K-State QB Avery Johnson already has high hopes for Mizzou transfer Josh Manning
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Avery Johnson has connected with Josh Manning and expects to target him in fall 2026.
- Manning transferred from Missouri to after making 42 catches for 510 yards over 2 seasons.
- K-State coaches note Manning improved separation, release and timing during spring.
Avery Johnson has only thrown passes to Josh Manning in practice, but the Kansas State quarterback can already envision how he will target his new wide receiver in games during the 2026 season.
“I am super excited to be able to throw the ball to Josh this year,” Johnson said. “He is just a big body with strong hands who is really good in contested catch scenarios. It will be a lot of fun to finally hook up with him this fall.”
One thing is for sure, Johnson and Manning will celebrate whenever they connect for their first big gain as Wildcat teammates.
Theirs is a partnership that has been in the works for a long time.
Johnson and Manning were in the same recruiting class as high school seniors. Johnson committed to K-State out of Wichita, and he worked hard to try and get Manning to join him in purple. But Manning, who is originally from Lee’s Summit, committed to Missouri.
Even though they have played for different teams in college, Johnson and Manning have kept in touch. That is one of the reasons why it was easy for Manning to join K-State as a transfer during the offseason.
Now, Johnson has an extra 6-foot-3 and 211-pound athlete to target in the passing game.
“It’s been a lot of fun connecting with Josh,” Johnson said. “It took us a little while to get on the same page when spring started. But we’ve stacked some really good days and been able to connect on things during the back end of the spring. Our timing is really showing. I think his confidence is really, really building.”
The Wildcats needed reinforcements at wide receiver after Jayce Brown transferred to LSU during the offseason and Jerand Bradley reached the end of his college career.
Hopes are high that Manning can help replace some of the production that they left behind.
Manning caught 42 passes for 510 yards and three touchdowns over the past two seasons with the Tigers. He arrived at K-State ready to build off those numbers. So much so that head coach Collin Klein said he took more reps than just about everyone else on the roster during spring practices.
He was always on the field.
Johnson targeted him often.
Now that they are both seniors, their relationship is growing stronger with every practice even though they weren’t teammates as freshmen.
“It’s been really fun to watch his progression,” Klein said of Manning. “Our defense doesn’t give you anything easy out there on the edge and on the perimeter. His ability to create separation and release off the line of scrimmage have improved. He’s got very, very good length and speed. He is able to translate that in and out of routes. I think he’s gotten better, and I appreciate the heck out of him.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 5:15 AM with the headline "K-State QB Avery Johnson already has high hopes for Mizzou transfer Josh Manning."