There’s no hiding from expectations in Manhattan anymore. With Avery Johnson returning as the undisputed QB1 and the Kansas State Wildcats coming off a 9-4 (5-4 Big 12), K-State walks into 2025 with the kind of buzz that echoes from Frisco to Fort Worth. Coach Chris Klieman knows what’s at stake. The ceiling feels higher than it has in years, and with Johnson’s cannon of an arm and newfound offensive depth, the Wildcats are positioning themselves to crash the Big 12’s top tier. For all the spotlight on Johnson’s year 2 as a starter, one of Klieman’s most important offseason moves came from the sidelines, not under center.
Enter Matt Wells, the former Texas Tech head coach and one of Klieman’s newest and most intriguing hires. Wells will be paid $537,000 in 2024 as OC, and the investment already seems to be paying off. Asked about the chemistry brewing within his receiving corps, Klieman credited both talent and depth as game-changing advantages to KCSN host Derek Young. “Yeah, we have more people, more guys that you can’t focus in on one guy,” he said. “We’ve had really good players… but to have a group together… we ended up playing in Arlington.” Then he turned to size: “Having a kid like JB Bradley that’s 6’5″, maybe 6’6″ as an X receiver, that’s something we haven’t had before… now we’ve got a potential mismatch.”
Wells, who coached Jerand Bradley during their shared time at Tech, adds familiarity and creativity to a position group that suddenly feels like a strength instead of a question mark. Chris Klieman is clearly counting on that continuity to pay dividends. “We’re going to utilize all them and I think Matt’s excited about the different pieces we have,” he said. It’s not just size or speed either. With receivers like Jeron Tibbs developing alongside Bradley, K-State finally boasts the kind of balance that forces defenses to play straight-up. No more bracketing one playmaker and daring the Wildcats to beat you elsewhere. Wells has flexibility, and he’s already syncing with the man taking snaps.
That man, of course, is Avery Johnson—and if you’ve seen him play, you get the hype. The Wichita product threw for 2,712 yards and a school-record 25 touchdowns last year, most of that damage coming late after he took over the offense full-time. He shredded NC State in the inaugural Pop-Tarts Bowl, looking every bit the future of the program. Still, it’s his mindset that Chris Klieman thinks will define him. “Avery is going to put pressure on himself,” the coach said at the Big 12 Media Day. “He’s his biggest critic, which is an awesome thing because he doesn’t want to hear all the things he does great. He wants to hear the things he doesn’t do as well. If somebody said he didn’t throw the deep ball well, he’s going to work on that nonstop,” Klieman said.
Johnson, who arrived with all the four-star accolades and fanfare, is now the central nervous system of a Kansas State offense looking to move from dangerous to dominant. His connection with Wells is critical—and by all early signs, it’s a hand-in-glove fit. There’s no question this version of K-State has flash. But flash has to come with discipline, and Klieman isn’t sugarcoating the road ahead. “We know top to bottom that this league’s really good. So we can’t stumble. No one can stumble in this league,” he said. The Wildcats have seen what that stumble looks like in recent years.
Chris Klieman’s Avery–Matt Wells QB room
It’s one thing to have a talented passer. It’s another to have a passer who thrives when coaches push him hard—and a coordinator who knows exactly how to push him.kan That’s the dynamic Kansas State has cooking between Johnson and OC Matt Wells, and according to Chris Klieman, it’s been nothing short of a “game changer.”
On year two of this pairing, the bond between QB1 and OC has only gotten tighter, and it’s rooted in trust and tough love. “Avery loves the fact that Matt’s really hard on him,” Klieman said. “I mean, nobody’s harder on Avery than Avery, but Matt’s really hard on him, but still loves him and takes care of him, but he challenges him.” It’s a mix of accountability and connection that’s rare and clearly working. There’s also a tactical edge to their chemistry.
“When you’re talking in a QB room and you know, okay, it’s going to get called because we’ve been working on it or I’ve told my position coach who’s also the coordinator that it’s going to get called… I think that’s going to help as well,” Klieman added. With Wells’ resume—whether it’s two running backs, four wideouts, or triple tight ends—his experience gives K-State flexibility. Whether they have to play two RBs, whether they have to play three or four wides, or whether they have to play three TEs, Matt’s had that experience of doing them all. The Wildcats are cashing in on it.
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