Kansas State’s Avery Johnson enters this fall with no shortage of pressure and no shortage of competition.
This is his senior season, and it’s his third year as the Wildcats’ full-time starter. Johnson has already shown he can play, but the one thing still missing is that true breakout campaign. Now he gets one last shot to make it happen in a Big 12 that is loaded at quarterback.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormack made the case this week at Media Days in Frisco, Texas.
“The Big 12 will once again be the conference of quarterbacks," Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormack said this week at Media Days in Frisco, Texas. "With six returning starters and one of the strongest portal classes in the country at the position, our competitive depth will fuel another exciting run to the Big 12 Championship.”
That depth is real, and Johnson is surrounded by a crowded field of names who have already put up big numbers.
Noah Fifita of Arizona is being talked about as a Heisman Trophy candidate after setting the school record for passing yards and touchdowns in a single season. Utah’s Devon Dampier arrives after winning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year last season, when he threw for 2,490 yards and 24 touchdowns and added 835 rushing yards with 10 scores.
BYU’s Bear Bachmeier threw for 3,033 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman, and he’s expected to keep climbing as he gets more comfortable. Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker is following coach Eric Morris over from North Texas after throwing for 3,479 yards and 34 touchdowns.
Houston’s Conner Weigman helped the Cougars to 10 wins, throwing for 2,705 yards and 25 touchdowns while also running for 700 yards.
For Johnson, that’s the challenge in front of him: a conference full of quarterbacks who have already made their mark. If he’s going to stand out, this is the season to do it.
In Other News...
K-State Is Closing In On A Stadium Change Fans Will Notice
Kansas State is nearing a change at Bill Snyder Family Stadium that fans will notice right away, with athletic director Gene Taylor saying the school is close to finalizing a sponsorship agreement that would put logos on the football field. The deal is being negotiated through K-States sports marketing partner, Learfield, and it is expected to take effect this season, adding another visible layer of branding to a venue that has long been identified with the Wildcats football tradition.
There may be more coming beyond the field itself. K-State is also exploring a possible logo patch on its football jerseys, with the school focusing on local companies as it weighs that option, though nothing has been completed yet. For now, the field sponsorship appears to be the next concrete step, while the jersey conversation remains in the discussion stage. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Romaine Is Already Making K-State Fans Feel This Loss
Austin Romaines departure from Kansas State already has the feel of the kind of loss that takes more than one offseason to fully absorb. A high-profile linebacker with a reputation for competitiveness and real impact, he leaves behind a track record that made him one of the more reliable defenders in the room, and his former teammates have been quick to acknowledge how much he brought to the field.
Now at Texas Tech, Romaine is settling into a new defense and working toward a major role on a unit that expects him to matter right away. For K-State fans, the uneasy part is simple: this is the sort of player who tends to keep showing up on the biggest snaps, and the Wildcats will get a firsthand reminder of what they lost the next time he lines up across from them. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Klein Faces Big First Test As K-State Questions Keep Building
Collin Klein is about to get his first public turn as Kansas States head football coach, and it comes at a stage where every answer will be parsed for clues about what the Wildcats want to become. Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas, on July 8 will put Klein alongside quarterback Avery Johnson, running back Joe Jackson, linebacker Rex Van Wyhe and defensive back Wesley Fair, giving K-State a chance to set the tone for a season that already has plenty of curiosity around it.
The questions are easy to see coming. Klein will be asked about the shape of his offense, Johnsons place in the program under the new NCAA landscape, and what expectations should look like as the Wildcats try to build on recent momentum. There will also be the usual summer health check-ins and roster updates, the kind that can matter just as much in July as anything that happens on a practice field in August. [Read more 🡒]