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- Kansas State thinking College Football Playoff after Avery Johnson passed on NIL offers</p>
<p>Matt Hayes, USA TODAY NETWORKJuly 9, 2025 at 4:59 AM</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Fortunately for Kansas State, star quarterback Avery Johnson didn't bite at NIL offers from bigger schools.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>"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."</p>
<p>Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson (2) scores a touchdown against Rutgers during first half of the Rate Bowl at Chase Field on Dec. 26, 2024, in Phoenix.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Howard led Ohio State to the national championship.</p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>Look, it's a business now. A crazy, unbridled mess of a business.</p>
<p>"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.</p>
<p>Really, he does. Johnson grew up in Wichita, about two hours south of the campus in Manhattan. He knows Kansas, he has lived Kansas.</p>
<p>More important: Kansas loves him. Johnson has an impressive NIL portfolio, which recently added deals with CVS and a regional telecommunications provider.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Now it's time to make it even better on the field.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>"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."</p>
<p>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).</p>
<p>"An SEC room," Johnson joked.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>"I love this team, I love the chemistry we're building," Johnson said. "Everybody should be excited."</p>
<p>Because Johnson didn't bite — and allow what goes around to come back around.</p>
<p>Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.</p>
<p>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kansas State, Avery Johnson pursue College Football Playoff run</p>
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