Anonymous Big 12 coach believes Avery Johnson can be a 'Heisman-level guy' for Kansas State

Junior quarterback Avery Johnson will return to Kansas State for his third year of college football this season, where he led the Wildcats to a 9-4 (5-4) record with a 44-41 win over Rutgers in the Rate Bowl in 2024.

As good as he was last year, an anonymous Big 12 head coach revealed that he believes that Johnson could blossom into a ‘Heisman-level guy’ for K-State this season in Athlon Sports’ 2025 College Football Preview.

“Avery [Johnson] could be a superstar, a Heisman-level guy, but they’ve got to build up the talent around him,” the anonymous coach said. “This could be one of the best and most creative offenses in the country this season if he continues to improve.”

In his first season as Kansas State‘s starting quarterback, Johnson threw for 2,712 yards and 25 touchdowns (10 interceptions). He also rushed for 605 yards and seven touchdowns, along with posting a 136.4 RTG. His breakout performance came in a 42-20 win over No. 20 Oklahoma State last season, in which he passed for 259 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for two more.

“All of us are counting on Avery taking that next step, and I know he is too,” Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman told Dusty Dvoracek and Danny Kannell back in early May. “He’s feeling so much more confident and comfortable. I think things really flowed well this spring. We only had a handful of practices because we were down some numbers. Then, the fact that we added a couple of pieces at the wide receiver spot that he was building chemistry with.”

Another anonymous Big 12 head coach touched on the Kansas State offense. “The defense is solid, but the offense could carry them to the playoff,” he said.

Along with Johnson, the Wildcat offense returns junior running back Dylan Edwards (2024: 546 RUSH YDS, 5 RUSH TD), junior wide receiver Jayce Brown (2024: 823 REC YDS, 5 REC TD) and junior tight end Garrett Oakley (2024: 258 REC YDS, 1 REC TD). Along with a solid returning core, Klieman and his staff reeled in some impactful offensive Transfer Portal pieces.

Some of these new faces around Manhattan include three-star Boston College wide receiver Jerand Bradley (2024: 94 REC YDS, 2 REC TD) and three-star Nebraska running back Gabe Ervin Jr. (2024: 41 RUSH YDS, 2 RUSH TD). The talent surrounding Johnson is certainly there, it will now be up to him to reach that next level.

Quarterbacks Lynn Dickey (1968-70), Michael Bishop (1997-99) and Collin Klein (2008-12) are the three Kansas State quarterbacks to ever be named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.