2023 Notre Dame QB Target Avery Johnson Ready For Season

Avery Johnson‍ and his Maize High School squad got back to practice last week and were in full pads by the weekend.

“It's fun seeing everything get put together,” the 2023 Kansas quarterback tells Irish Sports Daily. “We've been going over some stuff this summer, so just getting everybody out on the field together and getting after it a little bit has been a lot of fun.”

Johnson and his teammates are looking to build on a 9-2 season in 2020.

“I think we should be pretty successful this year,” the 6-foot-2, 170-pounder says. “We graduated a few offensive linemen, but pretty much all our skill players are coming back. We graduated a running back, but we have a junior running back to step in for him.

“A lot of our defensive line and linebackers graduated, so we have spots to fill on the defense, but I think if everybody just does their part, then we should be fine heading into the season.”

Johnson’s recruiting process surged over the summer as he added offers from schools like Notre Dame, Auburn, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Minnesota to a list that already included schools like Kansas, Kansas State, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Washington State, TCU and Iowa State among others.

He’s excited about the upcoming season after months of offseason training with his quarterback coach Justin Hoover from Spin It Quarterback Academy.

“I improved a lot with my pocket passes and being able to make the easy throws,” says Johnson. “A lot of my game comes from making plays outside the pocket and then making the plays that aren't there. So just being able to be a polished quarterback and make all the easy ones, I think that's something I really focused on this summer.”

Johnson will be ready to do what his team needs him to do to succeed.

“I think a lot of defensive coordinators are going to try to game-plan against me,” he says. “I'm just going to have to take what the defense gives me, try not to do too much and just stay within myself and just play my game.

“I know if I do that, with the team I have, we're going to be really hard to stop.”

The dual-threat quarterback picked up his Notre Dame offer following a July visit to South Bend, which included a workout session.

He’s stayed in touch with Irish offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees ever since.

“We pretty much just talk on the phone and build our relationship,” says Johnson. “That's what I like most about him. Whenever we get on the phone, we rarely talk football. He talks about what's going on in his life and their camp and starting practicing everything and getting ready for their first game. Then he asks me how that's going for me too and then just having a regular conversation.”

Johnson says he’ll be back in South Bend for a game in the coming months, although he doesn’t have a date locked in yet. He’s looking forward to seeing the atmosphere on campus for a game.

“They tried to explain it to us the best they could while I was down there on my visit, but you can't really get to experience it unless you see it and you're there to feel it,” he says. “I definitely think that's one thing I look forward to whenever I visited again.”

He is set to be at Wisconsin for the Badgers’ game against Penn State on Sept. 4th and would also like to get to Kansas State, Arkansas and Tennessee, but doesn’t want to be on the road every single week.

“I still have to sit down with my family and see which games we want to go to because obviously I don't want to be gone every weekend,” he says. “I still want to have time to stay home and focus on my season and not get overwhelmed with all the attention.”

He says he’ll probably narrow his list “pretty soon.”

“With September 1st right around the corner when coaches can contact me, I don't want to lead any coaches on. I wouldn't want them to lie to me, so I think I just need to be straight up and focus on whatever it is; Top 8, Top 10, however many schools it is and really just focus on the schools that I can see myself at.”