Avery Johnson: The Humble Competitor Behind K-State's Heisman Darkhorse

Anthony Pasciolla | Sep 19, 2024

Jul 9, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Not only do the Kansas State Wildcats have a darkhorse Heisman candidate in quarterback Avery Johnson, but also one of the most upstanding players in collegiate sports.

Johnson's journey to becoming the starting quarterback for Kansas State impacted many around him with his competitiveness, humble personality, and tireless work ethic. Perhaps none more so than Dr. Chris Botts, the high school principal at Maize High School where Johnson attended.

Botts was diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2022, midway through Johnson's junior year. He was forced to step away from his profession for an extended period of time to receive treatment. Botts and Johnson were close prior to his diagnosis, but this absence of a friend and mentor clearly took a toll on Johnson.

He has since dedicated this season to Botts. He is raising money for Botts through every touchdown he scores.

“First and foremost, I wanted to dedicate this season to you and help raise money for you,” Johnson told Botts in an Instagram post. “... Every touchdown I score this year, we’re going to be able to donate some money to you through fans and everything like that.”

Botts shared Johnson went of his way to contact him via social media during his time away from school, which left an everlasting impression.

"The thing that stands out to me is that I got cancer [in what was] probably his junior year, and at that time it caused me to have to miss some time at work," Botts shared. "I missed the last semester of school, and he reached out to me, like on social media. He just sent me a DM, saying, 'Hey, we miss having you at Maize, just thinking about you and keeping you in my prayers.' From that moment on, I always knew he was a kind person, a kind soul, but the fact that he took time out of his life and day to reach out to me and let me know that he was thinking about me and praying for me. Man, it took what I thought about him to a whole other level."

This is a common theme for the K-State quarterback. He has the ability to treat everyone around him with the same level of respect and love. There are plenty of athletes who tend to view themselves and peers above the average fan, but not Johnson. It's hard to find someone in his life who cannot help but use the word humble to describe him.

"I've never met a person that met him who had anything negative to say about him," Johnson's long-time trainer Brian Butler said. "I mean, for somebody as talented and good-looking as he is, he could kind of be a menace to society, but he chose to be an angel rather than a menace."

Butler also made mention of Johnson as a 'homebody'. This adds up, considering Johnson made the decision to play college football in Manhattan, Kansas, roughly two hours away from his hometown of Wichita. This factor is undoubtedly a blessing for Johnson's family, who can travel up to games with ease to spend time with their son and brother.

Johnson's older sister, Lauren, could speak to nothing more than her brother's competitive nature regardless of his age, stature, or the event at hand.

"My dad has always coached football, [and] my older brother [Anthony Johnson] always played for him, so Avery has always been around it," Lauren said. "When he was little, he would go to practices, and we would laugh because he was so tiny, and he would run against the O-line or D-line and kind of keep up with them. So he's always been a competitor and always had a passion for the game."

"Whether we're playing cards, or racing on foot outside in the backyard, anything that he's doing, he's competing," she said.

His sister is far from the only one able to recognize Johnson's passion. Isaiah Atwater, Johnson's best friend since the third grade, always saw it in one of his closest companions.

"You could always see it in him. Obviously he's progressing, but something was always different. He was wired different," Atwater said. "But like as a person, he definitely became more mature. His work ethic is second to none, and it's always been like that since we were kids. It translates to all of us that if somebody is slacking, he'll let you know, 'Yo, pick it up.'

Atwater is sure Johnson always had that same level of competitiveness in him.

"Yeah, yeah," Atwater laughed. "If we playing cornhole or [NBA] 2K, he got the same competitiveness as if we were playing rock, paper, scissors. It's just in him."

One of the more unique aspects of Johnson's football career was the decision to not abandon other sports once reaching high school. Many Division 1 athletes begin to focus on a desired sport in the ninth grade, but he continued to not only play but excel in basketball and baseball.

"He'll tell you he used to like basketball more—not more, but he'll say, 'Dang, I wish I would've hooped.' He loved basketball," Atwater shared. "His competitiveness just applied to anything we did."

All those in his life recognized Johnson was more than just a talented football player. He is a special athlete, which is partially what allows him to thrive at Kansas State. The countless suicide drills Johnson ran during basketball practice in high school translate into his dual threat ability.

"The summers were filled with traveling [to] visit colleges, 7-on-7s, and workouts with his personal trainer," Maize coach Gary Guzman said. "He worked hard at everything he did and competed at a high level in all three sports,"

Another star who could not help but end up right back near home is K-State running back Dylan Edwards. After playing his freshman season under Deion Sanders with the Colorado Buffaloes, he made the decision to transfer.

Edwards grew up in Derby, Kansas, right down the road from his starting quarterback. The two are now united on the same offense, but high school held many fierce battles between the stars. Guzman said the games against Edwards and Derby are the ones nearest to his former quarterback's heart.

"Derby, that's where Dylan Edwards went, and we had some incredible games against them," Guzman said. "We beat them by one, they beat us by one, we beat them by one. I think that might've happened three or four times in a row. Derby is one of those programs that's usually playing in the state championship game. The stadium was sold out, and the environment was unbelievable. I'd say that's the one that would stick out in his mind."

Despite the losses, Johnson was never shaken. The Wildcats are yet to experience the feeling of defeat this season. They are 3-0 ahead of Saturday's matchup with the BYU Cougars. The season kicked off by handling UT Martin ease, followed by a closer victory than anticipated against underdog Tulane.

Instead of walking out of the arena with smiles on their faces, the Kansas State players and coaches were breathing sighs of relief. They won by a touchdown scored by Jack Fabris on a fumble return. While Johnson did not make any crucial mistakes, it made clear delivering at the top level was necessary.

And delivered he did.

Back at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Johnson and the Wildcats matched up with the then top-25-ranked Arizona Wildcats. Johnson, along with the rest of the offense, handed Arizona a 31-7 loss. He rushed for more than 100 yards for the first time in college.

It reflects perfectly on what Guzman said of Johnson's composure following the one-score losses to Edwards in high school.

"Always kept his composure. He never got rattled. If we got beat, obviously he was disappointed, but he wasn't going to spend too much time worrying about it," Guzman shared. "He was already looking forward to the next one."

The College Football Playoffs are expanded, paving the way for Kansas State to make a possible appearance. The outcome of their season, however, can never compete with the unwavering personality of Johnson.

Anthony Pasciolla is a contributing writer to K-State On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on X @AnthonyPasci.