It has been a disappointing season for Kansas State football. There was excitement heading into the season for Kansas State, as they were projected as one of the top teams in the conference. After finishing the season 6-6 and tied for seventh in the conference, head coach Chris Klieman is considering stepping down.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Klieman is considering stepping down and hinting at retirement. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic is reporting that Klieman is retiring and that it will be current Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein who will be the replacement.
Klieman, 58, is under contract through the 2032 season. He became the head coach for the 2019 campaign after legendary Kansas State coach Bill Snyder announced his retirement. When he was announced as the new head coach of Kansas State, the coach was in the midst of a run in the FCS playoffs with North Dakota State. Klieman would finish that run with a National Championship. It was his fourth National Title in five years at North Dakota State.
At North Dakota State, the coach went 69-6 over five years, bringing hope to Kansas State for similar results. Still, the Wildcats have finished the season ranked in the top 25 just twice in his seven seasons at the helm. Meanwhile, he is 54-34 as the head coach and has won the Big 12 just once. That was in 2022, and Kansas State would go on to lose to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
The offensive coordinator for Kansas State that season was Klein. Klein played quarterback for Kansas State from 2008-2012, finishing third in Heisman voting in his senior year. Klein joined Snyder's staff in 2014, working for two years on the staff before one season at Northern Iowa. He then returned to Kansas State in 2017 and was retained by Klieman, becoming the offensive coordinator in 2022.
Klein has been the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M for the past two seasons. Now, for a second time in his career, the former quarterback seems set to return home, this time as the head coach of the Wildcats.
