Butler quarterback Colton Howell headed to Northern Iowa

Over the last week, Butler Community College quarterback Colton Howell took as much time as he could to make sure his next move was the right one.

Turns out that move is to Northern Iowa, an NCAA Championship Subdivision school that offered the former Bishop Carroll star a scholarship July 14. Howell, Butler’s presumed starter, will move to Cedar Falls, Iowa, next week and will redshirt this season, giving him three seasons to play for the Panthers.

Howell was recruited by former Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein, UNI’s new quarterbacks coach.

“I’m sure there’s a possibility that I could’ve come back to Butler and ended up with a bigger offer, but I don’t see how it could’ve been a better fit,” Howell said. “Everything felt right between Collin and I and the situation moving forward feels right, too.

“It’s not a decision I took lightly because at 19 years old you’re making a decision that will impact the rest of your life.”

Howell (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) helped lead Carroll to an undefeated season and the Class 5A championship in 2014, then went 4-0 as Butler’s starter last season in place of oft-injured Justice Hansen, who transferred to Arkansas State. Howell threw for 465 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions as the Grizzlies won a share of the Jayhawk Conference title.

UNI, which plays in the Missouri Valley Conference, earned an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs last year before losing to eventual national champion North Dakota State in the quarterfinals.

Howell told Butler’s coaches of his decision on Friday morning. Howell’s departure leaves Butler with one quarterbacks that redshirted last season on its roster in Easton Bruere. Bruere threw for nearly 4,700 yards and 49 touchdowns as a senior at Rio Rancho (N.M.) High in 2014.

Butler has two freshman quarterbacks in David Israel, from Blythewood, S.C., and Derby's Brady Rust, who led the Panthers to the Class 6A state title last season.

"It's kind of the byproducts of having players that are academically qualified and eligible to go play Division I," Butler coach Tim Schaffner said. "He's the fourth freshman to do that for us in the last two years, so we are kind of used to it. The one thing that was hard for me to understand was what changed so much at Northern Iowa in the last month in their plans that the situation became so dire they needed another quarterback.”

Butler opens the season Aug. 27 at Fort Scott.

This story was originally published July 22, 2016 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Butler quarterback Colton Howell headed to Northern Iowa."