Kansas
K-State's speedy Avery Johnson wants to prove he can also beat you with his arm
When NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson was preparing his team for its matchup against Kansas State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Gibson, one of the nation’s best DCs, thought hard about Avery Johnson. He knew that Johnson was fast, but once the game got rolling, Gibson realized game film didn’t do justice to just how fast the Wildcats’ young quarterback really is.
“He’s really dangerous,” Gibson told The Athletic. “He’s got elite speed. That kid can freakin’ go. He is like fast fast. We got guys that can run, and he killed us in the bowl game. He’s gonna be a handful for people to defend.”
Making his first college start, Johnson, a true freshman, threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third, along with 71 yards on the ground to win MVP honors while leading Kansas State to a 28-19 victory.
Gibson had a front-row seat for some of the fastest quarterbacks the game has ever seen when he was a defensive assistant at West Virginia and Michigan — that’s when he’d see Pat White and Denard Robinson at practice every day.
“I don’t know if he’s in that category, but he’s right there,” Gibson said.
It’s worth noting that both of those dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks had breakout seasons in their second year of college football. Don’t be shocked if Johnson makes a similar impact at Kansas State in his second year and helps his team make a run at the College Football Playoff in 2024. The Wildcats were picked to finish second, behind Utah, in the Big 12’s preseason poll. Kansas State’s schedule sets up quite well for its CFP hopes. The Wildcats don’t face Utah in the regular season and the three teams picked to finish third, fourth and fifth — Oklahoma State, Kansas and Arizona — all have to visit the Little Apple this fall.
Last season, Kansas State ranked second in the Big 12 in scoring (37.1 points per game) and proved lethal in the red zone, ranking first in the Big 12 and No. 2 in the country by scoring touchdowns on 78.6 percent of trips inside the 20. Those numbers figure to increase with Johnson’s development to complement a gifted running back combination of DJ Giddens, a 212-pound junior who ran for 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns, and speedy Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards.
Johnson averaged almost 12 yards per carry on third downs in 2023. In his first significant action last season, he completed eight of nine passes against Texas Tech and ran for five touchdowns.
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman has been a big believer in Johnson long before the Wichita native ever suited up for the Wildcats. It’s why folks inside the program last winter saw Johnson as the future and present of the program — which explained why Will Howard, the veteran quarterback who in 2022 led the team to the Big 12 title, entered the portal in December and transferred to Ohio State.
Johnson’s year watching Howard was invaluable, especially as he observed Howard’s leadership abilities and how he studied film.
“He helped me in so many ways,” Johnson said.
When Johnson was growing up, Oregon was the flashy program with the exciting style and cool uniforms that cracked into the mainstream. Johnson grew up a Kansas State fan but loved the way Marcus Mariota played. Johnson has the style and, more importantly, game to potentially do something similar for the Wildcats. The quarterback with the golden locks flowing out the back of his helmet is now driving around in a lavender Corvette as part of his latest NIL deal.
Klieman said he knew Johnson was indeed ready for that moment last year to lead the Wildcats in the bowl game against NC State. He believes Johnson has “the it factor,” which makes him such a rare talent because he also has uncommon maturity for his age to go with his drive and athleticism. Johnson was the first top-ranked player from Kansas to sign with the Wildcats in 19 years, picking the Wildcats over Oregon and Washington, among many others.
“We saw enough last year that we knew he was gonna be the guy long-term for us,” he said. “It was his time. I told him when we recruited him that he was gonna be the face of the program and it came up late in his first year where he ended up truly being the face. I’m excited because he’s taken that mantle really well. For a young player, he’s been a great leader.
“You can tell the guys that have an ‘it factor.’ The confidence but not arrogance. I believe, and he believes, that he should be the best quarterback in this league. Now he has to go out and prove it.”
Klieman, who won four FCS national titles at North Dakota State, said Johnson is the best competitor he’s been around since Easton Stick, the veteran L.A. Chargers backup quarterback who led the Bison to those four championships.
This offseason, Johnson really worked on becoming a better leader and better passer.
“Last year it was about putting my head down to work, and now my name holds a little more weight. But now it’s just about staying humble and putting in the work day in and day out,” Johnson said.
A year ago, he had just 174 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame. Johnson says that he’s now at 195 and that he feels just as fast as he was when he was 21 pounds lighter.
“My top speed has stayed around 22 (miles per hour) every time,” Johnson said.
He’s always been the fastest one on the field. He first started working on his speed in second grade by running hills, skipping up and down and doing overspeed training with his now longtime trainer Brian Butler. In eighth grade, Johnson began working with private quarterback coach Justin Hoover. Johnson is proud to say that because of NIL, he can now pay for his trainers on his own.
“When you run a 4.3 (40), I don’t think people realize just how good he is at throwing the football,” said Hoover, who also has spent a decade as one of the coaches of the Elite 11 quarterback event, where Johnson shined two summers ago.
Hoover said Johnson’s ability to handle so many different arm angles and his knack for finding space is what makes his arm talent stand out.
“I hate it for him and I know that he doesn’t care that people take away from just how good of a passer he is, and how good he is going to be,” Hoover said.
In limited action last season, Johnson completed 37 of 66 passes for 479 yards with five touchdown passes and zero interceptions to go with seven rushing TDs and almost 300 yards on the ground.
New Wildcats quarterbacks coach Matt Wells had another wiry young QB back when he was the head coach at Utah State and helped develop Jordan Love into a first-round NFL Draft pick and franchise player for the Green Bay Packers. Wells told The Athletic he sees some similarities with Love and Johnson.
“Avery’s got elite speed and is uber-talented,” Wells said. “He’s accurate and has great anticipation. The biggest parallel that I see is their hunger to be great at an early age. Jordan had that at Utah State and was always a guy who came in, studied and grinded in his own way, quietly behind the scenes. I see a lot of the same things in Avery.”
This offseason, Johnson worked on widening his base, and he tweaked his arm action a bit to smooth out his motion, hoping to better sync it up with the rest of his body.
“I do think the ball is coming out of his hand differently,” Hoover said. “He’s worked hard. I think he wants to prove he can beat people with his arm.”
He also sounds eager to prove that he’s even faster than some think. Earlier this month, Hoover had Johnson and another one of his proteges, New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock, in for a session. As they were warming up, Lock asked Johnson about the new college football video game. Hoover said the Wildcats quarterback was mad because Johnson was listed as the 10th-fastest guy on the Kansas State roster.
Lock thought Johnson was joking when he told him he was the fastest player on the team. Johnson wasn’t joking.
“No, seriously, I am the fastest guy,” he said.
Rival coaches won’t doubt that.
(Top photo of Avery Johnson: Julio Aguilar / Getty)
Kansas
Where to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals: TV channel, start time, streaming for June 19
What to know about MLB’s ABS robot umpire strike zone system
MLB launches ABS challenge system as players test robot umpire calls in a groundbreaking season.
The 2026 MLB season has surpassed the quarter mark, and after each team’s first 40 games, there’s plenty of reasons to tune in all summer long.
Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami has already proven doubters wrong by launching 17 home runs, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes consistently looks like the best version of himself on the mound and Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski is throwing harder than any starter in the majors.
The MLB action continues on Friday as the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Kansas City Royals.
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the first pitch.
See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.
What time is St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals?
First pitch between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals is scheduled for (ET) on Friday, June 19.
How to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals on Friday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Friday, June 19, 2026, at 6:33 a.m.
- Matchup: STL at KC
- Date: Friday, June 19
- Time: (ET)
- Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
- Location: Kansas City, Missouri
- TV: Apple TV
- Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
Watch MLB all season long with Fubo
MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for June 19 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
See scores, results for all of today’s games.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — It’s been a week since the World Cup began in Kansas City, but some local businesses aren’t feeling the expected influx in traffic and are asking for support.
On Thursday, KC2026 provided numbers for the FIFA Fan Festival and the ConnectKC26 transportation system.
From June 11 to June 16, KC2026 said more than 63,000 people attended the FIFA Fan Festival.
There are mixed results for where everyone is from:
- 52% from Kansas or Missouri
- 33% from the United States
- 15% from out of the country
As of 2 p.m. on June 17, ConnectKC26 has a total of 86,540 registered passes.
Breakdown of routes from KC2026:
- Stadium Direct: 57,302
- Regional Direct: 17,284
- Airport Direct: 11,954
As for business traffic, it depends on where you look. Some businesses in the Country Club Plaza said they’ve seen an uptick, especially on the first match day.
“We just had a really fun time with all of the fans, and I think we did a good job preparing for it,” said KC Style Haus Owner, Deserae Minor.
But many businesses are sharing their disappointment online.
‘Ghost town’
Caitlin Benedict, who owns Bisou, a European-style coffee and pastry shop, took to Instagram after shopping at a Crossroads night market.
“We are all in this together, it sucks. It was dead. It’s been dead everywhere,” said Bisou Owner, Caitlin Benedict.
After sharing her disappointment online, she saw an uptick in business on Thursday.
“It’s nice when the community can help out, and you can back up your own hometown at the same time,” said Janet Garciga, who drove in from Lee’s Summit to visit Bisou.
“I don’t want them to just come to Bisou, and I don’t want it to just be for a day. I want them to go everywhere else, and I want them to support everyone else, and consistently, especially for the next month and a half while FIFA is here,” said Benedict.
She heard from businesses experiencing the same issues in Mission, other spots downtown, Kansas City, Kansas, and Overland Park.
Down the road in the Crossroads, Buffalo State Pizza saw fans for the French match on Tuesday.
“But after that, I mean, we even close early on Tuesday because that was, it was dead,” said Buffalo State Pizza Owner, Phillippe Lechevin.
Shopping bags and matchas aren’t filling up at Dear Society either.
“The 10 years that I’ve been here in Kansas City. I have seen a lot of these big events coming into town, and we’ve been told to prepare and get ready for these huge crowds. And to be honest, after the NFL draft and after so many things that I’ve seen in 10 years, I didn’t do anything different,” said Dear Society Owner, Chanel Jezek. “I kind of knew. I had a feeling like we weren’t going to be as busy as they were projecting because they’ve done this to us before.”
Multiple factors = slow traffic
All three, Bisou, Buffalo State Pizza, and Dear Society, said there isn’t really someone to blame, but rather multiple factors that could be part of the issues.
A lot of eateries in town added a 20% automatic gratuity to bills, Bisou and Buffalo State Pizza decided not to take part, but worry that it is keeping locals away.
Visit KC projected 650,000 visitors throughout the entire tournament, and these businesses wonder if the possibility of large crowds and no parking is also keeping residents at home.
“I think we lost a lot of the regular ones. You know, the number was shown earlier back in February, you know, the 600,000 people. People who have the option to work from home, but maybe they didn’t want to deal with the traffic, since there’s no traffic. So hopefully they’re going to come back,” said Lechevin. “People may realize, actually, you know, it’s not as crazy as it is. I can still park in my regular spot and have lunch at my regular spot without being, you know, charged an extra amount.”
Jezek said she’d love to see KC2026 and FIFA add more locally owned businesses on their website so fans know where to find them.
“We are not seeing an increase in traffic on the streets. We are not crowded like they were predicting. You can still come in. You can still support your local businesses, your favorite coffee shops, your favorite places to grab your gifts, or whatever. We’re here. We’re slow. And there are more places to park,” said Jezek.
Benedict said it is an honor to have the World Cup here, but wants to see more honesty and support from leaders.
“I feel like it’s good for our city. It’s recognition. But at the same time, I want leadership to step in and say, okay, we didn’t get as many travelers as we should have,” said Benedict.
These businesses are hopeful that fans, locals, and other owners all come out and support these small shops throughout the metro during the World Cup and beyond.
“I would say just keep coming and supporting us and showing up,” said Jezek.
KCTV5 reached out to Visit KC, but did not have any numbers it could share at this time.
Mayor Quinton Lucas’ office shared the statement below after this story aired on Thursday:
“While the economic impact of a global event of this magnitude will naturally vary by business and by neighborhood, Mayor Lucas is encouraged by what he is hearing from Kansas City’s entertainment and hospitality sectors. Hotels, bars, and restaurants reported strong activity as Kansas City welcomed tens of thousands of guests for the opening match. As we look toward this weekend’s games and the remainder of the tournament, we’ll continue to highlight opportunities for our visitors and residents alike to join in the fun and celebration of this one in a generation moment.”
Businesses are hopeful that the longer the World Cup goes on, the more people will show up. KCTV5 plans to check in with these businesses throughout the tournament to see if traffic picks up.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Cooler temperatures today, but we will keep a chance of thunderstorms going in south-central Kansas this morning. One or two could be strong.
Temperatures stay cooler in southern Kansas thanks to clouds and rain in the area. Warmer temps and sunshine to the north.
Another chance of severe weather will visit Kansas this weekend, with a complex of strong storms rolling across the area Saturday night.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Meteorologist Jack Maney:
Wichita:
Today: Mostly cloudy. 60% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 80 Wind: NE 8-18
Tonight: Mostly to partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers. Lo: 62 Wind: NE/E 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 85 Wind: E/SE 5-15
Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 68 Wind: SE 5-15
Wichita Weekly
Sat: Hi: 87 Lo: 73 Partly to mostly cloudy. 50% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 92 Lo: 67 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 82 Lo: 65 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 84 Lo: 66 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 86 Lo: 68 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 88 Lo: 69 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
SOUTHWEST: Dodge City, Garden City, Liberal, Greensburg, Guymon
Southwest:
Today: Partly to mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 84 Wind: NE/E 10-25
Tonight: Mostly to partly cloudy. Lo: 58 Wind: E/SE 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 85 Wind: SE 8-18
Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 62 Wind: SE 5-15
Southwest Weekly
Sat: Hi: 92 Lo: 66 Mostly cloudy. 40% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 91 Lo: 59 Mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 82 Lo: 58 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 83 Lo: 60 Mostly to partly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 85 Lo: 61 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 89 Lo: 62 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
NORTHWEST: Colby, Goodland, Hill City, Oberlin, McCook
Northwest:
Today: Partly cloudy to mostly sunny. Hi: 86 Wind: NE/E 5-15
Tonight: Mostly clear to partly cloudy. Lo: 61 Wind: E/S 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 86 Wind: S/SE 8-18
Tomorrow Night: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 61 Wind: SE 5-15
Northwest Weekly
Sat: Hi: 90 Lo: 61 Partly to mostly cloudy. 50% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 84 Lo: 55 Mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 78 Lo: 56 Mostly to partly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 82 Lo: 58 Partly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 85 Lo: 59 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 87 Lo: 60 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
NORTHCENTRAL: Salina, Great Bend, Hays, Russell, Beloit, Osborne
North Central:
Today: Mostly to partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 83 Wind: NE 8-18
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lo: 60 Wind: NE/SE 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 86 Wind: SE 8-18
Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 66 Wind: SE 5-15
North Central Weekly
Sat: Hi: 88 Lo: 70 Partly to mostly cloudy. 70% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 88 Lo: 63 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 81 Lo: 62 Mostly to partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 84 Lo: 64 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 86 Lo: 66 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 88 Lo: 67 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
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