Johnson Impresses in Highly Anticipated Debut
Sep 04, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The golden locks of hair that flowed from underneath his Kansas State helmet are pulled tightly against his scalp now as Avery Johnson speaks with reporters in the Vanier Family Football Complex. Will Howard, from the other end of the postgame interview room, calls Johnson the man of the hour. They're hotel roommates, the senior and the true freshman, one of the most efficient quarterbacks at the end of the 2022 season and one of the top prospects ever to sign a letter-of-intent with the Wildcats. They're together this year, at least, and it's a great place to be.
We had been waiting for this time since December 21, a few weeks after K-State captured the Big 12 Championship, when Johnson, the nation's top dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2023, pulled out the purple at Maize High School, and swept into the hearts of Wildcat Nation, this phenom, still so incredibly young, yet undeniably talented, destined to one day dash through defenses. Yes, we had been waiting for this moment, his first trot onto the field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, the sellout crowd of 52,066 screaming fans, the lights beaming, and his cleats meeting new field turf.
When fate took form and the 6-foot-2, 188-pound Johnson took the field as No. 16 K-State held a 38-0 lead over Southeast Missouri with 3 minutes, 12 seconds left in the third quarter on September 2, 2023, those dreams, the ones that K-State head coach Chris Klieman, offensive coordinator Collin Klein, and the young man in the golden locks shared, became a biting and riveting reality.
The Avery Johnson show did not disappoint.
He scored a touchdown on his very first drive as a Wildcat.
"Man," Howard says, "I was so excited for that dude."
The question, the one on everybody's mind since the start of spring was how well Johnson, a midyear enrollee, was acclimating himself to Klein's offense. It's an aggressive, complex system primed to produce points at a rapid rate, with bells and whistles available to a knowledgeable trigger man. Early impressions indicated that the playbook wasn't too big for Johnson. And each time Klein spoke over the spring and summer months, he appeared a little bit more impressed. Now Johnson landed on this big stage, his canvas, where designed plays and improvisation meet in sweet harmony.
Boom, a 15-yard rush down the right side. Boom, a 16-yard completion to Xavier Loyd. Boom, a 24-yard pass to Tre Spivey, the 6-foot-4, 203-pound true freshman whom Johnson adamantly sought to join him in the Little Apple.
And so, we saw the start, we were all witnesses to Johnson's official introduction, and regardless of what's next in Saturday's tough game against Troy, and regardless of what the future might hold the remainder of this 2023 season, we'll remember how Johnson took a shotgun snap, showed patience as he tucked the football and darted to his right, outraced three defenders toward the outside, then instantly planted, allowing a host of defenders to overrun the play, then cut inside, caught a block from tight end Will Swanson, and glided seven yards into the end zone.
Boom. Touchdown, Avery Johnson.
Klieman and Klein wanted to see Johnson in live action, when it all mattered, and when he faced an angry defense, because Klein loves Johnson's football IQ, his knack for the game, and his ability to conceptualize the plays, the flow, and demonstrate his command in the huddle, in the pocket, and with the ball in his hands.
"For him to do that at this age," Klein says, "it's off the chart. And then how he's able to apply that to a new environment and a new system and a higher level of football, it's very special."
Johnson appeared undaunted and unfazed when he took the field, the K-State student section going nuts, alumni standing and applauding, the public-address announcer belting, "NOW ENTERING THE GAME AT QUARTERBACK, NUMBER FIVE, AVERY JOHNSON."
The crowd, yes, the crowd erupted, and as far as crowd eruptions go, this crowd eruption seemed special.
"To be honest, whenever a crowd erupts, I can hear that part," Johnson says. "When I'm in the game, you can kind of feel it when you make a big play. Everybody kind of goes crazy. But that first time I went out there, yeah, I definitely heard it."
There were a couple butterflies, sure, yet the moment wasn't too big. He had been waiting for his time to shine, flowing golden locks and all.
"We call Avery the 'Golden Boy of Kansas,'" wide receiver RJ Garcia II says.
The golden boy, you might recall, was the top player in the state of Kansas for the Class of 2023 and competed in the Elite 11 Finals in the summer of 2022, K-State's first Elite 11 quarterback since Josh Freeman in 2005. Johnson, who began growing his hair out in kindergarten, earning him nicknames such as "Sunshine" when he was young, formed an identity in high school, and not just because of his hair. He threw for 2,768 yards and 29 touchdowns to just three interceptions and rushed for 817 yards and 15 touchdowns while leading Maize High School to a 12-1 record his senior season.
He chose K-State over Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Kansas, Memphis, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pittsburgh, TCU, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington, Washington State and Wisconsin.
"No matter what it takes I want to win," Johnson says.
Already, he's popular with the video-game developers. He's the No. 3-rated player in the FBS to use when the EA Sports College Football video game returns in 2024. In Tecmo Bowl terms, he's projected to be the second coming of Joe Montana-meets-Bo Jackson.
"He was under control, he was in command, and he's really, really fast, and I think you guys can tell that," Klieman says. "He's got great, great speed. He put the ball in a couple good spots today to Jayce Brown, true freshman, and Tre Spivey, true freshman. He did some really good things.
"We'll evaluate and CK will see how he did. I was so happy for Avery and so pleased for him to get into the end zone in his first game. There's no doubt you could hear the ovation when he came in."
Just as we witnessed Johnson's on-field beginning, so full of promise, Howard, Johnson and reporters witnessed another somewhat humorous beginning in a different setting: The postgame interview room.
Howard, who threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns, ran for a score and was to the receiving end of another touchdown, and who engineered touchdowns on five of his first six possessions against Southeast Missouri, stands in the middle of the interview room. He calls Johnson the man of the hour, and Johnson smiles while assuming a position off to the side of the room.
There will be a time when Johnson stands in the middle of the room, surrounded by hordes of reporters, talking about grand victories, and Howard is eager for Johnson to one day get that chance when Howard is chasing his NFL dreams.
"The future of K-State football has nothing to worry about," Howard says, "as long as that kid is here."
The senior and the true freshman, hotel roommates, and now, signal-calling brothers. They're together this year, at least.
And it's a great place to be.
The golden locks of hair that flowed from underneath his Kansas State helmet are pulled tightly against his scalp now as Avery Johnson speaks with reporters in the Vanier Family Football Complex. Will Howard, from the other end of the postgame interview room, calls Johnson the man of the hour. They're hotel roommates, the senior and the true freshman, one of the most efficient quarterbacks at the end of the 2022 season and one of the top prospects ever to sign a letter-of-intent with the Wildcats. They're together this year, at least, and it's a great place to be.
We had been waiting for this time since December 21, a few weeks after K-State captured the Big 12 Championship, when Johnson, the nation's top dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2023, pulled out the purple at Maize High School, and swept into the hearts of Wildcat Nation, this phenom, still so incredibly young, yet undeniably talented, destined to one day dash through defenses. Yes, we had been waiting for this moment, his first trot onto the field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, the sellout crowd of 52,066 screaming fans, the lights beaming, and his cleats meeting new field turf.
When fate took form and the 6-foot-2, 188-pound Johnson took the field as No. 16 K-State held a 38-0 lead over Southeast Missouri with 3 minutes, 12 seconds left in the third quarter on September 2, 2023, those dreams, the ones that K-State head coach Chris Klieman, offensive coordinator Collin Klein, and the young man in the golden locks shared, became a biting and riveting reality.
The Avery Johnson show did not disappoint.
He scored a touchdown on his very first drive as a Wildcat.
"Man," Howard says, "I was so excited for that dude."
The question, the one on everybody's mind since the start of spring was how well Johnson, a midyear enrollee, was acclimating himself to Klein's offense. It's an aggressive, complex system primed to produce points at a rapid rate, with bells and whistles available to a knowledgeable trigger man. Early impressions indicated that the playbook wasn't too big for Johnson. And each time Klein spoke over the spring and summer months, he appeared a little bit more impressed. Now Johnson landed on this big stage, his canvas, where designed plays and improvisation meet in sweet harmony.
Boom, a 15-yard rush down the right side. Boom, a 16-yard completion to Xavier Loyd. Boom, a 24-yard pass to Tre Spivey, the 6-foot-4, 203-pound true freshman whom Johnson adamantly sought to join him in the Little Apple.
And so, we saw the start, we were all witnesses to Johnson's official introduction, and regardless of what's next in Saturday's tough game against Troy, and regardless of what the future might hold the remainder of this 2023 season, we'll remember how Johnson took a shotgun snap, showed patience as he tucked the football and darted to his right, outraced three defenders toward the outside, then instantly planted, allowing a host of defenders to overrun the play, then cut inside, caught a block from tight end Will Swanson, and glided seven yards into the end zone.
Boom. Touchdown, Avery Johnson.
Klieman and Klein wanted to see Johnson in live action, when it all mattered, and when he faced an angry defense, because Klein loves Johnson's football IQ, his knack for the game, and his ability to conceptualize the plays, the flow, and demonstrate his command in the huddle, in the pocket, and with the ball in his hands.
"For him to do that at this age," Klein says, "it's off the chart. And then how he's able to apply that to a new environment and a new system and a higher level of football, it's very special."
Johnson appeared undaunted and unfazed when he took the field, the K-State student section going nuts, alumni standing and applauding, the public-address announcer belting, "NOW ENTERING THE GAME AT QUARTERBACK, NUMBER FIVE, AVERY JOHNSON."
The crowd, yes, the crowd erupted, and as far as crowd eruptions go, this crowd eruption seemed special.
"To be honest, whenever a crowd erupts, I can hear that part," Johnson says. "When I'm in the game, you can kind of feel it when you make a big play. Everybody kind of goes crazy. But that first time I went out there, yeah, I definitely heard it."
There were a couple butterflies, sure, yet the moment wasn't too big. He had been waiting for his time to shine, flowing golden locks and all.
"We call Avery the 'Golden Boy of Kansas,'" wide receiver RJ Garcia II says.
The golden boy, you might recall, was the top player in the state of Kansas for the Class of 2023 and competed in the Elite 11 Finals in the summer of 2022, K-State's first Elite 11 quarterback since Josh Freeman in 2005. Johnson, who began growing his hair out in kindergarten, earning him nicknames such as "Sunshine" when he was young, formed an identity in high school, and not just because of his hair. He threw for 2,768 yards and 29 touchdowns to just three interceptions and rushed for 817 yards and 15 touchdowns while leading Maize High School to a 12-1 record his senior season.
He chose K-State over Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Kansas, Memphis, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pittsburgh, TCU, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington, Washington State and Wisconsin.
"No matter what it takes I want to win," Johnson says.
Already, he's popular with the video-game developers. He's the No. 3-rated player in the FBS to use when the EA Sports College Football video game returns in 2024. In Tecmo Bowl terms, he's projected to be the second coming of Joe Montana-meets-Bo Jackson.
"He was under control, he was in command, and he's really, really fast, and I think you guys can tell that," Klieman says. "He's got great, great speed. He put the ball in a couple good spots today to Jayce Brown, true freshman, and Tre Spivey, true freshman. He did some really good things.
"We'll evaluate and CK will see how he did. I was so happy for Avery and so pleased for him to get into the end zone in his first game. There's no doubt you could hear the ovation when he came in."
Just as we witnessed Johnson's on-field beginning, so full of promise, Howard, Johnson and reporters witnessed another somewhat humorous beginning in a different setting: The postgame interview room.
Howard, who threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns, ran for a score and was to the receiving end of another touchdown, and who engineered touchdowns on five of his first six possessions against Southeast Missouri, stands in the middle of the interview room. He calls Johnson the man of the hour, and Johnson smiles while assuming a position off to the side of the room.
There will be a time when Johnson stands in the middle of the room, surrounded by hordes of reporters, talking about grand victories, and Howard is eager for Johnson to one day get that chance when Howard is chasing his NFL dreams.
"The future of K-State football has nothing to worry about," Howard says, "as long as that kid is here."
The senior and the true freshman, hotel roommates, and now, signal-calling brothers. They're together this year, at least.
And it's a great place to be.
Players Mentioned
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