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The Topeka Capital Journal
Kansas State coach Collin Klein has had 'positive' talks with Avery Johnson
- Story byThe Topeka Capital Journal
- Kansas State coach Collin Klein has had 'positive' talks with Avery Johnson
MANHATTAN — New Kansas State football coach Collin Klein met with his team in the hours before being introduced, already being responsible for bringing a batch of the Wildcats into the program.
Klein was gone for two years, serving as Texas A&M's offensive coordinator . He was a full-time assistant for the Wildcats under both Bill Snyder and Chris Klieman from 2017 to 23. He was the offensive coordinator of the Big 12-champion Wildcats in 2022.
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"It was definitely a little surreal," Klein said of meeting with the team . "At the end of the day, I need to pick up where some of those relationships left off."
The most significant relationship he will need to reestablish quickly is the one he had with star quarterback Avery Johnson , whom Klein recruited to play for Kansas State .
Johnson was not seen at Klein's welcome event. The quarterback said after the Wildcats' Nov. 29 win over Colorado that he had only online classes and was looking forward to spending time with his family during what was scheduled to be a week off for the Wildcats before Chris Klieman retired on Dec. 3.
Outside of a pair of Name, Image and Likeness posts, Johnson shared Kansas State 's announcement of Klein's return in his Instagram Story when it was announced on Dec. 4.
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Klein said he has already had a few conversations with Johnson this week.
"It's been really positive," Klein said. "I think we've had a couple of conversations already. It's funny that when you put us in a room, we're both football guys, and all of a sudden, after 10 minutes of pleasantries, we're talking about new schemes, what we've been working on, and new things we've been putting tweaks on.
"I love him to death. It's why I recruited so hard to get him here. He's dear to me."
Johnson will likely be one of Klein's priorities this offseason, given K-State's thin experience at the position. Klein has been ultra-successful with his development of Marcel Reed at Texas A&M this season, as he was when working with Skylar Thompson and Will Howard when an assistant at K-State.
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Johnson said on Nov. 29 that he wanted to play for Klieman and Kansas State in 2026, but would need to discuss it with his family before making a decision.
The four-star dual-threat quarterback out of Maize has started every game for the Wildcats over the last two seasons. He saw a drop in his numbers in 2025, which were impacted by uncertainty in the Wildcats' backfield for much of the season and injuries at wide receiver. He completed 60% of his passes for 2,385 yards, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while rushing for 477 yards and eight scores.
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: Kansas State coach Collin Klein hopes to retain Avery Johnson
