Keagan Johnson molding into big weapon in Wildcats’ aerial attack

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Despite losing All-American tight end Ben Sinnott, and veteran wideout Phillip Brooks from last year’s team, Kansas State returns a player that’s hungry for catches.

Keagan Johnson’s journey up to this point is inspirational, considering he’s a former Iowa Hawkeye, who’s trying to make his mark in Manhattan, and stay healthy while doing it. The Omaha native put together some promising moments last season, and he’s ready to build off those performances.

After all, Johnson hauled in a season-high, seven catches for 70 yards and a touchdown at Texas. Not to mention he caught an 11-yard touchdown at Kansas. Johnson is a versatile wide receiver too, and the coaching staff use a variety of ways to get him the ball, including lining up in the slot, or out on the edge, plus he gets carries.

He continues to develop, and his experience in the Big Ten, and Big 12 should be beneficial as the Wildcats get into the thick of fall camp.

“I will say the biggest difference is just my maturity level with the way I approach the game,” Johnson said. “I went through a lot of ups and downs last season that people know about, that people don’t know about, so I think I have a new perspective.”

Johnson is striving to be the go-to receiver, so he’s focusing on building chemistry with quarterback Avery Johnson, and it’s a daily grind. From blocking, to polishing his routes, and having more explosion, Johnson is welcoming everything it takes to become elite. His hard work is also catching Coach Chris Kleiman’s attention, and he believes the best is yet to come for Johnson.

“Keagan Johnson is a guy that if we can keep him healthy, I think he’ll be one of the best wide receivers in the Big 12,” Klieman said. “Our staff knows that as well, he continues to improve.”

The junior finds himself a veteran in the wide receiver room, so now he’s providing more leadership to the youngsters. Johnson likes what he’s seeing out of the group early in fall camp, and he wants them to be a strength for the offense.

The former four-star prospect is enjoying building a bond with his teammates too, including Sterling Lockett and Kent State transfer Dante Cephas, who he expects to make an immediate impact. Throughout the spring and summer everyone appears to have momentum, and they have better communication with the quarterbacks, which is how Johnson likes it.

“I think all of the receivers would say that we really try to take advantage of the days we’ve had,” he said. “Even leading up to fall camp, cause we knew that we could be so much ahead of the page, so I feel just as comfortable with Avery as I ever felt, we’re kind of clicking.”

Practice is only going to get more intense moving forward, and Johnson expects his workload to increase. The six-foot, 206-pounder wants to stay injury-free, but understands that it’s what come with the game. Johnson’s main focus is helping the offense be successful anyway possible, and the goal is to win a Big 12 Championship.

“Just going out there and showing what I can do, I think I’m confident in my abilities, so now the next step is not talking about it, and just do it.”