ESPN Puts All Eyes On Kansas State QB Avery Johnson Entering Season
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Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson is ready for this moment. Last year's battle with inconsistency was chalked up to inexperience. This year, there are no excuses. Johnson is no longer a first-year starter. He's facing the expectations of being a returning starter.
Which is why ESPN is labeling him as the Wildcats' X-Factor entering this season.
Here's what ESPN's Bill Connelly wrote: "The K-State program is obviously in sturdy shape, having won between eight and 10 games for four straight years under Chris Klieman. But when you sign a big-time, blue-chip quarterback such as Johnson (ESPN's No. 3 dual-threat QB in the 2023 class), you're giving yourself a shot at a higher ceiling than usual. Johnson's first season as a starter in 2024 was all over the map -- the good was very good, the bad was awfully worrisome -- which is how these things usually go."
Johnson is in charge of the team most are picking to win the Big 12 title and advance to the College Football Playoff. He has weapons such as running back Dylan Edwards and receiver Jayce Brown but success relies heavily on Johnson.
"But now he's entering his junior season, and he has a super explosive skill corps with weapons such as running back Dylan Edwards, receiver Jayce Brown and transfers Caleb Medford(New Mexico) and Antonio Martin Jr. (Southeastern Louisiana)," Connelly said. "If Johnson is ready to live up to his hype, Kansas State fans could really enjoy 2025.
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Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here