Kansas State football is entering a new era ahead of the 2026 season, but no challenge is looming greater than in the quarterback room.
The Wildcats made some changes this offseason, starting with hiring former K-State quarterback and 2012 Heisman finalist Collin Klein after Chris Klieman announced his retirement in December. With the season fast approaching, the program is riding a wave of high hopes from its new hires, including first-year quarterbacks coach Christian Ellsworth.
Christian Ellsworth’s resume and what it means to be a Kansas State quarterback
Ellsworth is stepping into his first quarterbacks coaching role ahead of the 2026 campaign. Prior to returning to The Little Apple, he spent time as the quarterback at Northern Iowa from 2016 to 2019. He later joined Klein at Texas A&M for two seasons in 2024 as a senior offensive analyst and tight ends coach.
Along the way, Ellsworth made brief stops in South Carolina as a graduate assistant and Nebraska as an offensive analyst. He also spent time at K-State as a graduate assistant from 2020-21. Now, he’s back, right where his coaching career began, and his hire falls right in line with Klein’s motto: “it’s family business.”
According to Ellsworth, the Wildcats' quarterback position isn’t just in the conversation for one of the best in the country. It wins that debate outright.
“It's a position at K-State that has a rich tradition of success and history,” Ellsworth reportedly said in a release by Kansas State Athletics. “It’s a tremendous honor.”
Ellsworth praises Avery Johnson ahead of the 2026 season
Ellsworth has seen nothing but progress and strong promise from the third-year quarterback, who started all of last season for the Wildcats.
“I think he’s one of the best in the country,” Ellsworth said. “There’s a lot of work left to prove that, but we have all the pieces aligned to get that done.”
Johnson’s career, which began in 2023, started backing up former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he won a national title as QB1 for the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2024. Even though Johnson didn’t start in his first season, he didn't transfer. Over the past two seasons, he’s thrown for 43 touchdowns and more than 5,000 yards, completing 59% of his passes in 2025.
Johnson finished the 2025 season ranked 11th in the Big 12 in passing behind current Utah quarterback Devon Dampier. His quarterback rating of 146.8 was also in the top five of all starters at his position.
“It’s been awesome watching [Johnson] grow as a leader on and off the field,” Ellsworth said. “He’s incredibly smart, [and] he wants to be challenged as well.”
The Wildcats have seven home games on the schedule for the 2026 season, including the return of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown to Manhattan. Kansas State will host Houston, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Arizona.
Other home games include nonconference matchups against Nicholls, Washington State and the Tulane Green Wave. Road games against Cincinnati, Arizona State, Colorado, TCU and Iowa State also sit ahead on the schedule.
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