Avery Johnson states playing at Alabama would be his dream opponent

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.

Johnson, along with Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt and Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, joined Greg McElroy and the “Always College Football” podcast at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, TX. There, the quarterbacks revealed their non-conference dream opponent.

“I would probably go play at like Alabama,” Johnson told McElroy. “I saw something on social media where they got their lights flashing. A place like that, or really any powerhouse SEC school. Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, Tennessee. That’s one thing I want to do is go to the College Football Playoff and play an away game at an SEC school. I think it would be a crazy environment.”

The Wichita, KS native boasts 3,191 career passing yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions through two seasons. Johnson also gets the job done on the ground, as he’s compiled 901 rushing yards and 14 rushing scores in that span.

“I love playing at home but playing an away game at a place like that and coming out with a win, there’s probably no better feeling than that.”

Johnson won’t have a chance to face a big-time non-conference opponent in the regular season, as Kansas State‘s two lone non-conference games are at home against North Dakota and Army. As he stated however, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff as a 9-12 seed guarantees you a First Round matchup at a road environment.

In the first edition of the 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024-25, the home team won all four First Round games by an average of 19 points per game. The closest game was Notre Dame‘s 27-17 victory over Indiana, but the Hoosiers scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to make the matchup look a lot closer than it actually was.

Expectations are high for the junior this season, as an anonymous Big 12 head coach revealed that he believes that Johnson could blossom into a ‘Heisman-level guy’ for K-State 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 coach said. “This could be one of the best and most creative offenses in the country this season if he continues to improve.”

Kansas State opens its 2025 campaign on the road in Dublin, Ireland against Big 12 foe Iowa State on August 23.