This time last year, all spotlights were on Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson. The reason? He came off as one of the biggest threats to Carson Beck in the Heisman race. On August 2, 2024, CFB Home dropped a tweet that explored ‘Current Heisman Odds.’ In that list, Beck’s odds had hit rock bottom at +750 while Johnson’s shot up to +2500. And guess what was even more interesting?

Former Colorado Buffaloes stars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter got snubbed from the list. But again, we know how things materialized in reality. However, from here, we can fathom how the expectations had reached the roof for Johnson. So much so that he kept on pressuring himself and pushing hard. With Hunter and Shedeur gone, and Beck playing for a new team, will Johnson follow the same path in 2025?  

On August 6, Johnson faced the media. He was asked about the pressure situation he went through during the 2024 season. And the quarterback did not deny. Johnson shared, “I put the weight of the world on my shoulders, and if I missed a throw, I wanted to get it all back the next throw, or if we got down, I wanted to score a 14-point touchdown. And I think a lot of times I would try to play and be this person, this player I wasn’t and try to fit the narrative of, ‘Oh, he needs to be a passer, he doesn’t need to run as much, he needs to do this, that, and the other.’”

Johnson completed 14 of 21 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee Martin. He was far from perfect, but he initially didn’t make a single big mistake while playing sparingly behind Will Howard. And then the blunders started to happen. UT Martin linebacker Chris Hunter came up with the pick thanks to a bad throw from Johnson. Then the quarterback tried to get the pigskin to DJ Giddens. However, he ultimately failed to put much air under the pigskin, and Hunter went away with a line-drive pass to create a turnover.

Johnson continued, “I think really just being myself and if the defense gives up run opportunities, I need to make defense pay and run the ball. If they give up passing opportunities, I need to be a pocket passer and play to my strengths more and really do what I know I can do best, and that’s that’s lead and go out and win football games.” There have been highs and lows in Johnson’s 2024 season. He helped the Wildcats achieve nine wins and average 37.6 points per game. But he had some absolute duds, too. 

For instance, he threw two picks in three of the Wildcats’ four losses. The No. 3 dual-threat QB in the 2023 class went 12-for-28 against Iowa State. Johnson had a hard time with bad throws and accuracy. However, ESPN is not taking into account the loophole and is already placing Johnson on the pedestal.    

ESPN backs Avery Johnson to fuel his 2025 drive without fear 

The pressure situation for Johnson was doubled down by GoPowercat.com’s Ryan Gilbert. On Brian Howell’s podcast, the analyst shared, “This was a game at BYU last season. Everything just went wrong in the matter of a couple of minutes out in a really hostile late-night atmosphere. And Avery Johnson, you could see that he was rattled. He was a young quarterback. You know, I don’t want to be harsh and say that moment was too big for him, but you know, he panicked.” Johnson could only come up with 15 of 283 passes, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions in that game. 

But ESPN came with a big honor for Johnson. On August 6, analyst Bill Connelly released his annual list of the 40 most important players in college football for the 2025 season. In that list, Johnson was the first Big 12 player mentioned. He led the race, standing at No.33, followed by Sam Leavitt at No.34 and Sawyer Robertson at No.35. A part of the credit goes to the Kansas State head coach, Chris Klieman.

He gifted the Wildcats with nine or 10 wins and claimed the Big 12 title in 2022. So, now the onus is on Chris Klieman to chart Avery Johnson through his shortfalls. The head coach and quarterback are to walk hand-in-hand. Analyst Wyatt Thompson shared with KCSN’s Cole Manbeck, “Avery throwing 25 touchdowns as a sophomore. Nobody had ever done that… It was one of the most productive offensive teams in K-State history in terms of yards per play. And yet, with that said, I think they can be better in 2025.” Johnson’s only job now? Keep it simple, stay steady, and tackle one challenge at a time.