Kansas State Overly Protected Avery Johnson Amid Tennessee Portal Saga
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Nico Iamaleava's saga with Tennessee captured college football's attention because it discussed how NIL compensation affects the way the game is played.
Once Tennessee lost its signal-caller, the program immediately looked for replacements, including Kansas State's Avery Johnson.
Well, that wasn't going to happen. One Kansas State source reportedly said they had "a damned wall built around" Johnson in these talks.
The article from ESPN's Chris Low, Max Olson, and Adam Rittenberg wrote:
"Tennessee inquired with the agents of several Big 12, Big Ten and ACC starting quarterbacks about the possibility they would become available in the transfer portal, sources said, a tactic that has become commonplace across the sport as players increasingly seek representation. But it's not easy to pry one away in the spring with most returning starters already locked into seven-figure deals with their current teams. Illinois' Luke Altmyer, TCU's Josh Hoover, and Kansas State's Avery Johnson were all rumored to be interests of Tennessee but couldn't be flipped, according to sources."
Besides, Johnson has already voiced his desire to stay in Manhattan, KS.
"It's just a lot of unfinished business here at Kansas State, and really just the people," Johnson said prior to the December Rate Bowl victory. "They really teach and mold you into a better man, and this is just the place I wanted to be. I don't really know how to put it into words, but I didn't really wanna be anywhere else."
Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
Jayden is a journalism school graduate of Howard University. He was the 2024 recipient of the Terez Paylor scholarship award. He previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel.
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