Kansas State officially hired legendary former quarterback Collin Klein as coach, the program announced Thursday. Klein, 36, had most recently served as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator. He succeeds Chris Klieman, who retired Wednesday, and 247Sports had reported Klein was in line to be the next head man in charge for the Wildcats.
Klein will continue to coach the Aggies through the College Football Playoff.
After redshirting at Kansas State in 2008, Klein played wide receiver in 2009 before converting to quarterback in 2010. He took over full-time behind center the next year, and across 2011 and 2012, he accumulated a 21-5 record, threw for 29 touchdowns, ran for 50 touchdowns and finished third in 2012 Heisman Trophy voting. The Wildcats reached as high as No. 2 in his senior season, tied for their highest ranking ever.
Klein returned to Kansas State as a coach in 2014 and slowly worked his way up from low-level assistant to quarterbacks coach to co-offensive coordinator to, finally, offensive coordinator from 2022-23. Texas A&M hired him away after the 2023 season. Now, however, he returns to the place that made him a star.
Klein’s contract is for five years, with an average base salary of $4.3 million.
Klieman, who took over for the iconic Bill Snyder in 2019 and was under contract through 2032, produced several strong seasons upon his arrival in Manhattan, including a 10-win campaign in 2022 and bowl wins in 2021, 2023 and 2024.
But the Wildcats are just 6-6 this season after being ranked 17th in the AP preseason poll. They’ll hope Klein — the first Kansas State alum to be head coach since Ellis Rainsberger from 1975-77 — can get things back on track.
Here’s more analysis from CBS Sports’ Cody Nagel:
He spent five seasons on Klieman’s staff, including two as offensive coordinator, before departing for College Station ahead of the 2024 season. Klein’s familiarity with Kansas State’s roster, donors and recruiting base — combined with his status as one of the program’s most accomplished former players — has made him the university’s leading target as succession planning accelerates.
As a coach, Klein quickly made his mark when he joined the staff in 2017. He served as Kansas State’s offensive coordinator for two seasons in 2022-23, taking a unit that ranked outside the top 75 nationally in 2021 to top-25 rankings in multiple offensive categories before his departure. His offenses became known for efficiency and balance: total offense jumped from 362.3 yards per game in 2021 to 446.1 in 2023, scoring jumped from 27.5 to 37.8 points per game, and his final unit led the nation in red-zone touchdown conversion rate at 78.7%.
The Wildcats’ rushing attack also flourished, producing top-15 units nationally in yards per game, while quarterbacks posted school-record low interception percentages.
After joining Texas A&M in 2024, Klein helped guide the Aggies to a 5-0 start in SEC play, marking the program’s best conference start since 1998. The offense ranked second in the SEC in rushing behind a strong offensive line. Texas A&M ranks 16th nationally in scoring offense with 36.3 points per game this season. Klein is a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the top assistant coach in college football.
