Jon Gruden Mirrors Will Howard's Kansas State Tenure To Former NFL MVP

NFL Draft prospect Will Howard sat down with former NFL head coach Jon Gruden Monday on Gruden’s QB Class, discussing his four-year tenure with Kansas State.

Howard discussed the program's decision to bring in Adrian Martinez in his junior year, a decision the national champion took personally.

"I felt like I wasn't playing up to my ability," Howard said. "I understood why they wanted to go get a guy, but it still pissed me off. I thought it was gonna be my turn. I'm stepping in, kinda ready to be that guy. The immediate reaction from everybody was like, 'Quit. Go transfer, go leave.' But I just felt like it was the right place for me. I wanted to play for coach Klieman. In fall camp, I knew they were probably gonna give him the job, but I was like, 'S*** I'm gonna stay ready.' At the end of the day, both of us were the reason we won that Big 12 championship that year."

Gruden compared Howard's perseverance to former NFL veteran Rich Gannon, who had a renaissance after arriving with the Oakland Raiders in 1999. He earned four Pro Bowl nods and won the MVP in 2002.

"The Patriots took him and said you're a DB. He says, 'I ain't a DB.' He doesn't even play, he sits out a whole year. He goes and plays for the Minnesota Vikings, they get rid of him. The Washington Redskins get rid of him. The Kansas City Chiefs get rid of him. And where does he go when he's 32 years old? The Raiders. He shredded everybody. You know why? Because he just kept competing," Gruden said.

Hopefully, as Howard enters the Draft later this month, Gruden's inspirational message can propel him to succeed like Gannon.

Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.