Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson has kicked off spring practice with a new NIL partnership that should activate the taste buds of Wildcat fans. Through a collaboration between the school’s collective Wildcat NIL and the Manhattan-based beverage manufacturer Bev-Hub, the star signal caller is releasing a custom strawberry lemonade beverage.

The thirst-quenching, low-calorie, low-sugar soft drink hits shelves this week at Hy-Vee locally with other stores to carry in the future. It will also be available via the collectives website.

In his sophomore season — and first replacing Ohio State transfer and National Champion Will Howard — Johnson started every game, threw for 2,712 yards and a school-record 25 touchdowns. He added 605 rushing yards and seven touchdowns to his resume, which positions him as one of the top returning players — and dual-threat quarterback — in college football.

“This is an exciting opportunity for me,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t long ago that I was a young athlete in Wichita, Kansas with big dreams. To have the opportunity to create my own personally branded soft drink is really special, and I hope it can serve as an example to young athletes across Kansas and beyond that dreams can absolutely become reality.”