All Business, Day After Day
Aug 09, 2024 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
He wore a purple headband, a purple tank-top, a tattoo sleeve down the right arm, no ink on the left arm, and a certain type of stoicism about him that let it be known he was all business. It was evident that Keagan Johnson, a junior who measures 6-foot and 206 pounds, made the weight room his second home this offseason. It was evident we were getting a different Keagan Johnson than a year ago.
The offseason gains were just a part of the transformation evident in his first appearance before reporters since last season. There was biting maturity within the words that he spoke. He said phrases like "maturity level," and "approach to the game," and "stay level-headed," and "comfort." He said "Confidence," and "maintenance," and "day-to-day mindset," and "cannot look too far into the future."
He sat at a table in the Vanier Family Football Complex after the sixth practice of training camp. He was direct. He was succinct. He earned the praise of K-State offensive coordinator Conor Riley. He earned the praise of quarterback Avery Johnson. K-State head coach Chris Klieman made the greatest statement of them all.
"Keagan Johnson is a guy that, if we keep him healthy, he's one of the best wide receivers in the Big 12," Klieman said. "He continues to improve."
We had heard about Keagan Johnson long before his debut performance against Troy a year ago. The news hit the internet faster than a Beyonce album release shortly after noon on December 11, 2022 — "Next chapter #EMAW" the tweet read, as Johnson announced on Twitter his transfer to K-State, carrying with it plenty of vim and vigor as the former Iowa pass catcher officially joined the Wildcats, thus squashing Notre Dame speculation and slamming shut any probability that the native of Bellevue, Nebraska might trot out with the Huskers.
Johnson, who showed vast promise at Iowa as a freshman but missed almost the entire 2022 season due to nagging injuries, had a ringing endorsement from older brother Cade Johnson, who was with the Seattle Seahawks and friends with K-State all-time great Tyler Lockett.
"When Keagan texted me that he was going with the Wildcats, I told Tyler and he was excited for him," Cade said. "It's a really good fit for Keagan, and Manhattan is a good town for him to grow into the next big receiving coming out of Kansas State. I'm really excited to watch that."
Johnson comes from a linage of catch-producing superstars. "The Johnson Boys" began with CJ, a 6-foot-2, 209-pound Gatorade Player of the Year as the No. 3 overall recruit in the state of Nebraska. He chose Wyoming and became a prime target for future Pro-Bowl quarterback Josh Allen.
Cade was a 5-foot-10, 184-pounder who went to South Dakota State, earned Second Team All-America honors in 2018 and was named to the Walter Camp FCS All-America Team in 2019. Cade went from undrafted free agent to the Seahawks de facto third receiver in 2023.
Keagan was the No. 19-rated athlete in the Class of 2021. He totaled 1,612 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns over three seasons, including a 935-yard, 10-touchdown campaign while playing just seven games as a senior during the COVID-shortened season.
Klieman quickly zeroed in on Johnson when he entered the transfer portal on December 1. With the departures of Malik Knowles and Kade Warner, Klieman was already in the planning stages for 2023 by the time the Wildcats left AT&T Stadium after their 31-28 overtime victory against No. 3 TCU in the 2022 Big 12 Championship Game on December 3.
"I've always had a ton of respect and admiration for Keagan, and it goes back to recruiting his older brothers when I was at (North Dakota State) and even recruiting Keagan," Riley said. "I think his final two schools were us and Iowa. I've always been impressed with his maturity."
Why the transfer from Iowa? Consider Johnson posted 18 catches for 362 yards (second most on the team) and two touchdowns as a true freshman in 2021. The Big Ten Network called him "a yards-after-catch machine for years to come," as highlight after highlight showed Johnson bouncing off defenders in traffic.
Then arrived nagging injuries in the midst of the Hawkeyes' 10-win season, and a pelvic injury that ultimately landed him in the hospital and kept him off the field in the final game of his freshman season in a 20-17 loss to No. 22 Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl.
Sophomore season? More nagging injuries.
Something didn't seem right.
"When I got to K-State, it felt like a new start," Johnson said. "I just felt refreshed and was excited to get started with this new chapter."
During one offseason workout in Manhattan, Johnson ran an unofficial 22.3 miles per hour. He projected himself as a 4.3 to 4.4 guy in the 40.
"Honestly, people ask me all the time how I project Keagan to be, and he's a 10 times better NFL prospect than I was coming out of college, and he still has many years to get better before reaching this next phases of his life," Cade said. "The best thing is he has so much more potential that he has yet to tap into."
Last season, Johnson saw action in 11 games with five starts and totaled 227 yards and two touchdowns on 24 catches. He also rushed eight times for 26 yards. He had his best game at Texas, hauling in a career-high seven passes for 70 yards and his first touchdown of the season. He also had a touchdown against Kansas. He had three catches against Troy, Baylor and three more against NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Johnson believes there so much more to come.
"The biggest difference is just my maturity level, just my approach to the game," Johnson said. "I feel like I went through a lot of ups and downs last season that people know about and people don't know about. I just have a new perspective, just more of a day-to-day mindset, and don't get too high or too low and stay even keeled. Just the way I look at things from a more mature perspective and more level-headed, it's been to my benefit."
Someone asked Johnson to describe his next step as a wide receiver.
"My next step?" he replied.
He paused.
"Man, I think just going out there and showing what I can do," he continued. "I'm confident in my abilities. I think the next step is not talking about it but doing it."
In training camp, he's emerged as a prime target for sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson, who said Keagan Johnson is "for sure more locked in."
"This offseason, he really took on that leadership role," Avery Johnson said. "He's a real quiet keep-to-himself type of guy. We had to call on him to step up and be more vocal because when he does talk, he has really good things to say. A lot of people can learn from Keagan because he's played on some of the highest stages, so being able to take as much knowledge from him (is big). Then on the field, he's looked lightyears — really good this fall and really good this spring as well. He's just continuing to elevate his game. My job is to get him the ball.
"If I see single coverage his way, I'm putting it over there the whole time."
The Johnson-to-Johnson connection started long before training camp.
"It started in the spring and carried over into the summer," Keagan Johnson said. "We really tried to take advantage of the days we had leading up to fall camp because we know we can be so much ahead of the page if we did that. I feel just as comfortable with Avery as I've ever felt. Right now, we're kind of clicking."
Riley likes Keagan Johnson's maturity, but "where I see a ton of growth is with his confidence, and that confidence comes from being in the program and understanding what to expect on a day-to-day basis."
"I absolutely admire the young man. You talk about his ability," Riley said, "but the type of kid that he is is fantastic, and I'm really glad he's with us."
Asked if he had taken any steps in the offseason to prepare his body to remain healthy during the fall, Johnson replied, "There's nothing you can do to be 100%."
"It's football, it's the nature of the game, and injuries happen, but I think just ramping up the maintenance (is key), but it's football and things happen," he continued. "Things happened last year that weren't in my control, and I felt like I was ready then. I can't predict what'll happen tomorrow. All I can do is go through this day with my best intentions and that's what I do. Just having the day-to-day mindset and not staying too high or too low but just kind of taking it a day at a time."
If all goes as planned, and Johnson stays healthy, in the words of Klieman, watch out.
"I think any player would want their head coach to have that kind of respect and that type of praise for your game," Johnson said. "He's right, though. I think if I can stay healthy, the future is bright. But, man, that perspective, I can't look too far into the future right now. We're in the middle of camp and I have a lot of practices to go, and we'll have practices after camp before the season starts.
"Right now, I'm in a day-to-day mindset. I don't know what tomorrow will bring. Anything can happen tomorrow. My focus is right here right now. Whatever happens in the future, happens, man. I'm confident as ever, but I'm present, too."
And at the present, he sits at a table after the sixth practice of training camp, awash in his thoughts, yet grounded in the moment.
There could be many big moments to come.
He wore a purple headband, a purple tank-top, a tattoo sleeve down the right arm, no ink on the left arm, and a certain type of stoicism about him that let it be known he was all business. It was evident that Keagan Johnson, a junior who measures 6-foot and 206 pounds, made the weight room his second home this offseason. It was evident we were getting a different Keagan Johnson than a year ago.
The offseason gains were just a part of the transformation evident in his first appearance before reporters since last season. There was biting maturity within the words that he spoke. He said phrases like "maturity level," and "approach to the game," and "stay level-headed," and "comfort." He said "Confidence," and "maintenance," and "day-to-day mindset," and "cannot look too far into the future."
He sat at a table in the Vanier Family Football Complex after the sixth practice of training camp. He was direct. He was succinct. He earned the praise of K-State offensive coordinator Conor Riley. He earned the praise of quarterback Avery Johnson. K-State head coach Chris Klieman made the greatest statement of them all.
"Keagan Johnson is a guy that, if we keep him healthy, he's one of the best wide receivers in the Big 12," Klieman said. "He continues to improve."
We had heard about Keagan Johnson long before his debut performance against Troy a year ago. The news hit the internet faster than a Beyonce album release shortly after noon on December 11, 2022 — "Next chapter #EMAW" the tweet read, as Johnson announced on Twitter his transfer to K-State, carrying with it plenty of vim and vigor as the former Iowa pass catcher officially joined the Wildcats, thus squashing Notre Dame speculation and slamming shut any probability that the native of Bellevue, Nebraska might trot out with the Huskers.
Johnson, who showed vast promise at Iowa as a freshman but missed almost the entire 2022 season due to nagging injuries, had a ringing endorsement from older brother Cade Johnson, who was with the Seattle Seahawks and friends with K-State all-time great Tyler Lockett.
"When Keagan texted me that he was going with the Wildcats, I told Tyler and he was excited for him," Cade said. "It's a really good fit for Keagan, and Manhattan is a good town for him to grow into the next big receiving coming out of Kansas State. I'm really excited to watch that."
Johnson comes from a linage of catch-producing superstars. "The Johnson Boys" began with CJ, a 6-foot-2, 209-pound Gatorade Player of the Year as the No. 3 overall recruit in the state of Nebraska. He chose Wyoming and became a prime target for future Pro-Bowl quarterback Josh Allen.
Cade was a 5-foot-10, 184-pounder who went to South Dakota State, earned Second Team All-America honors in 2018 and was named to the Walter Camp FCS All-America Team in 2019. Cade went from undrafted free agent to the Seahawks de facto third receiver in 2023.
Keagan was the No. 19-rated athlete in the Class of 2021. He totaled 1,612 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns over three seasons, including a 935-yard, 10-touchdown campaign while playing just seven games as a senior during the COVID-shortened season.
Klieman quickly zeroed in on Johnson when he entered the transfer portal on December 1. With the departures of Malik Knowles and Kade Warner, Klieman was already in the planning stages for 2023 by the time the Wildcats left AT&T Stadium after their 31-28 overtime victory against No. 3 TCU in the 2022 Big 12 Championship Game on December 3.
"I've always had a ton of respect and admiration for Keagan, and it goes back to recruiting his older brothers when I was at (North Dakota State) and even recruiting Keagan," Riley said. "I think his final two schools were us and Iowa. I've always been impressed with his maturity."
Why the transfer from Iowa? Consider Johnson posted 18 catches for 362 yards (second most on the team) and two touchdowns as a true freshman in 2021. The Big Ten Network called him "a yards-after-catch machine for years to come," as highlight after highlight showed Johnson bouncing off defenders in traffic.
Then arrived nagging injuries in the midst of the Hawkeyes' 10-win season, and a pelvic injury that ultimately landed him in the hospital and kept him off the field in the final game of his freshman season in a 20-17 loss to No. 22 Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl.
Sophomore season? More nagging injuries.
Something didn't seem right.
"When I got to K-State, it felt like a new start," Johnson said. "I just felt refreshed and was excited to get started with this new chapter."
During one offseason workout in Manhattan, Johnson ran an unofficial 22.3 miles per hour. He projected himself as a 4.3 to 4.4 guy in the 40.
"Honestly, people ask me all the time how I project Keagan to be, and he's a 10 times better NFL prospect than I was coming out of college, and he still has many years to get better before reaching this next phases of his life," Cade said. "The best thing is he has so much more potential that he has yet to tap into."
Last season, Johnson saw action in 11 games with five starts and totaled 227 yards and two touchdowns on 24 catches. He also rushed eight times for 26 yards. He had his best game at Texas, hauling in a career-high seven passes for 70 yards and his first touchdown of the season. He also had a touchdown against Kansas. He had three catches against Troy, Baylor and three more against NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Johnson believes there so much more to come.
"The biggest difference is just my maturity level, just my approach to the game," Johnson said. "I feel like I went through a lot of ups and downs last season that people know about and people don't know about. I just have a new perspective, just more of a day-to-day mindset, and don't get too high or too low and stay even keeled. Just the way I look at things from a more mature perspective and more level-headed, it's been to my benefit."
Someone asked Johnson to describe his next step as a wide receiver.
"My next step?" he replied.
He paused.
"Man, I think just going out there and showing what I can do," he continued. "I'm confident in my abilities. I think the next step is not talking about it but doing it."
In training camp, he's emerged as a prime target for sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson, who said Keagan Johnson is "for sure more locked in."
"This offseason, he really took on that leadership role," Avery Johnson said. "He's a real quiet keep-to-himself type of guy. We had to call on him to step up and be more vocal because when he does talk, he has really good things to say. A lot of people can learn from Keagan because he's played on some of the highest stages, so being able to take as much knowledge from him (is big). Then on the field, he's looked lightyears — really good this fall and really good this spring as well. He's just continuing to elevate his game. My job is to get him the ball.
"If I see single coverage his way, I'm putting it over there the whole time."
The Johnson-to-Johnson connection started long before training camp.
"It started in the spring and carried over into the summer," Keagan Johnson said. "We really tried to take advantage of the days we had leading up to fall camp because we know we can be so much ahead of the page if we did that. I feel just as comfortable with Avery as I've ever felt. Right now, we're kind of clicking."
Riley likes Keagan Johnson's maturity, but "where I see a ton of growth is with his confidence, and that confidence comes from being in the program and understanding what to expect on a day-to-day basis."
"I absolutely admire the young man. You talk about his ability," Riley said, "but the type of kid that he is is fantastic, and I'm really glad he's with us."
Asked if he had taken any steps in the offseason to prepare his body to remain healthy during the fall, Johnson replied, "There's nothing you can do to be 100%."
"It's football, it's the nature of the game, and injuries happen, but I think just ramping up the maintenance (is key), but it's football and things happen," he continued. "Things happened last year that weren't in my control, and I felt like I was ready then. I can't predict what'll happen tomorrow. All I can do is go through this day with my best intentions and that's what I do. Just having the day-to-day mindset and not staying too high or too low but just kind of taking it a day at a time."
If all goes as planned, and Johnson stays healthy, in the words of Klieman, watch out.
"I think any player would want their head coach to have that kind of respect and that type of praise for your game," Johnson said. "He's right, though. I think if I can stay healthy, the future is bright. But, man, that perspective, I can't look too far into the future right now. We're in the middle of camp and I have a lot of practices to go, and we'll have practices after camp before the season starts.
"Right now, I'm in a day-to-day mindset. I don't know what tomorrow will bring. Anything can happen tomorrow. My focus is right here right now. Whatever happens in the future, happens, man. I'm confident as ever, but I'm present, too."
And at the present, he sits at a table after the sixth practice of training camp, awash in his thoughts, yet grounded in the moment.
There could be many big moments to come.
Players Mentioned
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