Of course it came back around. All it took was Chris Klieman to admit it, and open yet another window to the absurdity of the now transactional sport of college football.
Fortunately for Kansas State, star quarterback Avery Johnson didn’t bite at NIL offers from bigger schools.
Because pushing out a championship starting quarterback last year for his potentially rare backup, only to have the potentially rare quarterback leave a year later, would’ve been peak transfer portal nonsense.
Instead, there was Johnson, representing K-State at Big 12 Media Days, setting lofty goals for Year 2 as a starter. And maybe finally reaching those Johnny Manziel comparisons.
“I can’t wait for the season to begin,” Johnson said Tuesday, July 8 at Big 12 Media Days. “We’re shooting for a Big 12 championship. Anything else would be a letdown.”
And speaking of letdowns, get a lot of this drama: It was prior to last season when Klieman – one of two coaches in school history to win a conference championship in the modern era – gambled on Johnson by placing the program in his hands.
Will Howard had one season of eligibility remaining, and was a year removed from leading K-State to its first Big 12 championship since 2012. He and Klieman met, and they decided maybe both needed a fresh start.
Johnson led K-State to nine wins in 2024, and had the Wildcats in the College Football Playoff hunt until the last week of the regular season.
Howard led Ohio State to the national championship.
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In a not so surprising twist of irony, when the offseason arrived, guess who was fielding transfer opportunities from major Power conference teams? That would be Johnson — the same quarterback Klieman elevated over Howard in 2024 to prevent Johnson from leaving for the transfer portal in the first place.
Look, it’s a business now. A crazy, unbridled mess of a business.
“But he likes it here,” Klieman said of Johnson, who threw 25 touchdown passes in 2024, and rushed for more than 600 yards in his first season as a starter.
Really, he does. Johnson grew up in Wichita, about two hours south of the campus in Manhattan. He knows Kansas, he has lived Kansas.
More important: Kansas loves him. Johnson has an impressive NIL portfolio, which recently added deals with CVS and a regional telecommunications provider.
This on the heels of a deal last year with a local car dealership, which paved the way for him to drive around Manhattan in a lavender Corvette Stingray and black Mercedes AMG GT.
Not only that, you, too, can swig Johnson’s favorite drink (strawberry lemonade) thanks to an NIL deal with a local drink manufacturer. So yeah, life is good in Kansas.
Now it’s time to make it even better on the field.
Johnson says he has gained “10-12 pounds” in the offseason, has built strength and hasn’t lost what makes him so dangerous: speed and dynamic athleticism.
He says the game moves slower now, and Klieman added more pieces around Johnson with key transfer portal additions to further develop the pass game. Three of K-State’s top four receivers arrived this offseason from other schools.
“The best supporting cast I could ask for,” Johnson said. “It’s a different feeling now. I’m so much farther ahead of where I was at this time last year.”
Last month, Johnson was invited to the Manning Passing Academy, an invitation typically reserved for the elite of the game. He roomed with Gunner Stockton (Georgia), Marcel Reed (Texas A&M) and Austin Simmons (Mississippi).
“An SEC room,” Johnson joked.
Who knows just how close he came to joining that conference, and competing in the quarterback-heavy league. How close K-State went from experiencing both sides of transfer portal turnover at the most important position on the field.
From a difficult choice one year, to a difficult departure the next. From learning on the job one season, to improving his completion percentage, and making better decisions post snap.
He understands the position and the concepts. Now it’s all about refining his game, and reaching the massive expectations coming out of high school.
“I love this team, I love the chemistry we’re building,” Johnson said. “Everybody should be excited.”
Because Johnson didn’t bite — and allow what goes around to come back around.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.