How Avery Johnson has adjusted to life as a starting quarterback at Kansas State

Avery Johnson was impossible to miss at Kansas State football practices this spring.

It seemed like his green No. 2 quarterback jersey was at the center of every big moment. He threw the ball accurately down field for long gains, he showed off his speed while making big plays with his legs and he was a vocal leader. When Johnson talked, the rest of the team listened.

At this time last year, Johnson was the QB of the future. Now, he is the unquestioned QB of the present.

That could have been a difficult transition for him to make, considering Johnson is only a sophomore and he has started just one game as a college quarterback. But life in the football spotlight has come easy for him.

“It really hasn’t been too hard, because I feel like a lot of the guys respect me and trust me,” Johnson said. “It’s just kind of how I go about my everyday life. It doesn’t start with me coming out here and just barking out orders. It started when I first got here, putting my head down and working in the weight room, coming out here during team runs and giving it my all and earning respect.

“That way, when it was time for me to bark out orders like it is now, guys respect me and guys listen. Whenever I do make a mistake or get down or fumble a little bit those guys will come and pick me up, too. So it’s not just a one man show. It is joint leadership from older guys and younger guys. We have a really good thing going.”

All eyes will continue to be on Johnson when the season begins on August 31 against Tennessee-Martin.

K-State is the betting favorite to win the Big 12 next season, which means the Wildcats are expected to be in the mix for a berth in the first year of an expanded playoff. Expectations are high in Manhattan in large part because of Johnson.

Will Howard started 12 games last season and then transferred to Ohio State. But Johnson led the Wildcats to an impressive victory over North Carolina State at the Pop-Tarts Bowl, and he has all the physical tools necessary to take the offense to a higher level.

For that reason, he embraces great expectations even though he hasn’t yet proven himself over the course of a full season.

“The sky is the limit, really,” Johnson said. “Obviously, we’re shooting for that college football playoff and a Big 12 championship. That’s really where I think we are headed. We just have to take each practice one day at a time and keep improving.”

K-State coach Chris Klieman couldn’t have imagined Johnson saying something like that 12 months ago when he was fresh out of Maize High and competing for the No. 2 QB job behind Howard.

He has quickly learned how to carry himself like a starting quarterback in the Big 12.

“It’s been fun to see him evolve,” Klieman said. “He got thrust into that pretty quickly. I think the greatest thing was his three-week window, where he had a bunch of older offensive linemen and then it was him.

“We put him into some challenging situations to lead during the month of December. Then he had that flow of a football game that he played in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, where he had success and then we went through some adversity and then had success again. I think that gave him confidence.”