4 Most painful Kansas State football transfer portal departures of all time

The transfer portal has encompassed college sports for years. Since the portal became an official tool for college athletes in 2018, it is hard for fans to feel a connection to players because they know they can leave at any point.

The transfer portal allows players to talk with other schools and decide where they want to go, but they can only do this while the portal window is open. Players can choose to return to the school they started at, but the portal also allows players to move from school to school each year.

Kansas State football has benefitted from the transfer portal, bringing several key players over the years like Adrian Martinez when they desperately needed a quarterback, or Jadon Jackson when they needed help in the wide receiver room. However, the Wildcats have also been hurt by the portal, losing some key players throughout the years.

So here are four of the most painful transfers to depart from Kansas State since the transfer portal became official.

While this transfer may not seem very painful with Avery Johnson anxiously waiting in the wings to step up, it was still a tough loss. Howard was thrust into the starting position as a true freshman due to injuries of the guys in front of him, and he amazed fans with his arm strength and ability to move around the field.

Throughout the years, Howard had his ups and downs but was still one of the better quarterbacks to ever play at Kansas State, even holding the record for touchdown passes at 48. However, Howard could probably hear the footsteps of Johnson behind him this year as there were games head coach Chris Klieman chose to put in Johnson over Howard.

There is a lot of hype and excitement for what Johnson will be able to do on the field, but losing Howard and his veteran presence is still a tough loss, and clearly other programs saw his talent too. Howard left the Wildcats to go to the promised land of The Ohio State to play for the Buckeyes and Ryan Day.