Sometimes, success is about timing. That is what happened when Chris Klieman handed the starting role to Avery Johnson, and things started to shift in Manhattan. Suddenly, the Wildcats weren’t just another matchup in their conference. They became a team that coaches nervously started circling on the calendar. Now, the Big 12 isn’t thinking whether Kansas State will contend. They are wondering who can stop them.

When your quarterback throws for 2,712 yards and 25 touchdowns, while tacking on 605 rushing yards and 7 scores on the ground, you’re not just good, you’re dangerous. That’s exactly what sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson was in 2024. Coming off a 9–4 season the year before, the Kansas State Wildcats needed more than just solid quarterback play. And Johnson’s speed, arm talent, and feel for the moment gave Chris Klieman’s offense the kind of edge that kept defensive coordinators up at night. Now, those numbers are starting to invite some bold comparisons.

“But Avery Johnson, I think, is the wild card here. You ask, ‘Does he have the weapons?’ He needs to be the weapon,” Andy Staples from ON3 said during his appearance on the Crain & Company podcast. “If you go back to his freshman year, the TCU game when they were splitting time between him and Will Howard, he looked like freshman Lamar Jackson running the ball.” It’s a lofty comparison, but not a careless one. Like Lamar, Avery threatens defenses on every down. His ability to shift gears in open space gives the Wildcats a dual-threat identity.

In 2024, Johnson showed us how clutch he was by delivering in pressure moments and engineering four fourth-quarter comeback wins. This included a 17-point rally against Rutgers in the Rate Bowl, the biggest in program bowl history. Overall, his team achieved a school-record 6.57 yards per play.

All of this is proof that when Johnson is in rhythm, this offense is hard to beat. But quarterbacks don’t thrive in chaos. Behind the superstar quarterback play lies a system. The man in charge of this KSU program is putting the rest of the league on notice when it comes to culture, consistency, and results.

Who do the coaches pick for the Big 12 championship game?

In a league defined by chaos and turnover, Chris Klieman has been the rare constant. Before landing at KSU, he won four FCS national championships in five seasons at North Dakota State. He went on a staggering 69–6 record while coaching there. Now at Kansas State, he has built a program that boasts five seasons with eight or more victories, more than any coach in school history over that span. So when coaches in the BIG12 were asked to name the teams they think will play for the conference title, one name stood out among the rest.

“Our guy Brett McMurphy, did an anonymous poll of the coaches. He basically asked, ‘You can’t pick your own team. Pick two teams to play for the title.’ K-State was the most common answer,” continued Andy when asked about his predictions for next year. “The coaches really respect what Chris Klieman does. They feel like he’s going to have his guys where they need to be. They’re going to be well coached.”

It’s easy to focus on the flashy highlight runs, fourth-quarter comebacks, and bold comparisons to NFL stars. But what’s happening in KSU is deeper than a single season or breakout name. With Avery Johnson blossoming under center and Chris Klieman earning the trust of his peers, Kansas State is building something durable. The Big 12 may still be unpredictable, but when it comes to who’s ready for the moment, the Wildcats have made their case.