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The Kansas State football program enters the 2024 season as an interesting team to watch. The Wildcats finished 9-4 last season and could be viewed as a top-tier team in the new-look Big 12 Conference.
With Oklahoma and Texas out to the SEC and Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah in, things look much different. For Kansas State, they saw starting quarterback Will Howard transfer to Ohio State, which made Avery Johnson the team's starter.
There is a lot of pressure riding on Johnson this season, but Kansas State football head coach Chris Klieman gave him a huge boost with his comments (h/t Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports).
“I believe it, and he believes that he should be the best quarterback in this league,” Klieman said. “Now, we have to go out and prove it, but there's a belief that is there.”
Kleiman went on to say that he feels good about Johnson even after a short stint last season.
“We saw enough last year for us to know that he was going to be the guy longterm for us. He was ready for that moment. I told him when I recruited him, I knew he was going to be the face of the program.”
Johnson played sparingly as the quarterback with Howard being the team's starter. But, Johnson was used primarily as a rusher even with Howard starting. Johnson had 45 carries for 225 yards and six scores on the ground while attempting just 35 passes in 2023.
Avery Johnson ready to lead the Kansas State football team
Johnson got the nod in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against NC State. He went 14-of-31 for 178 yards and two scores throwing the football and added seven carries for 71 yards and a touchdown in the 28-19 win over NC State.
Wildcats OL Hadley Panzer felt good about Johnson after the game but insisted he can do more than just run the football: “You go back to the bowl game, you see what he can do. We've known all along that he can run the ball, but I think this year people will see that he can throw the ball as well.”
Johnson is originally from Wichita, Kansas, so getting to play for an in-state school surely means a lot. It means even more given the fact he didn't even start one full season yet at Kansas State.
“It means a lot [to be named the starter] because I haven't played a full season. It just shows the trust the coaches have of me since I've come on campus. I love those guys to death and I feel like the respect goes both ways.”
Klieman truly believes that Johnson can be the best quarterback in the league, which is a tall task. The Big 12 now has quarterbacks such as UCF's KJ Jefferson, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Arizona's Noah Fifta, and Utah's Cam Rising, among others. If Avery Johnson can take a set forward and become a capable starter, the Kansas State football team could be a tough one to deal with for opposing Big 12 schools this year.
