In news that will surprise exactly nobody, the Athletic Department officially announced Collin Klein as the newest head football coach at Kansas State University. The 36th head coach in school history, he will replace Chris Klieman who announced his retirement on Wednesday after seven seasons with the program. The details of Klein’s contract have not been revealed in full, but at first glance, it appears to be a five-year deal with an average salary of about $4.3 million per year.
Everyone hates clichés. They’re tired, often too precious, and barely ever give you any new insight. But on rare occasions, they’re also useful. So when I tell you that K-State’s new head coach needs no introduction, you can maybe forgive the cliché this one time.
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You already know the outlines of Klein’s storied time in Manhattan. He won 51 games and a Big 12 title as a player and was also a Heisman finalist in 2012. As the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats, he was involved in 19 wins over two seasons and a Big 12 title in 2022.
In his most recent stint as the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, Klein has helped the Aggies achieve an 11-1 record this season, good for a probable spot in the College Football Playoffs. For his efforts, Klein has been named a semifinalist for the 2025 Frank Boyles Award for the nation’s top assistant coach, and will remain with the Aggies through their potential playoff run.
Although Klein will be the first K-State alum to be head coach since Ellis Rainsberger in 1975, other players have returned to coach their alma maters before. Mike Gundy and Scott Frost come immediately to mind, for example. But it’s not often that a new coach, even one who was a star player before, has the express endorsement of his two immediate predecessors. Klieman was not explicit in his praise for Klein, but made it clear he welcomed the transition. Bill Snyder was nothing short of effusive in praising his former protégé:
Collin is, first and foremost, a quality young man — a very special person. I think he’s well qualified to step into that role, and I think he would have a great deal of support from the people of Kansas State.
For his part, Klein was quick to express gratitude for the chance to come back home for his dream job, and naturally, he brought up #FAMILY. Klein will be formally introduced at a public event at Morgan Family Arena tomorrow (Friday) at 3 PM, and the event will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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Thanks to his status as a favorite son, Klein’s honeymoon will be long and much slack will be given. But he has his work cut out for him. The roster is in decent shape. Klieman made sure the shelves were not bare, but there will be some immediate challenges. We don’t yet know what sort of staff Klein is assembling. A number of players are already in the transfer portal (Edwards, Moss, Loftin, Fortenberry) and possibly others as well. A beleaguered offensive line will need some retooling, and a senior-laden defense will have to be rebuilt. There’s also the rapidly shifting NIL landscape to get a handle on and there are whisperings of bad chemistry in the locker room.
Still, as Drew noted in his tribute to Klieman, if there’s a person who knows how to win at K-State, surely it’s the guy who has done it before, as a player and as an assistant. As a fit for the culture of discipline and humility, and yes, success built in Manhattan by Snyder and sustained by Klieman, you cannot do better than Klein.
These are just the logical reasons to be ecstatic about this hire. There are also a hundred irrational reasons, and I will leave you with just this one: Collin Klein is ours, and not just because he once put on a purple jersey and literally bled for the program. It’s because we made him. Not literally, of course. After all, he’s from Colorado and we had almost nothing to do with his development as a football player and coach. But the legend of Collin Klein—Optimus Klein himself, the OG honey badger—is at least partly a creation of this place. Klein was born, raised, and nurtured in the crucible of our commentariat. And now baby’s all grown up and back in Manhattan to take the reins of the program we love and live for every Saturday of every fall. Pat yourselves on the back for a job well done and walk proud.
Our time has come.
