Why Kansas State's Avery Johnson May Be Headed Toward Breakout Season

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson had a decent but relatively underwhelming first season as a full-time starter.

But next year, he could possibly take the reigns and become one of the country's upper-echolon signal callers.

Kansas State coach Chris Klieman spoke to CBS Sports' Dusty Dvoracek and Danny Kanell about Johnson's development being the catalyst to a better season.

"I think it's the maturity and understanding the coverages," Klieman said on SiriusXM Wednesday morning. "Understanding what defenses are showing in the pre-snap, and having his eyes on the right key. Just feeling so much more comfortable under center and maybe doing a better job anticipating where a pressure could come from, or eliminating where a pressure can't come from."

Johnson had 2,712 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, with 605 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He and former Alabama's Jalen Milroe were the only Power Four players with at least 2,500 passing yards and 525 rushing yards last season, illustrating Johnson's potential as a dual-threat option. Klieman believes a year of experience can iron out his kinks, helping him develop into the quarterback the Wildcats need to reach their high 2025 expectations.

"He had played one game prior to this year, which was our Bowl game. One significant start where played the whole, but now he's got 13 starts under his belt," Klieman said.

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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.