Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson enjoyed a strong 2024 season as a first-year starter, but he hopes to have an even more successful 2025 with a new offensive coordinator in tow.
Avery Johnson Excited Over New Offensive Coordinator
Johnson will lead Kansas State onto the field with Matt Wells as his new offensive coordinator in 2025. The Wildcats’ starter took to social media to display his approval. Wells and Johnson will work together to smooth out the abundant rough edges in Johnson’s game.
Meanwhile, head coach Chris Klieman hands the reins over to a coach who knows offensive football. More importantly, Wells sports the knowledge of what it takes to help young quarterbacks improve themselves while playing. In the competitive Big 12, excellent quarterback play dictates champions from also-rans.
In Manhattan, Kansas, quarterbacks enjoy a special place in program lore, heading far back to Steve Grogan and Lynn Dickey. Then, the Wildcats added Will Howard to that pantheon of signal-callers.
Recently, Kansas has prided itself on athletic QBs who make plays with their arm and legs. After Howard left for Columbus and an eventual national championship, Johnson became the man.
While realism is a Kansas State staple, they still want to win often and convincingly. What made Howard special was the fact that he never lost to his hated rival, Kansas. Going 4-0 during his tenure cemented his legendary status. Emerging from that, Johnson claims one win against the Jayhawks.
Of Wells’ offensive achievements, none rank higher than Jordan Love, the 66th-ranked pocket passer in America during the 2016 recruitment cycle. After accepting an offer to Utah State, he redshirted his freshman year.
After that, Love threw for 8,600 yards and 60 touchdowns in three years as a starter. Love had a stellar career in college and went on to play on Sundays for the Green Bay Packers. Wells believed in the potential of a young player, overlooked by just about every FBS team.
With that eye for talent, you can see Wells sharpening Johnson’s accuracy and touch to prepare him to win. Johnson is far more athletic than Love but lacks his command of a disciplined offense. With a better athletic palette, Wells can work wonders.
Johnson enters 2025 with a perfectly calm demeanor with a competitive streak, which, on balance, fits within the construct of the Kansas State. However, Wells will add the needed quality of accelerated confidence. Back during his tenure at Utah State, Wells coached a quarterback named Chuckie Keeton.
Keeton, after his first two seasons, looked to take Utah State into national relevance. He harnessed his latent determination. Three season-ending injuries limited him to 17 games during his final three years.
Keeton, upon Wells’ advice, took to coaching. Now, at 31 years old, he finds himself with considerable attention from both college and professional asks. Currently, Keeton works as an offensive assistant for the New England Patriots. Wells will be that unbent determination to the surface.
Kansas State’s 2025 Season Outlook
Johnson isn’t Howard, Josh Freeman, or Collin Klein, and Wells will show him that. Instead of looking at what happened in Wildcats history, the new offensive coordinator will steer him toward the future.
Kansas State may not quite stand at the top of the Big 12, but they will figure into the championship picture. Moreover, the team buys into what Kleiman establishes as a head coach.
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Kansas State wants to play fast with better decision-making and aggression. They will need Johnson to raise his level of game play. The team starts the season in August, playing Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland.
Wells, a proven winner, now collaborates with Johnson, another winner. Now, the real fun in Manhattan should begin, and where that ends remains unknown.
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