Because I've been here for three years, and it hasn't been my time yet. It hasn't been my season yet.

"So now being able to go into the season where the offense is kind of built around my strengths and our strengths as an offense, it's different and it feels really good."

Even when he stumbled those first two years in relief of Thompson, head coach Chris Klieman continued to rave about Howard, going so far as to calling him the best backup quarterback in college football. And despite the fact that he and offensive coordinator brought Martinez in as a one-year solution, they didn't hesitate to pull Howard's redshirt.

More: Kansas State football quarterbacks Adrian Martinez and Will Howard put the team first

"Confidence (and) belief. Those are the two things I think of when I think of Will Howard," Klieman said. "He's had an incredible journey at Kansas State, and he's had some ups and downs. But he's always weathered the storm.

"He's always bet on himself and believed in himself. Most importantly, I would tell you that as we come into fall camp, the whole football team believes in Will Howard. The whole football team knows that you can win a Big 12 championship with Will Howard at quarterback."

That goes for the defense as well as the offense.

"Will is just a great quarterback, and he has that dog in him," said K-State senior safety Kobe Savage. "Even as a backup, per se, he was still a leader. He and Adrian were vice versa, just going back and forth, black and white. They were both leading in different ways, bringing positive encouragement.

"Will definitely took a great step in leadership (this spring), and I feel like he's definitely, if not the main captain of the team, he does a great job bringing people along."

There is also little doubt that Klein, a former Wildcat quarterback in his first year as offensive coordinator, also brought out the best in the 6-foot-5, 242-pound Howard. Courtney Messingham, Klein's predecessor, was proponent of the quarterback run game.

More: Will Howard has kept his eye on the prize and Kansas State football is reaping the rewards

As a result, Howard rushed for 364 yards in nine games as a freshman and 184 in six appearances his sophomore year, while last year he netted just 22 yards on the ground.

"It was kind of funny, because when I started off at K-State, when I was in high school, I was pro style all the way," Howard said with a smile. "My friends would make fun of me when I ran. But I got here, and my athleticism improved a lot, and I was asked to be more of a running quarterback, but it wasn't really my thing.

"I feel like last year I was definitely more of a pro-style, throw first quarterback. But I want to be able to have that throw first mindset, but also be able to make some plays with my legs."

Klieman sees the 2023 version of Howard as the total package.

"I've just marveled at how he attacks his craft," Klieman said of Howard, whose only blemish as a starter last year was a blowout loss to perennial powerhouse Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. "He's always watching film, he's always breaking things down, and he's always being a servant leader, which is very unselfish. He is meeting with tight ends, meeting with running backs and just sharing his knowledge of football.

"And then he continues to work on his physical traits. He's leaner this year, he's stronger, and I know that he's worked on some mechanical things. We're going to see Will Howard's best year this year without question, and I thought the last half of last year he was probably the most improved player in all of college football, at least the Big 12."

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

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football quarterback Will Howard confident as a starter