Kansas State’s Tyler Johnson moving into the next layer of the offensive line rotation

Kansas State offensive lineman Tyler Johnson is the focus of a new “65 Days to 2026 Kickoff” installment, part of the countdown leading into the 2026 college football season. The feature frames Johnson as a transfer who is expected to provide crucial depth on the offensive line, with the projection placing him as the backup left tackle behind returning starter John Pastore.

Johnson’s background has a familiar shape for modern college football: he transferred to Kansas State after time at Auburn and has been positioned as a ready-to-play option if the Wildcats need stability at tackle. According to the profile, Johnson is majoring in sociology at Kansas State and arrived with playing experience from Auburn, including appearances in the 2023 season while he retained his redshirt status.

The article breaks down how Johnson’s role grew at Auburn. In 2023, he appeared in three games and totaled 36 offensive snaps, with one notable stretch against Arkansas where he was on the field for 19 offensive snaps. The profile then points to 2024 as the year his playing time expanded, stating he played in all 12 games and earned his first career start at left tackle against Alabama A&M. It also notes that, over that 2024 run, Johnson was on the field for 92 offensive snaps, including a career-high 38 against California, and he participated on special teams as well.

Last season, the feature describes a more specialized usage pattern. It says Johnson saw time in all 12 games primarily on the field goal and extra point protection unit, and it adds he also played on seven offensive snaps against Ball State. The profile connects that shift to the larger decision to transfer, suggesting that reduced offensive involvement was part of why Johnson looked for a new opportunity.

Before his college stops, Johnson’s recruiting profile is cited as a key piece of his development. The countdown notes he prepped at Natchitoches Central High School in Louisiana under head coach James Wilkerson, and it lists Rivals rankings from his high school days that placed him as the 25th-best offensive tackle nationally in the class of 2023, and the 16th-best overall prospect in the state of Louisiana. It also says he was named Central Louisiana’s No. 1 offensive lineman by CenLAPreps and earned a Blue-Grey All-American Bowl invite.

The Kansas State angle in the profile is straightforward, Johnson’s fit within the Wildcats’ offensive line depth chart. The piece projects a left tackle support role, with Pastore positioned as the returning starter and Johnson expected to fill in behind him. That projection matters because tackle play is often the most difficult to plug in on short notice, particularly when the offense needs consistent protection and run-game leverage.

As the Wildcats move closer to their 2026 kickoff date, Johnson’s profile is best read as both an individual storyline and a reminder of roster-building realities. The next thing to watch is whether Kansas State’s depth chart continues to align with that backup left tackle expectation, and how Johnson’s experience and previous usage translate into a bigger share of snaps as fall camp approaches.