Kansas State’s offensive line took a pair of heavy hits in training camp, but the Wildcats appear ready to hand the left tackle job to junior Ryan Howard and trust him with one of the most important assignments on the field.
The shakeup started when left tackle John Pastore suffered a season-ending lower leg injury. Not long after, Kansas State learned tackle George Fitzpatrick would miss the entire season because of a medical emergency that had already kept him out all of last year. Suddenly, the staff had to find answers fast.
Howard emerged as the choice to replace Pastore, and he’ll be asked to protect quarterback Avery Johnson’s blind side right away. That’s no small ask, especially with Pastore entering the year as a preseason All-Big 12 pick.
Still, coach Collin Klein sounds confident the Wildcats found the right man for the spot.
"How hard he works," Klein said of why he is confident in Howard. "He has busted his butt since the day he got here.
I remember when I was recruiting Will (Howard), his passion and how he fell in love with this place, how much he cares about this place, how hard he's worked to get his body ready to go. There's going to be a growth curve for sure, but he's going to take it in stride."
At 6-foot-7 and 295 pounds, Howard brings the kind of size Kansas State needs on the edge. He didn’t play last season, but his résumé still carries weight: ESPN ranked him as the No. 54 offensive tackle in the nation and the 16th-best prospect in Pennsylvania.
His development matters even more because the depth behind Johnson is thin and inexperienced. Keeping the quarterback upright is a major priority, and Howard’s performance could be one of the biggest keys for the Wildcats.
Kansas State opens against Nicholls on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan. The game will be shown on ESPN+.
In Other News...
Kansas State Already Has A Troubling O-Line Problem Before Week 1
Kansas States offensive line is already under strain before the season opener, and the depth chart keeps getting thinner by the day. The Wildcats announced that left tackle John Pastore and George Fitzpatrick are done for the year, while freshman Oliver Miller will miss the first few weeks and left guard Tanner Morley is listed day-to-day. It is not the kind of news any staff wants to absorb in late August, especially when the front five is supposed to be the foundation for settling an offense early.
The ripple effect goes beyond the left side, too, with Donovan McIntosh, Dillon Duff and Max Lovett all carrying injury statuses heading into the game against Nicholls. For Kansas State, the concern is no longer just about who starts in Week 1, but whether the Wildcats can keep enough bodies available to protect their quarterback and get through the early part of the schedule without improvising too much up front. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State May Have Found Its Austin Romaine Replacement
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First-year coach Collin Klein has been encouraged enough by what he has seen to highlight Masons physicality and instincts, even drawing a comparison to former K-State standout Arthur Brown. For a defense trying to replace production and keep its identity intact, Masons rise gives the Wildcats a proven, mature option at a spot where they needed one. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Kleins Return Opens A Huge New Chapter For Kansas State
Collin Kleins first game as Kansas States head coach brings a familiar face back to Bill Snyder Family Stadium, this time with the headset instead of the quarterback playbook. The former Wildcats star, hired last December after a stint as offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, is stepping into the lead role against Nicholls in the opener, beginning a new era for a program that has leaned on continuity and identity for years.
Kansas State enters the season with modest outside expectations, picked to finish eighth in the Big 12, which only adds to the significance of Kleins return. For a fan base that remembers what he meant as a player, this is more than a debut - it is the start of a chapter built around whether one of the programs own can translate that history into results on the sideline. [Read more 🡒]