Johnson Feeding His Body and Mind in First Semester
Feb 03, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Avery Johnson wears his greatest personal obstacle on his shoulder. One of the top high school quarterbacks in America, and known for the golden locks that flow to his shoulders, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound freshman walks on the Kansas State campus toting his backpack, and, well, the obstacle lies inside. For Johnson, it's always snack-pack time. From his backpack, he pulls out one snack during class, and then another one — "I wouldn't want to sit next to me in class because literally all I do is crunch through my bag trying to get stuff open," he says — with the goal to gain between 15 and 20 pounds by the time the Wildcats kickoff the season in September.
Today, the 18-year-old native of Maize, Kansas, simply cannot eat enough. And for now, that's the challenge facing the No. 1-rated dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2023 by Rivals. "I need to eat like 5,000 calories just to put on weight," he says. Under guidance of the nutrition staff, it's a regimen that entails breakfast, a post-workout shake, a snack, a lunch, a snack, a dinner, and another snack to reach the 5,000-calorie daily goal.
"In college, they tell you what you need to do, and you need to do it on your own," Johnson says. "They're not going to hold your hand."
Johnson has been at K-State for less than a month, and while snarfing down snacks is a part of the deal, Johnson continues to lift weights and run and gobble up an expansive playbook for a K-State offense that enjoyed one its most productive seasons in history during the Wildcats' romp to the 2022 Big 12 Championship. Johnson digests the offensive playbook a little bit at a time. He wants to be comfortable in the huddle in spring practice. He wants to have mastered the playbook by Game 1. He is a sponge around the Vanier Family Football Complex. He carries an appetite for success at K-State, and hopefully, in the NFL.
As for his goals while at K-State?
"A lot of winning," he says. "I have personal goals, but to be honest, the team goals mean more to me than any personal goals, whether that's winning the Big 12, playing for a national championship. I just like to play football and I like to win football games."
Johnson arrived on campus as a mid-year enrollee after the consensus top player in the state of Kansas for the Class of 2023 and 41st-rated overall player by 247Sports threw for 2,768 yards and 29 touchdowns and three interceptions to go along with 817 rushing yards and 15 scores while leading Maize to a 12-1 record last fall.
He is on the ground floor. He is the new guy in the quarterback room. He is one of the most gifted players ever to sign a letter-of-intent with K-State. He has yet to play in front of a crowd of 50,000 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Collin Klein, who enters his second season as offensive coordinator, knows Johnson will be a joy to coach. Spend a few moments with Johnson, and it becomes apparent that he possesses leadership capabilities destined to keep K-State in the business of winning after starting quarterback Will Howard takes his last snap, yet he also possesses the humility to accept his current role as backup. He says that he has had no discussion about redshirting his freshman season.
"Just know me coming in here, you're getting a hard work, a competitor and a winner," Johnson says. "In everything I've done, I've always wanted to win. I've always wanted to compete. You're always going to get 100% my best day in and day out. That's what I want the fans to know."
Johnson wears a tan-and-black Nike hoodie, black sweatpants, socks and black slides as he stands inside the team theater room at the Vanier Family Football Complex, and he exudes confidence, yet not too much confidence, and he fits the part of a charismatic leader — a trait he credits to his parents, Mark Johnson and Hope Dent, who pushed their son to excel and embrace the leadership tag from an early age. Aside from his football exploits, Johnson led Maize High School's state championship team in scoring in 2021.
"To be a quarterback on a team, any team, especially at the next level, you have to be a leader and be vocal, talk to your teammates, and pick them up when they're down," Johnson says. "When things are tough and you're in that huddle, everybody is looking at you for that next command."
K-State head coach Chris Klieman, who has put three of his quarterbacks in the NFL, spotted Johnson's talent early on. K-State offered Johnson a scholarship in March 2021. Over the course of his recruitment, Johnson received 23 total scholarship offers. Fresh off being named an Elite 11 quarterback, Johnson committed to K-State over Oregon and Washington last July. Johnson made things official when he signed with K-State with his family on hand during a ceremony at Maize High on December 21.
The pull for sticking with K-State amid other scholarship offers?
"Just the people," Johnson says. "I mean, you get here, and you see FAMILY on the walls, and FAMILY in front of the locker room, and FAMILY on the stadium name. You see FAMILY everywhere and really, it is a family here. The person to your right and to your left care about you, and they want what's best for you, and it's not just football, it's life, and these people here really love you.
"It made K-State an easy choice for me."
And Johnson was an easy choice for K-State.
"Avery has got really good arm talent and that's the first thing we look at is really good arm talent," Klieman said at his 2023 early signing day news conference in December. "He sees the field really well and can throw it from the hash to the sideline and throws the vertical ball exceptionally well. Then there's the athleticism and ability to make plays with his feet. Many of us saw the clip in the US Army All-American game where he makes three or four guys miss and outruns everybody. That's pretty special. That's God-given ability to just roll and run like he does, and you combine that athleticism with the fact that he has tremendous arm talent, and we're excited about his future."
While the future awaits, and the present entails meals and conditioning, the past begins with the story of Johnson's long hair, which he says that he began growing in kindergarten. The long hair earned him nicknames such as "Sunshine" when he was young, it became an identity at high school, and it could eventually roll into business opportunities while at K-State.
"I love the look," he says. "I feel like a lot of people now recognize me for having long hair and it's just stuck with me and I've embraced it. I've always had it, so I've never thought about what it'd be like without it."
The legendary hair has been ever-present in photos as Johnson poses with his many fans.
"I tried to say humble through it all (in high school)" he says. "I didn't ever want to walk around like I had a huge head. Anytime anybody approached me or wanted an autograph or a picture, I always tried to open up to them, take a picture with them, ask them their name and ask how they're doing.
"I feel like kindness and respect goes such a long way now-a-days and sometimes people forget about that. I just try to keep a level head."
Some might argue he's Samson with the pigskin. In the classroom, he has yet to get through his first college midterms. Whereas for years, football season turned into basketball season, and basketball season rolled into baseball season, Johnson now focuses on football every day. He says that he could return to Maize to partake in his Senior Prom — if K-State's daily football schedule permits.
It's a whole new world. It's the same old game. The possibilities appear limitless. The grind continues each day. The 5,000-calorie diet will pay dividends when Johnson, armed with more muscle mass, someday must absorb a shot from a blitzing linebacker. Today, it's unzipping a backpack and feeding the body. It's an obstacle, sure, but Johnson is all about reaching goals. It's a one-day-at-a-time approach aimed toward going 1-0.
The plan is for K-State to capture another Big 12 title.
"That's at the top of my list," Johnson says. "A lot of people overlook Kansas State. I mean, we're the Big 12 Champions, and we're already being doubted coming into this next year. We lost some key pieces and people don't think we're going to be back to where we were last year, but, I mean, all the doubters, all the haters, that's just motivation for me and the team. We're going to keep looking at that goal at the top of our list. That's what we're going to push for every day. We're going to let that be our burn and our drive and we're going to continue to get better day in and day out."
Today, Johnson sets his sights on mastering the playbook. He wants to be on top of his game. In the fall, Johnson knows that he could be one play away.
"The one-play mindset is something I'll have, but if Will goes in, does the same thing he did last year, and dominates, then I'm going to be happy for him," Johnson says. "I just want what's best for the team. I want to see the team win.
"That's the person I've always been."
For now, it's snack-pack time.
Avery Johnson wears his greatest personal obstacle on his shoulder. One of the top high school quarterbacks in America, and known for the golden locks that flow to his shoulders, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound freshman walks on the Kansas State campus toting his backpack, and, well, the obstacle lies inside. For Johnson, it's always snack-pack time. From his backpack, he pulls out one snack during class, and then another one — "I wouldn't want to sit next to me in class because literally all I do is crunch through my bag trying to get stuff open," he says — with the goal to gain between 15 and 20 pounds by the time the Wildcats kickoff the season in September.
Today, the 18-year-old native of Maize, Kansas, simply cannot eat enough. And for now, that's the challenge facing the No. 1-rated dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2023 by Rivals. "I need to eat like 5,000 calories just to put on weight," he says. Under guidance of the nutrition staff, it's a regimen that entails breakfast, a post-workout shake, a snack, a lunch, a snack, a dinner, and another snack to reach the 5,000-calorie daily goal.
"In college, they tell you what you need to do, and you need to do it on your own," Johnson says. "They're not going to hold your hand."
Johnson has been at K-State for less than a month, and while snarfing down snacks is a part of the deal, Johnson continues to lift weights and run and gobble up an expansive playbook for a K-State offense that enjoyed one its most productive seasons in history during the Wildcats' romp to the 2022 Big 12 Championship. Johnson digests the offensive playbook a little bit at a time. He wants to be comfortable in the huddle in spring practice. He wants to have mastered the playbook by Game 1. He is a sponge around the Vanier Family Football Complex. He carries an appetite for success at K-State, and hopefully, in the NFL.
As for his goals while at K-State?
"A lot of winning," he says. "I have personal goals, but to be honest, the team goals mean more to me than any personal goals, whether that's winning the Big 12, playing for a national championship. I just like to play football and I like to win football games."
Johnson arrived on campus as a mid-year enrollee after the consensus top player in the state of Kansas for the Class of 2023 and 41st-rated overall player by 247Sports threw for 2,768 yards and 29 touchdowns and three interceptions to go along with 817 rushing yards and 15 scores while leading Maize to a 12-1 record last fall.
He is on the ground floor. He is the new guy in the quarterback room. He is one of the most gifted players ever to sign a letter-of-intent with K-State. He has yet to play in front of a crowd of 50,000 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Collin Klein, who enters his second season as offensive coordinator, knows Johnson will be a joy to coach. Spend a few moments with Johnson, and it becomes apparent that he possesses leadership capabilities destined to keep K-State in the business of winning after starting quarterback Will Howard takes his last snap, yet he also possesses the humility to accept his current role as backup. He says that he has had no discussion about redshirting his freshman season.
"Just know me coming in here, you're getting a hard work, a competitor and a winner," Johnson says. "In everything I've done, I've always wanted to win. I've always wanted to compete. You're always going to get 100% my best day in and day out. That's what I want the fans to know."
Johnson wears a tan-and-black Nike hoodie, black sweatpants, socks and black slides as he stands inside the team theater room at the Vanier Family Football Complex, and he exudes confidence, yet not too much confidence, and he fits the part of a charismatic leader — a trait he credits to his parents, Mark Johnson and Hope Dent, who pushed their son to excel and embrace the leadership tag from an early age. Aside from his football exploits, Johnson led Maize High School's state championship team in scoring in 2021.
"To be a quarterback on a team, any team, especially at the next level, you have to be a leader and be vocal, talk to your teammates, and pick them up when they're down," Johnson says. "When things are tough and you're in that huddle, everybody is looking at you for that next command."
K-State head coach Chris Klieman, who has put three of his quarterbacks in the NFL, spotted Johnson's talent early on. K-State offered Johnson a scholarship in March 2021. Over the course of his recruitment, Johnson received 23 total scholarship offers. Fresh off being named an Elite 11 quarterback, Johnson committed to K-State over Oregon and Washington last July. Johnson made things official when he signed with K-State with his family on hand during a ceremony at Maize High on December 21.
The pull for sticking with K-State amid other scholarship offers?
"Just the people," Johnson says. "I mean, you get here, and you see FAMILY on the walls, and FAMILY in front of the locker room, and FAMILY on the stadium name. You see FAMILY everywhere and really, it is a family here. The person to your right and to your left care about you, and they want what's best for you, and it's not just football, it's life, and these people here really love you.
"It made K-State an easy choice for me."
And Johnson was an easy choice for K-State.
"Avery has got really good arm talent and that's the first thing we look at is really good arm talent," Klieman said at his 2023 early signing day news conference in December. "He sees the field really well and can throw it from the hash to the sideline and throws the vertical ball exceptionally well. Then there's the athleticism and ability to make plays with his feet. Many of us saw the clip in the US Army All-American game where he makes three or four guys miss and outruns everybody. That's pretty special. That's God-given ability to just roll and run like he does, and you combine that athleticism with the fact that he has tremendous arm talent, and we're excited about his future."
While the future awaits, and the present entails meals and conditioning, the past begins with the story of Johnson's long hair, which he says that he began growing in kindergarten. The long hair earned him nicknames such as "Sunshine" when he was young, it became an identity at high school, and it could eventually roll into business opportunities while at K-State.
"I love the look," he says. "I feel like a lot of people now recognize me for having long hair and it's just stuck with me and I've embraced it. I've always had it, so I've never thought about what it'd be like without it."
The legendary hair has been ever-present in photos as Johnson poses with his many fans.
"I tried to say humble through it all (in high school)" he says. "I didn't ever want to walk around like I had a huge head. Anytime anybody approached me or wanted an autograph or a picture, I always tried to open up to them, take a picture with them, ask them their name and ask how they're doing.
"I feel like kindness and respect goes such a long way now-a-days and sometimes people forget about that. I just try to keep a level head."
Some might argue he's Samson with the pigskin. In the classroom, he has yet to get through his first college midterms. Whereas for years, football season turned into basketball season, and basketball season rolled into baseball season, Johnson now focuses on football every day. He says that he could return to Maize to partake in his Senior Prom — if K-State's daily football schedule permits.
It's a whole new world. It's the same old game. The possibilities appear limitless. The grind continues each day. The 5,000-calorie diet will pay dividends when Johnson, armed with more muscle mass, someday must absorb a shot from a blitzing linebacker. Today, it's unzipping a backpack and feeding the body. It's an obstacle, sure, but Johnson is all about reaching goals. It's a one-day-at-a-time approach aimed toward going 1-0.
The plan is for K-State to capture another Big 12 title.
"That's at the top of my list," Johnson says. "A lot of people overlook Kansas State. I mean, we're the Big 12 Champions, and we're already being doubted coming into this next year. We lost some key pieces and people don't think we're going to be back to where we were last year, but, I mean, all the doubters, all the haters, that's just motivation for me and the team. We're going to keep looking at that goal at the top of our list. That's what we're going to push for every day. We're going to let that be our burn and our drive and we're going to continue to get better day in and day out."
Today, Johnson sets his sights on mastering the playbook. He wants to be on top of his game. In the fall, Johnson knows that he could be one play away.
"The one-play mindset is something I'll have, but if Will goes in, does the same thing he did last year, and dominates, then I'm going to be happy for him," Johnson says. "I just want what's best for the team. I want to see the team win.
"That's the person I've always been."
For now, it's snack-pack time.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ FootballK-State Volleyball | Top 10 Aces of the Spring
Tuesday, May 26
K-State Men's Basketball | Chief of Staff Wes Long Media Availability - May 22, 2026
Friday, May 22
K-State Men's Basketball | General Manager Sean Rutigliano Media Availability - May 22, 2026
Friday, May 22
K-State Baseball | TCU Game Recap - Big 12 Tournament
Thursday, May 21
