How Collin Klein aims to unlock Kansas State QB Avery Johnson's potential
MANHATTAN — When presented with the opportunity to leave Kansas State to become Texas A&M's offensive coordinator, Collin Klein was faced with having to depart the relationships that he had built with his fellow coaches and the players he recruited.
Among the most difficult to leave behind was quarterback Avery Johnson .
Klein recruited the four-star quarterback to Manhattan and coached him during his freshman season. Johnson enjoyed early success and was destined to be the Wildcats' quarterback for the next several seasons.
But Johnson's next two seasons as the team's full-time starter were with different play-callers as Klein accepted the job with the Aggies.
"Relationships are truly the most important thing to me," Klein said. "When you have to make a move, those are painful and very, very hard. I think deep down, he understood what I needed to do and that I was convicted in what I needed to do."
Now back as the head coach of Kansas State football, Klein will get to tutor Johnson during his senior season.
"I'm just very, very grateful that it's come full circle," Klein said. "We get to finish what we started, and we get to send him out the right way."
Klein will get another crack at leading Johnson and tapping into his potential. The quarterback has been solid for the Wildcats in his 25 starts over the last two seasons, but many believe there's another level for Johnson to achieve that could turn him into one of the better players in the Big 12 and the country.
It will be up to Klein to get that out of Johnson. He's proven before that he can develop players like Skylar Thompson and Will Howard into NFL players, while the latter went on to win a national championship as the starting quarterback at Ohio State.
"I don't spend a whole lot of time looking into the past," Klein said. "At the quarterback position, there are so many dynamics in play; there are so many details in a game plan, different play-callers, different coaches, and there are too many factors to get mired in that, right? I think it's much more productive to focus on where we're going and that's forward."
Johnson's freshman season, with Klein as his offensive coordinator, saw him play a limited role before starting in the Wildcats' Pop-Tarts Bowl win. He threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 71 yards and a score in a win over NC State.
When Klein left, Matt Wells took over the offense and the quarterback room. Johnson broke out during his first year as a full-time starter, throwing for 20 touchdowns and 2,712 yards, but took a step back last season, throwing for 2,385 yards and 18 scores while also seeing his rushing totals decrease.
It will be an advantage for the two, who already have an established relationship, that they will continue to build on it in the months ahead. Johnson won't have to start from scratch and can use his experience from the last two seasons to help ensure this season will be his best yet.
But Klein says that "doesn't guarantee a darn thing." It's all about putting in the work now in order to get the Wildcats where they want to go.
"It's going to be 'here are some things we can do to improve you' and 'what we're going to do schematically that allows you to play fast and be really, really aggressive,' because, ultimately, that's what I want him to do," Klein said. "I want him to play with a supreme level of confidence that he knows what we're trying to do, he knows exactly how to do it, and then he can cut it loose, go play free and be everything that he was created to be."
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_ , contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: K-State football: Collin Klein, Avery Johnson reunite for senior season
