Avery Johnson is out for Kansas State, and Collin Klein gives him an 'outside chance' this season

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson will not play Saturday against Oklahoma State, and coach Collin Klein said Monday there is only an "outside chance" his star senior returns this season.

"There's an outside chance, but as this thing goes, it's probably looking longer than not," Klein said, according to reporters at his weekly news conference. Johnson has missed Kansas State's past two games with an unspecified injury suffered against Kansas.

Blake Barnett gets the start. He will be the Wildcats' fourth different starting quarterback in their past four games, ESPN's Max Olson reported. Jacob Knuth started the 28-17 loss to Arizona State and hurt his ankle, and he probably won't be available Saturday either. Dillon Duff started against Colorado and was replaced late in the first quarter by Barnett, who produced 264 total yards and three touchdowns in a 27-24 overtime loss.

"I've been through some crazy quarterback situations. I've not seen one like this before," Klein said. "I credit every one of those guys in that room because every one of those guys have faced some real stuff, not easy stuff, through the last 10 weeks."

Losing Johnson for good would be a heavy blow for a 4-4 team that is 1-4 in the Big 12. He was fourth in the conference in total offense through six games, with 1,301 passing yards, 462 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns, and he became the program's career leader in touchdown passes this season. He has started 32 games at Kansas State and has one more year of eligibility in 2027.

"My heart breaks for Avery and him obviously going through this," Klein said. "But at the end of the day, it's a team game and we have to be better collectively to get where we want to go."

Barnett earned the job with how he played against Colorado, Klein said, according to KSO's Derek Young.

What's next: Kansas State hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. The Wildcats need two wins in their last four games to reach bowl eligibility.