Inside the throws that make Avery Johnson such an enticing QB prospect for K-State

Avery Johnson executed so many jaw-dropping throws last Friday in Maize’s 42-14 win at Andover Central that he couldn’t immediately pick out the throw that went viral instantly when it hit Twitter.

It was the type of throw that only a handful of high school quarterbacks in the country would dare to even try and even fewer could complete. It’s why Johnson is rated one of the best quarterbacks in the class of 2023 and why K-State fans are already envisioning the possibilities when the 6-foot-2 gunslinger committed to the Wildcats is slated to arrive on campus next season.

The gist of the play was this: Johnson’s intended target had a step past double coverage 45 yards down the left sideline, but the right-handed quarterback was scrambling to his left with a blitzing linebacker closing down space by the step.

In a situation where almost every quarterback would throw away or take the sack, Johnson instead made the seemingly impossible possible: he squared his shoulders the best he could before using the momentum running toward the sideline to launch an absolute missile across his body that he dropped in over and around double-coverage in a window only for his receiver, Jaeden Martin, to catch.

If the throw was wide, it would have sailed out of bounds. If it was short, it would have likely been intercepted. On the run, against his body, with a defender in his face, Johnson fit the pass in on a dime.

“Before the play, I knew Jaeden was going to be open just because of the coverage they were giving pre-snap,” Johnson said after being shown a clip of the play to remind him. “I got pressured from the outside because I made the wrong blocking call, so I had to get out of the pocket and I knew I just had to make the throw. It was just a flick of the wrist. I just wanted to make a play.”

Johnson expanded to say he actually prefers throwing across his body.

“I honestly feel like I throw it a bit better going away then I do when I’m rolling to my right,” Johnson said. “I think it’s because I know in my mind that I need to get my shoulders turned and really focus on my mechanics more. I feel like sometimes when I roll to the right, I get a little lackadaisical and don’t focus on my mechanics as much.”

Big 12 defenses will offer a much stiffer challenge. Johnson will be faced to make the same throws against bigger, stronger and faster athletes, but those who have worked with Johnson the longest believe he has an innate ability to make throws other quarterbacks can’t or won’t.

“That’s just next-level stuff,” Maize offensive coordinator Rob Helm said about the throw. “All I do is say, ‘We see you, Avery. We see you.’”

Johnson has been beyond crisp in the start to his senior season, leading Maize, the No. 2-ranked team in Class 5A, to a 2-0 start behind a superb stat line: 537 passing yards on 70.6% accuracy (24 of 34) for five touchdowns and no interceptions to go along with a team-high 160 rushing yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns.

With Johnson under center, Maize has racked up 1,100 total yards and 120 points already. Maybe even more impressive, the Eagles are averaging 11.3 yards every time the ball is snapped.

“This season has been so much fun,” Johnson said. “I’m coming to the sidelines smiling and having fun with the guys every time. It’s just surreal to be able to play with a lot of guys I’ve grown up with. It feels like poetry in motion out there, seeing things come together for us on Friday night. I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

Poetry in motion might be the best way to describe the way Johnson works. After watching Johnson make so many miraculous plays over the last four years as his quarterback, Maize coach Gary Guzman has given up trying to describe it better than that.

“Anytime Avery has the ball in his hands, there’s a chance he’s going to make a big play,” Guzman said. “It sure is nice being on his side. There are times where we call a play that we wish we could get back, then he goes out and makes something special happen. It’s hard to call a bad play with him at quarterback.”

‘I’ve never had a quarterback like this’

Maize offensive coordinator Rob Helm laughs at what he has heard become the potential solution for defenses this season to slow down his four-star quarterback.

“People always say they’re going to heat him up and we say, ‘Go ahead,’” Helm said. “Because when he gets out on the edge, he might be even more dangerous. It’s like he sees the whole field moving with him. I’ve never had (a quarterback) like this before.”

A perfect example of this came on Maize’s first drive of the second half when Andover Central blitzed two linebackers and the pressure arrived up the middle. Johnson backpedaled to avoid the sack, then scampered backwards — nearly 30 yards behind the line of scrimmage — before rolling out to the left sideline.

On his last step before striding out of bounds, and with two linebackers barreling down on him, Johnson planted and launched a 35-yard frozen rope across his body that traveled straight down the sideline and into the hands of a diving Bryce Cohoon, who knew where to cut when Johnson rolled out for a first-down catch.

“Our coaches trust us that we’ll do the right thing out there,” Cohoon said. “That’s just from the chemistry we’ve built up over the years. Once we get that connection going, we’re pretty much unstoppable.”

While Johnson (team-high 160 rushing yards through two games) is capable of doing damage with his legs, he much prefers using his running ability to buy time for his receivers to work open down the field.

So much so that Guzman has actually made it a drill in Maize’s practices during the week.

“We run a quarterback scramble drill where Avery starts in one direction and then he flips it the other way and it’s up to our receivers to get a window where he can connect,” Guzman said. “But most of it is just kids playing with each other for a long time. They know each other and understand how each other thinks.”

That’s certainly the case with Stephens, who has been catching passes from Johnson since he was in grade school. That level of chemistry paired with Johnson’s ability to scramble and keep plays alive can be a devastating force for Maize’s offense.

That much was evident on the same drive out of halftime, as Johnson casually rolled out of the pocket to his right looking to extend the play. The play signaled from the sidelines called for Stephens to hug the right sideline, but his decade of experience playing with Johnson told him to freelance.

With the entire defense swarming to the right sideline following Johnson, Stephens cut back in against the grain of the defense, a move that Johnson knew was coming and he had an almost no-look, cross-body throw ready to sling that hit Stephens perfectly in stride for an 18-yard gain.

“That play isn’t even in our playbook, but it ends up going for a big play every single time we do it,” Stephens said. “It’s just a connection thing. When you play with someone for that long, you just feel each other.

“It’s just lovely. I couldn’t ask for anything more as a receiver.”

The duo said they connected on a similar freelance play last season in big games against Derby and Kapaun Mt. Carmel.

“Whenever I get outside of the pocket, most of the time I’m looking for 4 (Stephens),” Johnson said. “We’ve been playing together for so long, we just have a strong connection. He knows where to go. I feel like whenever I’m rolling out, he makes that cut back into the opposite side and puts himself in a situation to make it easy on me to make the throw.”

‘It 100% starts with our offensive line’

It’s possible that Maize has the deepest and speediest receiving unit in the state.

Bryce Cohoon is a state track champion in the 100-meter dash, which helped him earn a scholarship to play football at Syracuse next season. Sophomore Bryson Hayes believes he’s even faster.

“We both think we’re the faster one,” said Hayes, who has displayed his speed this season with five catches for 217 yards and three touchdowns. “We’ve got to be one of the fastest (units) in the state. There are other fast guys at other schools, but I don’t think anyone compares to how many we have here.”

Senior Justin Stephens, at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, is the safety blanket for Johnson, while junior Jaeden Martin is shiftier than them all and has proven capable of capitalizing on defenses worried about the other three receivers. Defenses also have to account for a dangerous two-player rotation at running back in senior Daeshaun Carter and junior Tayveon Williams.

“We’ve got it all,” Cohoon said. “We’ve got some crazy speed on the outside and then defenses can’t overlook our inside receivers. I feel like when we’re all doing what we’re supposed to, no one in the state can defend us.”

With as many flashy players at the skill positions in Maize’s offense, it can be easy to overlook the offensive line.

Johnson and Guzman are the first ones to tell you that’s a mistake.

“We do have some great skill position players, but if you don’t have an offensive line that can get it done up front for you, then it doesn’t matter what your skill guys are like,” Guzman said. “For us, it starts up front and if those guys can get the job done, then this offense can do some damage.”

Maize believes it boasts one of the top offensive line units in the state, led by four seniors who returned with a wealth of experience in Mason Thrush, Cole Chalashtari, Zach Wertz and Jack Kerr with an up-and-coming sophomore, Jon Gould, already earning a starting nod at right tackle.

While Johnson and Maize’s deep roster of talented running backs and wide receivers garner the social-media fame by scoring touchdowns, the linemen are the film-room stars given proper credit for why the Eagles are leading Class 5A in scoring with 120 points through the first two weeks of the season.

“It 100% starts with our offensive line,” Johnson said. “We have to win the trenches each game for us to be successful and that’s what they’ve done these first two weeks.”

Johnson produces some of his most jaw-dropping highlights when he’s forced out of the pocket, but his wall up front takes pride in keeping those plays to a minimum.

“He definitely makes our job easier when he maneuvers around and it relieves some pressure on us, but we try to make sure he just has to do his job and nothing more on most plays,” Chalashtari said. “We know our skill guys are going to do a great job, but we want to make sure we do a great job because we know the success of the offense couldn’t happen without us.”