鈥楽ky鈥檚 the limit鈥� for Maize four-star dual-threat QB Avery Johnson
MAIZE, Kan. (BVM) 鈥� When a coaching staff puts together a defensive game plan to prepare for the Maize High School football team, it has to start with Eagles junior quarterback Avery Johnson.
鈥淔or me, he would be very difficult to prepare for,鈥� Maize head coach Gary Guzman said.聽 鈥淲hen you prepare for us, you have to prepare for what he can do to you defensively.鈥澛�
What Johnson can do is beat you with his arm or his legs. The four-star dual-threat QB has thrown for 1,677 yards and 15 touchdowns with only three interceptions and also rushed for 727 yards and 15 TDs for the Eagles this season. But while Johnson has the ability to hurt teams in two ways, he would actually rather do most of his damage through the air.
鈥淧ersonally, I like to pass the ball a lot more than I like to run it,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚鈥檓 labeled as a dual threat just because of how dangerous I can be when I do run the ball, but I think that鈥檚 the one thing about me I think that鈥檚 kind of unique (compared to) other dual threats is I鈥檇 rather sit back and pass the ball.鈥�
Johnson鈥檚 dangerous playmaking ability as a passer and a runner has made him one of the most highly sought after Class of 2023 quarterback recruits in the nation. Rivals as the No. 3 dual-threat QB in his class and he鈥檚 No. 104 overall in the . Johnson has received scholarship offers from 18 Power 5 college football programs, , and although he鈥檚 not yet sure which school he鈥檒l decide to pick or when he鈥檒l make his decision, he鈥檚 enjoying the recruiting process.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely exciting,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭his is kind of what I鈥檝e dreamed of ever since I was a little kid and kind of seeing everything coming to reality is very exciting for me. It鈥檚 also humbling to know that all these schools are interested in what you do on the field, but at the same time, you can鈥檛 lose sight of what got you there. You鈥檝e got to [keep working] and honestly, it motivates me to work even harder to prove to all the schools that they鈥檙e right for taking the chance and offering me a scholarship.鈥�
Johnson鈥檚 athleticism and skills alone make him worthy of all the attention he鈥檚 getting, but it鈥檚 the things that can鈥檛 be easily seen on game day that make him an even more special prospect for college football programs to consider. The 6-foot-3, 170-pound three-sport standout who also plays basketball and baseball, manages to excel in the classroom as well with a 4.0 GPA, and he has a work ethic that Guzman describes as 鈥渁mazing.鈥�
鈥淲hen people ask me, 鈥楽o what weakness do you see in him?鈥� really the only weakness I see is he tries to do too much,鈥� Guzman said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 always going 100 mph. He plays three sports during the spring. He鈥檇 get done with a baseball game late at night on Friday night and he was on the road Saturday morning going to a 7 on 7. Anytime that he was in town during the summer he would not miss a workout. He鈥檇 be here at 6:30 in the morning just like everybody else. He doesn鈥檛 put himself above the rest. He understands that it takes a team to be successful. He鈥檚 got some great qualities that make him a very special quarterback for us.鈥�
With Johnson leading them, the No. 3-seeded Eagles (7-2) are hoping to make a deep run in the Class 5A playoffs this month. Maize rolled to a 39-9 victory over Newton in the first round last week and will look to keep that momentum going into a second-round matchup with No. 6 Bishop Carroll (7-2) on Friday.聽
鈥淣ow it鈥檚 just survive and advance and do whatever it takes to get it done,鈥� Johnson said, 鈥渁nd hopefully make a run for that state championship.鈥�
Johnson doesn鈥檛 just want a state title. He also wants to win it all at the next level, which is something he鈥檚 taking into account when considering where to play college football.
鈥淥ne thing I think that kind of gets overlooked is putting yourself into a program that has people around you with the same dreams and aspirations as you,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淥ne of my big goals is to win a national championship and I want to be around players that want the same thing as me so that I can accomplish the goals that I want to accomplish.鈥�
And the goals Johnson wants to accomplish don鈥檛 end with college football.
鈥淥ne day I hope to make a living off of football and I hope to be able to play for a really long time,鈥� Johnson said.聽
鈥淚 think the sky鈥檚 the limit for him,鈥� Guzman said. 鈥淭he [college] coaches that have been talking to me about Avery are so high on him and they see a lot of potential going forward with him. 鈥� If they鈥檙e high on him, I鈥檓 guessing he has a very bright future at the next level and who knows after that.鈥�