Avery Johnson

Avery Johnson arrived at Kansas State as one of the Wildcats' most heralded recruits in a generation. A Maize, Kansas, native, Johnson led his high school team to back-to-back appearances in the Class 5A state title game. And he made an instant impact for the Wildcats, earning honorable mention Big 12 offensive freshman of the year honors in 2023. Johnson also earned MVP honors in a victory over NC State in the Pop Tarts Bowl. “He’s really dangerous,” NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson told The Athletic. “He’s got elite speed. That kid can freakin’ go. He is like fast fast. We got guys that can run, and he killed us in the bowl game. He’s gonna be a handful for people to defend.” Johnson's high school coach, Gary Guzman, raves about the quarterback's drive to be the best. “When people ask me, ‘So what weakness do you see in him?’ really the only weakness I see is he tries to do too much,” Guzman told BVM Sports. “He’s always going 100 mph. He plays three sports during the spring. He’d get done with a baseball game late at night on Friday night and he was on the road Saturday morning going to a 7 on 7. Anytime that he was in town during the summer he would not miss a workout. He’d be here at 6:30 in the morning just like everybody else. He doesn’t put himself above the rest. He understands that it takes a team to be successful. He’s got some great qualities that make him a very special quarterback.”