Kansas State Wildcats will open their season in less than a month against Iowa State in Ireland. This means it is time for Chris Klieman and his coaching staff to get back to the grind of preseason practices. ESPN said again the Wildcats have a “clear path” to the postseason, given that Avery Johnson meets the expectation he has amassed from the fans. They also gave them (+450) the second-best odds to consider as an underdog for playoff contenders. But all of this can be spoiled over an observation made out of the training camp that could turn out to be worrisome.

For a team that quietly built the most explosive offense in school history by yards per play, Kansas State isn’t exactly cruising into 2025 with a spotless dashboard. KCSN’s Cole Manbeck recently spoke with the voice of K-State athletics Wyatt Thompson, who pulled no punches when reflecting on how last season could have tipped from “really good” to “potentially great” with just a little more from Avery Johnson.

“I think they had a lot of great things happen. No doubt about that. You know, another nine-win season, you win a bowl game. All of those things are great. Had guys drafted again, all of that,” Thompson said. “I just wonder looking back at it, if there was just a scoch more help with Avery, maybe it would have been even better.”

He went deeper, pointing to moments that slipped through the cracks — like a dominant first quarter in Provo that unraveled. “If you go back and you look at the games that K-State was not successful in, there aren’t very many where you say, ‘Well, they didn’t really have a chance at that one.’ I mean, they totally outplayed BYU in Provo for the first quarter and a half, and yet they were in a pickle at the end of the half, right? That could have been a game,” he said. “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.”

That offensive firepower was real — and deceptive. While the Wildcats churned out explosive plays, they struggled with efficiency. From a net points per drive standpoint, they averaged 2.55 points per drive, which ranked around 40th in the country. That’s a noticeable dip from the 3.03 mark the year before, when they were top 15 nationally. The root cause? Turnovers. And worse, turnovers at the most back-breaking moments. “There’s never a timely spot for a turnover,” Manbeck added. “The turnovers occurred at the worst spots of the field.”

That brings us to Avery Johnson — electric, fast, uncontainable in open space — but still growing. He rushed for 605 yards and 7 touchdowns, and his dual-threat profile gives this offense one of the highest ceilings in the Big 12. But it also comes with a risk-reward tradeoff. “Avery’s talents are quite special in the run game and you got to be careful. You don’t want to get him hurt, but the fact that he has some games under his belt now and has been the guy, you feel good about that,” Thompson said.

That last part isn’t just lip service. Johnson’s health was a closely guarded topic last season, but it clearly affected his rhythm. “I know some of it was due to health last year, and he wasn’t always healthy, and they didn’t want to project that into the world,” co-host Derek Young added.

And when it comes to 2025, Thompson doesn’t just want to see growth through the air. He thinks Johnson’s running game still has untapped potential. “When we talk about Avery taking another step, I even think that part of that belongs in the run game,” he said. Most people want to talk about the release and the footwork and being a little bit more accurate with the passing and stuff like that. “There were times last year when I think he got down where he could have gotten a little bit more and still protected himself at the end of the play. I’m hopeful that we’ll see more of that in 2025. And if you do, you’ll see those yards rack up a little bit, I think.”

Someone needs to protect Avery Johnson’s blind side

The one training camp observation that snuck up was the left tackle spot. The position protecting Avery Johnson’s blind side is still a mystery. And right now, there’s no concrete answer as to who’s winning the job. It’s not like K-State’s coaching staff is giving anything away. During early training camp, the media weren’t allowed to view any offensive team drills that might’ve featured the full starting O-line.

The secrecy? Possibly strategic. Or maybe they’re still figuring it out themselves. But here’s the tea: The Wildcats did drop a slick highlight video from the first day of camp, and sharp-eyed fans caught something interesting. John Pastore and Terrence Enos Jr. both appeared at LT while key starters like Johnson and Dylan Edwards were on the field. That’s a subtle—but telling—clue. Enos is no newbie. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound transfer from the Pittsburgh Panthers has logged plenty of game reps, including two starts at LT last year. Experience? Check. Size? Check.

Pastore, meanwhile, brings promise and a fresh leg. “John missed the entire 2024 season,” Chris Klieman said. “He was penciled in to be in the rotation, if not a starter, at tackle. He’s back now, healthy this year and over 300 pounds at 6-foot-5. He’ll be a big player for us. So I like where we’re at on the offensive line.”

While the left tackle spot is open to speculation, the same cannot be said for Avery Johnson’s performance this season. There’s a certain pressure that comes when you have garnered a lot of preseason hype, and he must now live up to that for the sake of K-State.