K-State quarterback Avery Johnson returning for one more season with Wildcats
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Avery Johnson will return to K-State for his senior season, ending transfer uncertainty.
- Coach Collin Klein secures his preferred starter, reuniting with Johnson on offense.
- Johnson can chase K-State career records and cement a four-year legacy.
Avery Johnson will finish his college football career at the same place where it began.
Johnson, a talented dual-threat quarterback from Wichita who has spent the past three seasons making plays for Kansas State, has announced that he will return to Bill Snyder Family Stadium and wear purple as a senior.
“There is unfinished business here, and I’m not done yet,” Johnson wrote on social media. “This place, this program and this fan base mean everything to me. The relationships I’ve built, the culture we’ve created and the goals we still have ahead of us are too important to walk away from.
“I believe in this team. I believe in our coaches. And I believe the best is still ahead.”
Most expected Johnson to return to K-State for his senior year, given that he had never expressed any interest in the transfer portal after the regular season concluded last month. But this announcement eliminates all doubt about his future.
This is significant victory for new Wildcats football coach Collin Klein.
Klein made it clear that he wanted Johnson to be his starting quarterback when K-State hired Klein to take over for Chris Klieman.
“I love him to death,” Klein said last month. “It’s why I recruited him so hard to get him here. He is dear to me.”
Klein recruited Johnson when he was a high school football player at Maize, but Klein only got to spend one season with him as offensive coordinator before leaving for the same job at Texas A&M. They will be reunited on the field next season.
Johnson completed 204 of 341 passes last season as a junior for 2,385 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also rushed for 477 yards and eight touchdowns. He helped the Wildcats achieve bowl eligibility at 6-6, but K-State declined an invitation to the postseason when Klieman surprisingly retired.
As a freshman, Johnson threw for 479 yards and five touchdowns as backup with Klein calling the plays. He also rushed for 296 yards and seven touchdowns that season.
It will be interesting to see what they can achieve together in Johnson’s final season as a college football player.
By staying with K-State, Johnson will have an opportunity to leave a legacy at K-State.
Johnson has thrown for 5,576 yards and 48 touchdowns in a purple uniform. He can push Josh Freeman (8,078 yards) for the program’s career yardage record next season. He only needs one more touchdown throw to set the program record for TD passes.
As a freshman, he helped the Wildcats win nine games. As a sophomore, he led K-State to nine more victories as a starting quarterback. Things didn’t go as well this past season, but he can go out with a bang as a senior.
It is becoming rare for quarterbacks to stick with one program for four seasons. Johnson will do exactly that at K-State.