Here’s what Collin Klein has planned for K-State QB Avery Johnson this spring
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Klein reunites with Johnson and will call plays to align QB and play caller
- Johnson will take majority of first‑team reps in spring to cement offense identity
- Coaching staff will later expand reps to backups to develop depth at quarterback
During his time at Kansas State, Avery Johnson has never spent more than one season with the same offensive coordinator.
That is about to change now that he is on his way to becoming a senior and Collin Klein is settling in as the team’s head coach.
Klein called plays for the Wildcats when Johnson was a freshman. Even though they spent the past two years apart, as Klein worked as the OC at Texas A&M, there is a sense of continuity now that they have been reunited.
“It’s progressing well,” Klein said on Wednesday at a news conference. “I think it’s come back to him pretty quickly. But more important than any other position, it’s important that we are thinking exactly the same way as play caller and quarterback. Gray is not a good thing in that relationship. So we are trying to make sure, and he’s been very great and detailed and thorough, of not taking anything for granted. As a staff, we are doing the exact same thing to make sure that we’re exactly on the same page.”
With that in mind, the plan is for Johnson to handle most of the quarterback reps with the first-string offense when spring football practices begin Thursday.
Sometimes, a veteran quarterback like Johnson might take it easy during the spring. He has already made 27 starts and led the Wildcats in two bowl games. Under normal circumstances, it might make sense for K-State coaches to take a look at reserve quarterbacks like Blake Barnett, Dylan Duff and Jacob Knuth.
But Klein wants to spend as much time as he possibly can with his former quarterback, at least for most of the spring.
“Initially he will get the bulk of those,” Klein said, “just to make sure, even though there is great history and familiarity, that this is who we are now moving forward. I want him to feel very comfortable in that and have all of us working with each other. ... Initially he’ll probably take the majority, but then as we go through the spring being able to develop depth at that position will be important.”
It will be fascinating to see how the K-State operates now that Klein and Johnson are together again.
As a freshman, Johnson threw for 479 yards and five touchdowns while predominantly serving as a backup behind Will Howard. But he also rushed for 296 yards and seven touchdowns in limited action.
Many K-State fans still remember his breakout performance against Texas Tech in 2023 when he ran for 90 yards and five scores during a road victory.
Will Johnson and Klein return to that type of dual-threat approach? Or do they have something else in store?
They will start working toward some answers when Johnson leads the K-State offense during spring practice.