NOTE: Kansas State has elected to advance players’ classification even though the 2020 season did not affect eligibility. Those who wish to take advantage of this extra year will be listed as a (“super”) senior again after their original eligibility would have been exhausted.

Goal No. 16: RESPONSIBILITY. You are responsible for your own performance.

#16 Will Honas

Redshirt Super Senior | 6-2 | 233 lbs. | Wichita, Kansas

Courtesy Kansas State Athletics

• Position: Linebacker
• Previous College: University of Nebraska
• Projection: Starter
• Status: On Scholarship

Will Honas (b. Jan. 29, 1998) is a veteran but injury-plagued linebacker who transferred from Nebraska to K-State after he suffered a season-ending injury during spring practices in 2021.

Honas prepped at Bishop Carroll High School under head coach Alan Schuckman and helped the Golden Eagles to earn a pair of state championships, including one during his junior season.

In what would become a recurring theme throughout his college career, he was injured in the season opener as a high school senior and missed the rest of that 2015 prep season.

Honas then enrolled at Butler Community College, where he played two seasons under head coach Tim Schaffner and was viewed as the 24th-best overall community college prospect in the Class of 2018 by 247Sports, while the organization (along with ESPN) also rated him as the top community college inside linebacker.

A first-team all-conference performer as a true sophomore in 2017 after leading the Grizzlies with 96 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and three sacks to go along with two interceptions and a pass breakup, Honas also ranked 21st in the NJCAA in tackles.

He totaled five double-digit-tackle games, including a 16-tackle effort against Ellsworth, and returned one of his interceptions 80 yards for a touchdown against Fort Scott, while he also posted a season-high 2.5 tackles for loss at Coffeyville.

Honas carded 21 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack as a freshman in 2016, in addition to recovering a fumble. He played at Butler with current K-State punter and kicker Ty Zentner, as well as former starting center and current Sasketchewan Roughrider Noah Johnson.

Upon transferring to Nebraska, Honas saw time in four games in 2018 before suffering another season-ending injury, but he was at least able to preserve his redshirt.

Prior to his injury, he made 15 tackles on the year, including a season-high eight stops against Troy that also included half a tackle for loss.

Honas bounced back to play in nine games in 2019 as a redshirt junior, ranking second on the team with 73 tackles, while he posted six tackles for loss and a sack.

He garnered his first career sack in the season opener against South Alabama; tallied a then-career-high 12 tackles against Wisconsin; had nine tackles at Colorado, plus eight each against Northern Illinois and Purdue; and carded a season-best 1.5 tackles for loss at Illinois.

Honas started each of the seven games he played during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, finishing second on the team with 57 tackles and a team-leading 6.5 tackles for loss to go along with 3.0 sacks en route to honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades.

He set new career highs in tackles for loss and sacks (two each) in his first career start, the season opener against No. 5 Ohio State, then missed the next game due to injury, but came back to set a new career high with 13 tackles against Penn State.

He also had 10 stops against Illinois and eight apiece at Iowa and Rutgers, the latter also featuring 1.5 tackles for loss, as he played his final season as a Cornhusker with current K-State quarterback Adrian Martinez and wide receiver Kade Warner.

After missing the 2021 season, which should have been his extra year of COVID eligibility, Honas secured a medical hardship waiver and received a do-over for his final year in 2022.

Now he is projected to start opposite Daniel Green at linebacker as a graduate transfer.