Kansas State Wildcats’ Big 12 hype has piled up this offseason, giving the program some of its greatest hopes in school history. Although it mostly circles back to junior quarterback Avery Johnson, who probably received his biggest outside acclaim so far from Pro Football Focus (PFF). That added another reason for excitement, but a 247Sports insider posed two questions, as his predecessor RB DJ Giddens’ 1,343 rushing yards last year loom large.

The first question is obvious: Can Avery Johnson truly lead this team as a Big 12 title contender? The second is quieter, but just as critical — who’s the next starting running back to carry the legacy of Deuce Vaughn and Giddens? K-State’s head coach Chris Klieman, now in year seven, finds himself staring down both challenges at once.

There’s no doubt Johnson is the face of the program. But as Ryan Gilbert of GoPowercat.com explained, his 2023 campaign showed the full range of promise and panic. “This was a game at BYU last season,” Gilbert said to Brian Howell on the latter’s namesake YouTube channel. “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.”

That moment didn’t define him, but it did expose how steep the learning curve still is. “The whole team panicked,” Gilbert continued, “but you know, who do you look to in times of trouble? It’s the quarterback. And Johnson didn’t really respond well to some of the misfortunes of that game.” The next week, against Oklahoma State, Avery Johnson threw a pick early. But this time, instead of spiraling, he steadied. “He calmed down and showed maturity,” Gilbert said. “He’s got to be better with his decision-making… You don’t have to wait till somebody’s open, right? You can anticipate some of those throws.” With double-digit interceptions last season, Johnson flashed upside — but now he has to flip the switch from athlete to field general.

While Avery Johnson is expected to take a leap, the other big question rests in the backfield. Over the past four seasons, Chris Klieman has had the luxury of two of the top three rushers in K-State history. Vaughn was lightning in a bottle. Giddens was a bulldozer. Their production made life easy. Now? Klieman’s staff has to replace not just a feature back — but a play-caller, too. With Connor Riley now coaching the offensive line in the Dallas Cowboys, new OC and QBs coach Matt Wells brings a more open-book playstyle.

“Now with Matt Wells, who like I said is maybe more of a creative mind… Dylan Edwards is ready to take that next step forward,” Gilbert said. That’s the name fans have whispered since the bowl game. Dylan Edwards. The Colorado transfer is listed at 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, but don’t let the size fool you. He’s a Ferrari in space.

“You look at Dylan Edwards in the bowl game, and that was his one opportunity to really showcase his skills as a RB1,” Gilbert said. With Giddens sitting out to prep for the draft, Edwards torched Rutgers for 196 yards and two touchdowns on 7.8 yards per carry. “He absolutely checked every box that you could want.” It was his breakout. But the question is: Can he do that every Saturday?

Klieman thinks so. “Dylan Edwards is a star, and he’s a game-breaker,” the coach said flatly. Edwards rushed for 546 yards and five scores in 2023, averaging 7.4 yards per touch. But the concern isn’t about juice — it’s about durability. Twenty-five touches a game in the Big 12 is a different beast.

RBs coach Brian Anderson doesn’t flinch at the doubt. “He’s a very, very strong kid,” Anderson said. “He is very explosive with the weight he put on. He’s done a great job taking care of his body, and now it’s just getting him comfortable with having unbelievable knowledge of what he’s doing and what we’re doing offensively.” Then he added the clincher: “I think he’s going to be just fine.” K-State doesn’t need Edwards to be Vaughn. It needs him to be available and explosive.

With Avery Johnson, K-State now has two athletes

Few players can shift momentum with a single cut — and Kansas State’s Avery Johnson is one of them. At least that’s the belief inside and outside Manhattan, where Johnson’s dual-threat ability has analysts like PFF’s Dalton Wasserman raving.

“He’s a darn good athlete,” Wasserman said. “What Avery Johnson does well, he does really well. He’s a dynamic runner with blazing speed. Any option play and anything outside the pocket is gonna work to his advantage. He’s a dangerous scrambler who can run away from anybody, even defensive linemen coming at him in the pocket.”

That’s the kind of threat that forces coordinators to sleep with one eye open. Kansas State has two freakish “athletes” in the backfield this year, but Avery’s wheels are the engine. PFF expects K-State’s staff to double down on his mobility in their 2025 play-calling. Think read-options, play-action, RPOs — all built around Johnson’s strengths. “When you get into play action, and you get in the rhythm of what this offense is supposed to be with the run game and the read option taking shots downfield, those are all his strengths,” Wasserman said.

But there’s still one box he has to check. “In a big game where they’re down seven with two minutes to go, can Avery Johnson drop back and throw the football? That’s the biggest question, and that’s gonna be the difference.”