Kstate

Why QB Avery Johnson Has "Unfinished Business" At Kansas State

Shandel Richardson|
Nov 30, 2024; Ames, Iowa, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) looks to pass against the Iowa State Cyclones in the first quarter at at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2024; Ames, Iowa, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson (2) looks to pass against the Iowa State Cyclones in the first quarter at at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

In this story:

Kansas State Wildcats

Quarterback Avery Johnson has plenty scholarship offers when he was in high school.

For him, the choice was always Kansas State. It was the program he loved since he was a kid.

"This is home to me," Johnson said. "I think it just has to go to fan support. At Kansas State, the fans care about me. They believe in me. They really rally around guys."

Johnson, who grew up in Maize, Kan., leads the Wildcats against Rutgers Thursday in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix. It wasn't the expected postseason location for K-State because the season began with such high expectations.

The Wildcats were picked second in the Big 12 media poll and had aspirations of making the College Football Playoff. Those hopes were dashed when they lost three of their final four games. That's the motivation for Johnson. He wants to turn K-State into a title contender before his college career ends.

That process could begin by leading it to a second straight postseason victory. Last year the Wildcats defeated North Carolina State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

"Being a Kansas kid, I still feel like there's still stuff left to prove here," Johnson said. "I think we can be a really talented team. In the future, I feel like we can play for a Big 12 championship and win it and then play in the College Football Playoffs. It's just a lot of unfinished business here at Kansas State."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

Follow our updates on Facebook

X: @KStateOnSI

Published
Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

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