Kansas State football freshman Avery Johnson locked and loaded for his first career start

ORLANDO, Fla. — Avery Johnson’s true freshman regular season with the Kansas State football team was supposed to serve as an apprenticeship for a bright future as the Wildcats’ starting quarterback.

He appeared in seven games as senior Will Howard’s understudy and even helped lead the team to a memorable come-from-behind victory at Texas Tech.

But then Howard threw his name into the transfer portal shortly after a disappointing senior day loss to Iowa State in the regular-season finale, and Johnson’s timetable suddenly moved up. Now his first career start will come Thursday at 4:45 p.m. (CT), when the Wildcats (8-4) face North Carolina State (9-3) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium.

Not that anybody seems too concerned about handing the keys over to Johnson, who arrived in Manhattan last spring as the Wildcats’ most decorated in-state recruit perhaps ever.

“The thing that has impressed me the most about Avery has been how ready he is for this moment,” said interim offensive coordinator Conor Riley, who also finds himself in a new role after Collin Klein left for Texas A&M earlier this month. “So, when you look at opportunity and preparation, he didn’t begin preparing that Monday after the Iowa State game. He’s been preparing for this moment since he’s been here.

Related: Kansas State football quarterback Avery Johnson chooses new number over new address

Kansas State true freshman Avery Johnson (5) will make his first career start Thursday when the Wildcats face North Carolina State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

“And his knowledge, his desire to continue to grow with a little bit different voice in that front room, a little big different of a voice from a play-caller standpoint, has been extremely impressive. The maturity of this young man is off the charts. You really can’t say enough about who he…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kansas-state-football-freshman-avery-102515873.html

Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal

Publish date : 2023-12-26 10:25:15

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