Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson has already done enough to keep people talking, but the latest quarterback rankings from The Athletic show he still has plenty of room to climb.
Johnson landed in tier four at No. 37 nationally, where he was tagged as a “veteran looking for redemption.” That slot put him behind six Big 12 quarterbacks and left him between Will Hammond of Texas Tech and Jaden Craig of TCU. It’s a respectable spot on the surface, but not exactly the kind of ranking that screams breakout star.
That kind of skepticism makes sense when you look back at Johnson’s 2025 season. His numbers slipped across the board, as he finished with 2,385 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions.
On the ground, he added 477 rushing yards and eight scores. He kept the turnovers manageable, but the bigger issue was that he didn’t consistently threaten defenses with his legs or push the ball down the field the way Kansas State expected.
Still, there’s a reason optimism around Johnson hasn’t gone away. With program legend Collin Klein back in the building, the expectation is that 2026 could finally be the year Johnson puts it all together. The belief inside and outside the program is rooted in what he showed when Klein was on the sideline with him.
As a freshman, Johnson won every game in which he saw major playing time under Klein. In those appearances, he threw for 479 yards and five touchdowns without an interception, while also rushing for 296 yards and seven touchdowns. His performances against Texas Tech and NC State were enough to convince Kansas State it had a quarterback with star potential for years to come.
So while the latest ranking may feel like a slight, it also fits the moment Johnson is in. He’s still chasing the kind of season that matches the hype, and Kansas State is banking on Klein helping him get there.
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Kansas State Has A New Punting Battle Fans Should Watch
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He has already shown he can handle punting duties at the college level, and his path to Manhattan also includes a stop at Central Oklahoma after a standout high school career at Perkins-Tryon in Oklahoma. For a Wildcats team looking to sort out its special teams pieces, Davidson gives the position some stability on paper, but the battle for the role is only getting started. [Read more 🡒]