Avery Johnson has never worked with the same offensive coordinator for more than one season while attending Kansas State. Now that he is approaching senior status and Collin Klein is becoming the team’s head coach, that is about to change.
When Johnson was a freshman, Klein called plays for the Wildcats. There is a sense of continuity now that they are back together, despite the fact that they were separated for the previous two years while Klein was the OC at Texas A&M.
“It’s progressing well,” Klein said on Wednesday at a news conference. “I think it’s come back to him pretty quickly. But more important than any other position, it’s important that we are thinking exactly the same way as play caller and quarterback. Gray is not a good thing in that relationship. So we are trying to make sure, and he’s been very great and detailed and thorough, of not taking anything for granted. As a staff, we are doing the exact same thing to make sure that we’re exactly on the same page.”
In light of this, when spring football practices start on Thursday, Johnson is expected to handle the majority of the quarterback reps with the first-string offense.
A seasoned quarterback like Johnson may occasionally take it easy in the spring. He has previously guided the Wildcats in two bowl games and made 27 starts. Under normal circumstances, it might make sense for K-State coaches to take a look at reserve quarterbacks like Blake Barnett, Dylan Duff and Jacob Knuth. However, Klein wants to spend as much time as possible—at least for the majority of the spring—with his former quarterback.
“Initially he will get the bulk of those,” Klein said, “just to make sure, even though there is great history and familiarity, that this is who we are now moving forward. I want him to feel very comfortable in that and have all of us working with each other. … Initially he’ll probably take the majority, but then as we go through the spring being able to develop depth at that position will be important.”
Now that Klein and Johnson are back together, it will be interesting to observe how K-State functions. Johnson was primarily Will Howard’s backup as a freshman, throwing for 479 yards and five touchdowns (Shop KU). In limited play, however, he also ran for 296 yards and seven touchdowns.
His breakthrough effort against Texas Tech in 2023, when he rushed for 90 yards and five touchdowns during a road victory, is still remembered by many K-State supporters. Will Johnson and Klein revert to that kind of dual-threat strategy? Or are they planning something else? When Johnson takes the helm of the K-State offense during spring practice, they will begin working toward some answers.
