Toby Johnson (Hutchinson, Kan./Hutchinson Community College) has made several trips to Manhattan, Kan., but before Saturday, the standout junior college defensive tackle admitted he'd never been to Kansas State for a football game.
Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound prospect with multiple offers, said he enjoyed being a part of the 50,781 in attendance at Bill Snyder Stadium. He watched the Wildcats beat Oklahoma State 44-30, stay undefeated through nine games and, most importantly, keep its shot at playing for a BCS national title alive.
“It was a real good experience. It kind of surprised me for a minute,” said Johnson, who has a Kansas State offer. “I didn’t think it would be jumping like that. There were 50,000 fans going crazy.”
Johnson made the two-hour trip from Hutchinson to Manhattan with teammates, fellow sophomores and top recruits in receiver Jatavius Stewart and offensive tackle Devonte Danzey. Stewart has offers from Kansas State, Tennessee, Georgia and Oklahoma State, among others. Danzey doesn’t have a Kansas State offer, but he is getting a look from the Wildcats. He has offers from West Virginia, Texas Tech, Kansas and others.
“I had lost contact with [Kansas State], but I called them up,” Johnson said. “I let them know we wanted to make the trip out. It was a good time.”
Johnson, a mainstay for a Hutchinson team ranked No. 16 in the latest NJCAA poll, said he could see himself potentially playing for Kansas State, and his recruiting process is far from over. Originally from College Park, Ga., Johnson has additional offers from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC and Nebraska, among other programs. Georgia and Tennessee are two schools high on his list so far.