‘He gives you nightmares’: The unlimited potential of Kansas State’s lavender-Stingray=driving QB, Avery Johnson
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
As he pondered the color overhaul of his new car earlier this summer, Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson unleashed a Cheshire grin.
He’d been driving a red Corvette Stingray around campus, and if that wasn’t recognizable enough, he’d decided on a new color that would be familiar to Wildcats fans.
As Johnson took the keys to the Kansas State offense — and, really, the entire Kansas State program — this offseason, he knew that everyone would be watching.
Just like when he zips through Manhattan in his lavender Stingray.
“Everybody’s going to know it’s me,” Johnson said with a laugh earlier this summer. “That’s a good and a bad thing.”
Johnson is a local kid from Wichita who had loads of big-time scholarship offers before ultimately picking Kansas State after visiting Washington and Oregon. He’s also a shy kid who says he walks campus with his long hair typically bundled underneath a hoodie.
So far, being the in-state star who stayed home and has all eyes on him has been a very good thing for Johnson and the Wildcats. Johnson is a sophomore with trademark flow, an unmistakable ride and an electric playing style.
Johnson’s commitment to the Wildcats — and his combination of unlimited upside and a 2-0 start to this season — have allowed the Wildcats to dream on a whole new plane.
As Johnson leads No. 14 Kansas State against No. 20 Arizona on Friday night in a bizarro nonconference matchup of two Big 12 teams, he has been solid in his first full season as a starter. That included leading a 10-point second-half comeback in a 34-27 win over Tulane last week to keep Kansas State’s dreams as vast as Johnson’s potential.
“Our goals are obviously make the Big 12 championship, win the Big 12 and get into that College Football Playoff spot,” Johnson said. “But let’s go make a run for it [because] we’re not just here because we won the Big 12. We want to go out there and compete and show that we can compete at the highest level.”
Johnson has taken a proud and successful program, which for years operated with a defiant lack of flash, and made it dream a little bolder. Even the understated Kansas State coach, Chris Klieman, dips into hyperbole when reflecting on Johnson’s potential.
Klieman and the Wildcats’ staff began recruiting Johnson hard as a sophomore and hung in there when glitzier brands jumped into the fray. When Johnson finally committed, Klieman had a simple reaction: “I knew we had a generationally talented kid.”
And Friday night in the week’s only matchup involving top-20 teams, everyone will have a chance to see the player who’ll be driving Kansas State’s program into the future.
Few coaches have the recent quarterback pedigree of Klieman, who rattles off an impressive list of players he’s either recruited, coached or developed on their way to the NFL — Carson Wentz, Easton Stick, Trey Lance and Skylar Thompson.
When it came to Johnson, geography played a big role in Klieman’s recruiting pitch, as Wichita is just two hours south. At the time, Klieman also had the last Heisman-caliber Kansas State quarterback as his lead recruiter. Who knew better the power of Kansas State than Collin Klein? The Kansas State offensive coordinator, who left after last season for Texas A&M, finished third in the Heisman Trophy race in 2012, ramming Kansas State into the national consciousness.
The staff pitched similar potential, all playing out in front of his loved ones.
“We just needed to keep selling his brand in the state of Kansas and how his legacy in the state of Kansas could be about anything he wanted it to be,” Klieman said. “And it could be much bigger back home with all his family being able to watch him play and the fact that we were going to be successful.”
There was plenty to like about Johnson for the Kansas State staff. But the one thing that stuck out to Klieman, was even as Johnson emerged as one of the country’s top recruits at quarterback — ESPN ranked him the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback behind Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) and Jaden Rashada (Arizona State, Georgia) — he still played both basketball and baseball in high school.
“I appreciated him because he didn’t say, ‘I’m going to specialize,'” Klieman said. “He’s going to keep playing [the other sports]. And that’s what Carson did. That’s what Easton did, that’s what Trey did. They played all these other sports. I think it’s going to help him.”
Johnson acknowledged that when he made his decision to stay local, it was met with skepticism. He said he received “a lot of negative feedback,” as he’d visited Washington and Oregon and had offers from Notre Dame, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Florida State.
“One of the main reasons I wanted to come here was that Kansas State doesn’t get enough respect, and I just wanted to help start something,” he said. “And I don’t mean start something as in like, oh, I started this, but I wanted to help bring people to Kansas State and win here because it’s a really good program and they care about the right things.
“It’s not just they want you to be a good person, they want you to go to school, get a degree, have life after football. It’s not just what can you do for me on Saturdays.”
Johnson did know there was a manageable path for him to contribute early in his career on Saturdays but just not immediately. He arrived in the spring of 2023 with Will Howard entrenched as the starter in the wake of Kansas State’s Big 12 title run in 2022.
When Johnson arrived, he received a quick tutorial in preparation and professionalism from Howard. He quickly followed Howard’s routine of watching film during the week. They would dissect Saturday’s game on Sunday and then have specific days to study parts of the plan for the upcoming week — Mondays they watched two-minute, Tuesdays blitzes and pressures. That gave Johnson a chance to absorb and eventually develop a routine that worked for him.
The quarterbacks roomed together on the road, and Johnson said he wouldn’t have been as ready to take over the starting job this season without Howard as a mentor.
Soon enough, Johnson performed well enough to earn snaps for the Wildcats. His breakout game came against Texas Tech, when the Kansas State offense needed a spark in Lubbock in mid-October. Johnson came off the bench to rush for five touchdowns in a 38-21 road win.
Johnson summed up the night this way: “I wasn’t doing anything spectacular, I was just fast.”
Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire had an bit less understated recollection. “He is a stud,” McGuire said. “I mean, he gives you nightmares just from the standpoint of the quarterback run game.”
And for Klieman, the performance began to push into focus a difficult decision.
“He had an unbelievable breakout game, but we also knew that we still got a lot of football season left, so we need to keep playing both these guys,” Klieman said.
Klieman played both quarterbacks down the stretch last season. Howard was a very good Big 12 quarterback who had a year of eligibility remaining, and the prevailing thought was that he’d turn pro. After Kansas State finished the regular season at 8-4, Howard and Klieman sat down in his office. “I knew something had to give,” Klieman said.
Klieman recalled Howard telling him: “I think what’s going to happen is you’re going to go with Avery next year.”
Klieman responded: “Yeah, Will, he’s going to be the guy next year.”
At that point, Howard was still strongly considering the NFL draft. He eventually decided to transfer to Ohio State, where he won the starting job and has thrived under new coordinator Chip Kelly.
“Will Howard and I have a really good relationship and we’ve always been honest with each other, and he knew that that’s what we had to do,” Klieman said. “[He knew we could] have a kid for three to four more years, or you can have a kid for a semester more, which was all Will was going to have. We really thought Will was going to go [to the NFL] anyway, and it really worked out well for both guys.”
Johnson had his first true career start against NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, leading Kansas State to a 28-19 win. (He technically started in the regular season against TCU, as the Wildcats began the game with two quarterbacks on the field.)
The win marked the debut of offensive coordinator Connor Riley as Kansas State’s playcaller in place of Klein, continuing with his promotion to offensive coordinator and playcaller this season. (Kansas State brought in veteran coach Matt Wells as the quarterbacks coach and co-coordinator.)
The victory showcased Johnson’s arm, as he threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He also scampered for 71 yards and directed a game-sealing fourth-quarter touchdown drive.
“It was a bittersweet moment for me because I finally get to have my first start, and I’m obviously happy for [Howard] because he gets to go out and play at a great college like Ohio State and gets to showcase his ability,” Johnson said. “But it’s like the part where I hurt the most is Will was actually a really good friend of mine, a really good person, and he deserves a lot of the credit for how advanced I was mentally.”
So what can Johnson become as Kansas State’s quarterback?
It’s a fascinating question, as he has been solid but not spectacular so far this season. Johnson has completed 65.9% of his passes, including four touchdowns with one interception. He has 334 passing yards through two games. He also showed poise on the road in engineering the comeback against Tulane.
Johnson hasn’t needed to run the ball a ton, as Kansas State has shown flashes of having one of the best running back tandems in the country — returning star DJ Giddens has 238 yards rushing and is averaging 7.4 yards per carry. Dylan Edwards, a Colorado transfer who is Johnson’s buddy from the Wichita area, has averaged an astounding 10.8 yards on his nine carries. He has also scored two rushing touchdowns and added another one receiving.
That has left Johnson with only 11 carries, something that’s good for his long-term durability. He’s 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, which means he still needs to add some bulk to his frame.
The key area for growth for Johnson and Kansas State against Arizona will be on third down, as the Wildcats rank No. 113 in the country with just a 30% conversion rate. They’ve converted only 6-of-20, which has limited the play count and the ability to find rhythm.
“The thing that I want to make sure that the country knows after this year is that Avery Johnson’s not a running quarterback,” Klieman said. “Avery Johnson is a kid that can spin it all over the place, and if he needs to run, he will, but I don’t want to run him 20 times a game.”
Friday’s game offers a fascinating showdown, as Arizona brings in perhaps the country’s most dazzling quarterback-receiver duo in Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan.
It offers the showcase Johnson always wanted for Kansas State, the program shining in a national spotlight and his home state the center of college football universe for a night. (Kansas also hosts a dangerous UNLV team in the same time slot.)
Johnson and Kansas State take center stage, with all the lofty goals Johnson wanted for the program in front of him. Everyone will be watching, and it’ll be up to Johnson and the Wildcats to make sure that’s a good thing.
There has been no shortage of excitement already this NHL offseason. Following the Florida Panthers‘ second consecutive Stanley Cup championship — and seemingly never-ending celebration — the annual period of roster modification has begun.
The 2025 NHL draft included 224 prospects finding new homes, and the weekend included trades for Noah Dobson, Charlie Coyle and John Gibson. On Monday, a slew of re-signings, and the trade of Mitch Marner, took several big names off the free agent big board.
Below you will find our continuously updated free agency tracker for 2025, featuring a list of every player signed, including average annual value of the contract in most cases. Analysis of the biggest deals can be found here.
Note that the newest deals are on top, denoted by date.
Draft recap: All 224 picks
Grades for all 32 teams
Winners and losers
July 3
The Hurricanes have signed the most coveted free agent left on the board; former Jet Nikolaj Ehlers is heading to Carolina via a six-year, $8.5 million AAV contract.
The Sharks are building an elite young core of skilled players, but the front office is also surrounding them with veterans to show the youngsters the ropes. That latter trend continued Thursday, with San Jose agreeing to terms on a two-year, $6.5 million AAV pact with defenseman Dmitry Orlov.
July 2
One of the most legendary old guys without a Stanley Cup, Brent Burns is joining the Avalanche on a one-year contract to try to fill that gap on his résumé.
Perhaps acknowledging that they will no longer be in the Nikolaj Ehlers business, the Jets added a seasoned middle-six winger instead in Gustav Nyquist, who is agreeing to a one-year, $3.25 million pact.
Defenseman Alexander Alexeyev has switched sides in the Capitals-Penguins rivalry! He’ll patrol the blue line in Pittsburgh next season, thanks to a one-year, $775,000 deal.
The Pius Suter Derby is over. The veteran forward will be plying his trade for the Blues, inking a two-year, $4 million AAV pact with the club.
The big addition for the Golden Knights this offseason was Mitch Marner, but they’re making depth moves too, including signing defenseman Kaedan Korczak to a four-year, $3.25 million AAV contract.
Winnipeg: Cold in the winter. Detroit: Slightly less cold in the winter. Mason Appleton is about to find out after signing a two-year, $2.9 million AAV contract.
The Devils saw enough out of Cody Glass during the 2024-25 season to re-sign him. His new deal is for two years, $2.5 million AAV.
Salmon Arm, British Columbia, native Curtis Lazar is headed back to Western Canada, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Oilers.
Veteran winger Anthony Mantha has made the rounds in recent seasons, and his next NHL home is in Pittsburgh, inking a one-year, $2.5 million pact.
July 1
After a brief stint for an American-based team, Andrew Mangiapane is back in Western Canada, inking a two-year, $3.6 million AAV deal with the Oilers.
Forward Justin Brazeau has chosen the Penguins as his next NHL destination, inking a two-year, $1.5 million AAV contract.
The Devils continued adding to their forward depth, adding veteran scoring winger Evgenii Dadonov via a one-year, $1 million deal.
The July 1 goalie rush continues. The Mammoth are the latest team to make an addition in the crease, inking Stanley Cup champion Vitek Vanecek via a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
Offensive defenseman John Klingberg is headed to San Jose, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $4 million pact with the Sharks.
One of the top remaining free agents available, veteran forward Mikael Granlund has landed with the Ducks on a three-year deal.
Veteran bottom-six forward Lars Eller has chosen the Senators as his next team, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.25 million deal.
The Penguins have extended their business relationships with Philip Tomasino (one year, $1.75 million) and Connor Dewar (one year, $1.1 million).
As part of the effort to retake the title of Florida’s best hockey team, the Lightning have inked Pontus Holmberg to a two-year, $1.55 million AAV contract.
The Wild have added Nico Sturm. The former Panther has signed a two-year, $2 million AAV contract.
The Sabres have entered the chat! The club’s first big deal of the day is inking goaltender Alex Lyon to a two-year, $1.5 million AAV contract.
The Kraken add to their goaltending depth, adding former Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray on a one-year, $1 million contract.
The Islanders had themselves a great draft weekend, and they continue the momentum in free agency, adding veteran forward Jonathan Drouin on a two-year, $4 million AAV deal.
The Stars are on the board. Hours after announcing the official hiring of Glen Gulutzan as the club’s new head coach, the Stars have brought back forward Radek Faksa on a two-year, $3 million AAV contract.
Earlier on Tuesday the Kings lost defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to the Rangers. To help fill that blue-line gap, they signed Cody Ceci (four years, $4.5 million AAV) and Brian Dumoulin (three years, $4 million AAV). They also signed goaltender Anton Forsberg for two years, $2.25 million AAV.
Defenseman Nick Perbix has thus far only known NHL life as a member of the Lightning. He’ll head to Nashville next, agreeing to a two-year, $2.75 million AAV deal with the Predators.
The Panthers have gone to the veteran defenseman well again, signing Jeff Petry to a one-year, $775,000 contract.
Fresh off a Stanley Cup with the Panthers, defenseman Nate Schmidt is joining the Mammoth by way of a three-year, $3.5 million AAV contract.
The NHL career of James van Riemsdyk will continue, as he has agreed to terms with the Red Wings on a one-year, $1 million deal. Separately, the Wings added Jacob Bernard-Docker on a one-year, $875,000 contract.
The Bruins add to their depth, agreeing to terms with Sean Kuraly on a two-year, $1.85 million AAV pact.
Another key member of the Panthers’ championship roster is returning. Veteran forward Tomas Nosek has agreed to a one-year deal.
After completing the 2024-25 season with the Jets, veteran forward Brandon Tanev is sticking in the Central Division, but heading to Utah by way of a three-year, $2.5 million AAV deal.
Take another goalie’s name off the big board! Kaapo Kahkonen has agreed to terms with the Canadiens on a one-year deal worth $1.15 million. In a separate deal, the club also signed forward Sammy Blais.
The winner of the 2020 Hobey Baker Award as the top player in NCAA men’s hockey, defenseman Scott Perunovich has signed a one-year deal with the Mammoth.
In need of some backup goaltending depth, the Islanders agreed to terms with “Big Save” Dave Rittich on a one-year deal.
Diminutive, versatile forward Kailer Yamamoto is the latest player added by the Mammoth, by way of a one-year, $775,000 pact.
Veteran center Nick Bjugstad has made his decision: He’s joining the Blues by way of a two-year contract.
Veteran defenseman Ryan Lindgren finished the 2024-25 season with the Avalanche, and he’ll head northwest for his next NHL home, agreeing to terms on a four-year, $4.5 million AAV contract.
The Senators haven’t been able to lure any new free agents to the club yet, but their re-signing game remains strong. After re-upping with Claude Giroux, the Sens also continued their business relationship with Nick Cousins via a one-year, $825,000 pact.
Sure to be a fan favorite in Beantown, veteran forward Tanner Jeannot has agreed to terms on a five-year contract with the Bruins, with a $3.4 million AAV.
A sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft, winger Michael Pezzetta is going from Montreal to Toronto via a two-year, $787,500 AAV contract.
Connor Brown impressed a lot of viewers with inspired play during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. Now, he’ll bring that energy to the Devils, who have signed him to a four-year, $3 million AAV contract.
The defenseman market is one key player smaller, as the Rangers have agreed to terms with Vladislav Gavrikov on a seven-year, $7 million AAV contract.
One of the top goaltending options available is off the board, with Dan Vladar joining the Flyers via a two-year, $3.35 million AAV contract.
Veteran feisty forward Corey Perry is switching sides in the Oilers-Kings rivalry, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with salary and bonuses worth $3.5 million. Separately, the Kings also signed veteran forward Joel Armia to a two-year deal with a $2.5 million AAV.
One of the top available free agents has made a decision … and he’ll be re-signing. Brock Boeser is back with the Canucks by way of a seven-year, $7.3 million AAV contract.
Parker Kelly will continue his career with the Avalanche, agreeing to terms on a four-year contract with a $1.7 million AAV.
Veteran forward Colin Blackwell will be returning to the Stars, agreeing to terms on a two-year deal with a $775,000 AAV.
Christian Dvorak has moved on from the Canadiens, agreeing to a one-year, $5.4 million contract with the Flyers.
Noah Juulsen, welcome to Philly! The Flyers have inked the 28-year-old defenseman to a one-year, $900,000 deal.
Defenseman Ryan Johnson is sticking with the Sabres, agreeing to terms on a three-year deal with a $775,000 AAV.
The top-rated goaltender slated to hit free agency this offseason will not make it to market; Jake Allen is back with the Devils via a five-year contract with a $1.8 million AAV.
Veteran offensive defenseman Tony DeAngelo will be back with the Islanders for 2025-26, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.75 million contract.
June 30
The Red Wings will be continuing their relationship with veteran forward Patrick Kane, inking a one-year, $3 million extension.
The band is getting back together. After re-upping with Sam Bennett last week, the Panthers re-signed both Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand on Monday.
Rumors of a Mitch Marner trade popped up during draft weekend, and they came to fruition Monday, as the Maple Leafs inked Marner to an eight-year, $12 million average annual value extension, then traded him to the Golden Knights for Nicolas Roy.
The Oilers will not be allowing one of their promising young players to leave via offer sheet, as they signed restricted free agent defenseman Evan Bouchard to a four-year, $10.5 million AAV contract.
Veteran defenseman Ivan Provorov would have been one of the most sought-after blueliners on the free agent market. Instead, he’ll be back with the Blue Jackets for the foreseeable future, agreeing to a seven-year, $8.5 million AAV deal.
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