Avery Johnson eager to silence the critics doubting his arm talent
Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson prepares to take a snap during the fourth quarter against TCU Saturday October 23, 2023 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
LAS VEGAS — Last season he served mainly as Will Howard’s backup, but wowed fans in his first career start and earned MVP honors of the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Avery Johnson had several bright moments as a true freshman, and made the most out of his opportunities behind center. From the memorable performance when he posted five rushing scores in the road win at Texas Tech, to throwing for a touchdown in victories over TCU and Baylor, there’s no denying Johnson’s campaign was promising.
The 19-year old picked up where he left off in spring ball, and worked on his throwing motion, footwork and accuracy. The only difference this time around is the fact that he’s learning from two Offensive Coordinators. Coach Chris Klieman promoted Conor Riley for the bowl game after Collin Klein left for Texas A&M.
Riley and Johnson obviously worked well together because the quarterback threw for a season-high, 178 yards, and scored three total touchdowns against NC State. Klieman brought in Matt Wells, who was a head coach at Utah State and Texas Tech, and does stellar work with quarterbacks.
Johnson has been enjoying every minute of learning from the Wells and Riley, and has the confidence he needs to take the Wildcats to the next level.
“I feel like I’m in a really good position, it’s been really fun because they both bring so much to the offense,” Johnson said. “Coach Riley is so big in the run game, and Coach Wells is so good in the pass game, that they can complement each other.”
Johnson doesn’t have to put too much on his shoulders, with a 1,000-yard rusher in the backfield. DJ Giddens has the explosiveness to take some of the load off of Johnson. Not to mention Klieman added some more talent to the backfield with Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards, who played Pee Wee football with Johnson.
Edwards and Johnson have a lot of history together, which should translate to chemistry on the gridiron. Johnson also gained valuable knowledge from Howard, who led Kansas State to a conference title in 2022, and earned All-Big 12 honors last season. He believes everything he learned from shadowing Howard will be beneficial this fall.
“I got to watch him (Howard) be a leader, see some of his leadership qualities,” he said. “I got a chance to be his roommate for all of the games, how he went about his film study during the week, and if I had any questions he would answer them.”
Although Johnson only completed 56 percent of his passes last year, he feels he has improved drastically in that area. Everyone around the Big 12 knows about his breathtaking mobility, but the verdict is still out on Johnson as a passer. Which is why the signal-caller is out to prove just how dangerous he is with his arm. He’s not trying to keep anything a secret from opposing Defensive Coordinators either.
“I feel there’s only so much you can keep under the rug, from week one, to week two, to week three, there’s going to be a lot that we show,” the 19-year old said. “I would say I’m definitely not trying to keep anything under the rug, I’m just going to go out and play my game, and take what the defense gives me.”
Klieman also wants to watch Johnson spread his wings as a passers, and feels the gunslinger has a high ceiling. Johnson will be a wild card in a league full of talented quarterbacks, and if he continues to progress with Wells, Klieman is confident the Wildcats will get to the promised land.
“He (Wells) has a wealth of experience, and a wealth of knowledge with quarterbacks, and I’ve already seen, in a short period of time, just the second semester, the value of him being with Avery.”
