All eyes are on Avery Johnson as he gears up to lead the Wildcats for the last time. The buzz is already massive, as Kansas State holds second place in the Big 12, trailing only Arizona State in USA Today’s rankings, raising expectations and offering immense potential. Johnson possesses the talent, attention, and drive to defy critics and impress, particularly after his confident showing at Big 12 Media Days fueled anticipation. While shadows of last season’s one-and-3-loss streak still linger, Johnson is dwelling in the past, as he has a point to prove.
Avery Johnson is determined to give it his all this season, leading the Wildcats to a championship run. More than just wins, he’s striving to cement his legacy at K-State. And he’s already doing it. As he ranks sixth in career passing efficiency (137.2), tied for ninth in touchdown passes (30), and only 186 rushing yards shy of cracking the top 10 rushing QBs, Johnson is on the cusp of achieving something special. However, there are chinks in the armour.
Despite all the success, those four losses against Iowa State, Houston, Arizona State, and BYU last season hit differently. And talking about the stretch on the Kansas State Wildcats on K-State Online, Avery Johnson didn’t hold back his regret on those losses that turned their last season’s championship fate. “I think we just took the Houston game too lightly. I think we should know by now that in this conference, any given Saturday, any team could beat any other team. So I think we took that Houston game—we didn’t take it as seriously as we needed to—and they came out and beat us,” Johnson said.
Their 19-24 loss against Houston came after a final deep pass from Avery Johnson that fell incomplete in the end zone and marked their first loss since September 21, which was against the BYU Cougars. Even though Johnson completed 23 of 29 passes for 238 yards with one TD, those two interceptions made things rough for the Wildcats. On top of that, the offense went flat, only gaining 4.4 yards per play on average. So, when Johnson said they did take Houston pretty lightly, he wasn’t fluffing.
Then comes in their loss against Arizona State. In this game, Avery Johnson went 24 of 40 on passes for 258 yards with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions. So, now you know what stopped their Big 12 run. “I think we just pressed a little bit too hard coming off the Houston game and just wanted to prove that we could go out there and dominate and bounced back with a really good game offensively versus Cincinnati—kind of just let loose a little bit. Then that Iowa State game, your Big 12 chances are kind of taken away,” Johnson added.
Now, the biggest setback came against Iowa State, where Avery Johnson’s bad throws and accuracy were major issues. He went 12 of 28 for 220 yards and 3 TDs against Iowa State. In their four losses in the season, the team just averaged 15.8 points. And that’s a major issue Kansas State needs to look at. Johnson isn’t ignoring his inconsistency but trying to bring out his better version. “And then really, just those last four games—I just feel like my play just has to be better. Try to elevate and encourage and bring everybody else along with me so that we can go out and finish the season with four wins, and then our outcome of the season looks a lot different,” he said. And he’s already making big moves to tackle his inconsistency.
Avery Johnson’s big move to secure Big 12 berth
Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson didn’t have a specific workout motto, but “no pain, no gain” might as well have been it. Earlier this spring, Johnson recognized a need to improve his agility on the field. He responded by incorporating unusual training exercises into his routine to boost that aspect of his game. Anyone following Johnson on social media has seen his new, intense workouts. These include extreme planks, one-legged hill hops, knee jumps, vertical leaps, and complex footwork drills that make it look like he’s bouncing around on a Pogo Stick. These were added to his already demanding schedule in the K-State weight room, and the results are clear.
Even head coach Chris Klieman is happy to report that Johnson has gained significant muscle and speed this offseason.“The biggest thing is how he looks,” Klieman said. “He’s put on probably 17 pounds of lean muscle mass, and he’s filled out. He’s not a sophomore anymore, he’s an upperclassman and his body has matured he’s taken everything very seriously in the weight room and in the nutrition and recovery aspect of things.”
Avery Johnson isn’t just chasing numbers; he wants to regain his competitive advantage. He sensed something was off in his game last season, particularly when it came to making plays in open space. That’s why he teamed up with Brian Butler, his long-time trainer in Wichita, to develop a new workout regimen. Johnson had always trained with Butler, dating back to his days as a high school quarterback at Maize.
And after facing problems with long passes last season, it was much needed. “I worked out this way my whole life and then last summer stepped away from it so I wouldn’t put too much pressure on my body,” Johnson said. “I just felt like I wasn’t as twitchy and I didn’t feel as fast, I couldn’t change direction as well as I could years prior.” Now, with a clear championship goal in his mind, Avery Johnson is ready to make his last season count this year.
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