Kansas State football's transfer portal departures piling up following regular season

MANHATTAN — In the three years since the NCAA's one-time transfer rule went into effect, Kansas State's losses to the portal had been minimal.

That is why the sheer number of defections in the week since last Saturday's 42-35 loss to Iowa State has been so stark, with 11 players declaring their independence before they even learned their bowl destination.

Most notable, of course, was senior starting quarterback Will Howard's decision to bypass the bowl game and seek greener pastures for a fifth year granted to veterans of the 2020 pandemic. Not only did Howard start all 12 games for the 8-4 Wildcats, but he left as the school career record holder with 44 touchdown passes, plus helped lead the team to a Big 12 championship as a junior.

Still, Howard leaving did not come as a shock to most observers, given the fact that he had to fight off a challenge from true freshman Avery Johnson, the Wildcats' presumptive quarterback of the future.

Running back Treshaun Ward, a highly regarded transfer from Florida State, also had a productive season with the Wildcats. But he was unlikely to displace sophomore DJ Giddens, a 1,000-yard rusher, next year.

On defense, sophomore junior college transfer Will Lee started for most of the year, but saw senior Keenan Garber claim more playing time as the season wore on. Garber, a converted wide receiver, is expected to return as a fifth-year super-senior next year, along with starter Jacob Parrish.

None of the other players were major contributors, though the decisions by sophomore Jake Rubley and redshirt freshman Adryan Lara to transfer leaves the Wildcats with Johnson as the lone scholarship quarterback.

Here is a list of players who already have entered the portal as graduate transfers, or those who have announced their intensions to do so when it opens to undergraduates on Monday, Dec. 4.

Related: Kansas State football learns the hard way that slow and steady doesn't always win the race

Quarterback Will Howard

Howard had an up-and-down four years with the Wildcats, but in the end leaves as one of the more productive quarterbacks in school history.

After struggling in place of injured starter Skylar Thompson as a true freshman and sophomore, he won the job last year when Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez was hurt and led the Wildcats to a victory over TCU in the Big 12 championship game.

Howard had another solid season as a senior, but always with the popular Johnson lingering in the shadows. Howard fended off the challenge, passing for 2,643 yards and a school record-tying 24 touchdowns, plus rushed for 351 yards and nine more scores, but the two remained separated on the depth chart only by the word or.

Howard now has a chance to go somewhere as the undisputed QB1, opening the door for Johnson to take over not only next season, but also in the bowl game.

Running back Treshaun Ward

Ward arrived in Manhattan last spring with plenty of hype and was even tagged Big 12 preseason offensive newcomer of the year in a media poll.

He proved his worth, rushing for 643 yards and five touchdowns and catching 17 passes for 129 yards and two more scores. Ward served as an effective complement to Giddens, who ran for 1,075 yards and nine touchdowns and had 28 receptions for 286 yards.

Ward was unlikely to unseat Giddens, but given his resume, he easily could become the featured back somewhere else.

Related: Here is how Kansas State football graded out in 42-35 loss to Iowa State.

Cornerback Will Lee

As a freshman All-American at Iowa Western in 2022, Lee helped lead the Reivers to a national junior college championship. After arriving at K-State late in the spring, he still claimed a starting cornerback job opposite Parrish and had a solid sophomore year.

Lee was sixth on the team with 42 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and six pass breakups. But he saw his playing time diminish with the emergence of Johnson, who had only switched to cornerback toward the end of last season.

Quarterback Jake Rubley

Rubley enrolled at K-State with lofty expectations as a four-star recruit out of Colorado, but things never really worked out. After redshirting in 2021, he was relegated to third-string status behind Martinez and Howard last year, and then saw Johnson leapfrog him as the primary backup this year.

With Johnson the clear choice to succeed Howard next season, it only made sense for Rubley to try his luck elsewhere.

Quarterback Adryan Lara

Lara arrived last year with less fanfare than Rubley had, and while he was praised by Wildcat coaches for his arm strength, there never seemed to be a clear path forward for him.

Like Rubley, he stuck it out through last year, but the writing was on the wall.

Defensive back Jordan Wright

Wright arrived last year from Fullerton College in California and redshirted. He moved from cornerback to safety during the offseason but was pressed into duty as a backup cornerback when Parrish and Lee were sidelined for a time midway through the year.

Wright did appear in 11 games, recording seven tackles with two pass breakups, but was never a regular part of the rotation in the secondary.

Fullback Christian Moore

Moore appeared in all 12 games this season as a junior for the Wildcats and caught two passes, including a 2-yarder for his first career touchdown against Baylor. But he was an old-school fullback in an offense that prefers to use longer, leaner tight end types in that role.

Wide receiver Shane Porter

Porter, a sophomore special teams standout and younger brother of special teams captain Shane Porter, presumably will look for a new home that will afford him some playing time at wide receiver as well.

Wide receiver Wesley Watson

Watson, a true freshman from College Station, never saw the field this year. With most of the receiving corps returning, he would be a longshot to crack the rotation next year as well.

Linebacker Collin Dunn

Dunn, another true freshman, would face a steep climb to break into the lineup, especially if starter Austin Moore returns as a super-senior. The Wildcats' linebacker depth was tested this year, but with true freshman Asa Newsom and versatile Jake Clifton returning from season-ending injuries, it should be a position of strength in 2024.

Safety Jordan Perry

Perry, a redshirt freshman, did not see action in the secondary this year and was not on the radar as a future contributor.

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 transfer portal departures piling up