Kansas State, Jerome Tang get massive boost as Wildcats land MAC Player of the Year
Akron guard Nate Johnson, the reigning MAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, is headed to Kansas State. Johnson will headline an ambitious portal class for coach Jerome Tang and the Wildcats.
Off a 16-17 season, Kansas State and Tang were seemingly destined to make some changes. Kansas State has won fewer games every year since Tang's first year at Kansas State. With a group of seniors leaving the team and six other players, including the slated leading returning scorer Dug McDaniel, hitting the portal, the rebuild got serious.
Kansas State's Rebuild Centers on Johnson
To his credit, Tang and the Wildcat staff have been putting together an impressive portal haul of incoming talent. 247Sports ranks Kansas State's portal effort as the second-best in the Big 12. In no small part, that ranking is based on the new addition of Johnson, who is a highly regarded transfer.
Kansas State is slated to lose every player who scored six points per game or more on last year's team. But the Wildcats have added not only Johnson, but also double-digit scorer Khamari McGriff from UNC-Wilmington. Big guard Abdi Bashir, who averaged 20.1 points per game last year for Monmouth, is another big K-State signee.
Power forward Tyreek Smith is also in the mix. Freshman Exavier Wilson from Missouri will be another potentially significant part of next season's team. But Johnson might be the biggest addition of all.
Nate Johnson's College Career
Johnson was a three-star recruit from Ohio. Akron won a MAC conference recruiting battle to sign Johnson, who promptly redshirted a season before playing any college basketball.
Once he took the court, Johnson's story is one of consistent improvement. In his freshman year, Johnson played mostly off the bench and averaged 4.5 ppg and 2.9 rebounds per game. In his sophomore season, Johnson became a starter and averaged 7.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg.
Then, last season, Johnson took off. He averaged 14.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 3.4 assists per game. He was also second in the MAC in steals with 61 and basically ran the table in terms of MAC Conference honors. He was Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, All-MAC First Team and MAC Tournament MVP.
Johnson should be the answer to a vacancy at point guard for next year's squad. He's a 33% career 3-point shooter, a capable ball-handler and a potentially elite defender. After a disappointing season and a tough start to the portal period, Johnson gives Kansas State fans reason to hope for a big 2025-26 season.
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