Collin Klein hired as Kansas State coach after Chris Klieman's retirement

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Kansas State hired former quarterback and current Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein as its coach Thursday night, moving quickly to fill its opening one day after Chris Klieman's abrupt retirement following seven seasons leading the Wildcats.

Klein will continue working with the Aggies during the College Football Playoff, should they be selected, while building out his staff and laying the groundwork at Kansas State. The Aggies were seventh in the penultimate CFP rankings released Tuesday night.

“My family and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to come home,” said the 36-year-old Klein, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2012, when he helped Kansas State win a Big 12 championship under Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder.

“The position of head coach at Kansas State has a long legacy of service, hard work, determination and competitive greatness that I am honored to carry forward,” Klein said in a statement. “This is family business, and we cannot wait to get to work!”

Klein agreed to a five-year deal with an average base salary of $4.3 million, though it is expected to have several incentives. He will be introduced Friday at Morgan Family Arena on the Kansas State campus.

"We are excited to welcome one of our all-time greats back home to Manhattan,” Wildcats athletic director Gene Taylor said. “Collin is a tremendous leader who cares deeply about his players. The grit, toughness and aggression he displayed as a player still fuels him as a coach, and he is determined to carry on the tremendous success this program has achieved.”

Klein got his start in coaching under Snyder in 2014, two years after he finished playing, and spent a year at Northern Iowa before returning to the Wildcats for the 2017 season. When Snyder retired for the second time, and Klieman was hired after a run of national titles at FCS-level North Dakota State, he kept Klein on his first staff as the Wildcats' quarterbacks coach.

Known for his creative offensive mind, Klein was promoted to coordinator in 2022, helping the Wildcats win the Big 12 title — just as he did as a player. The Wildcats, relying heavily on their run game, averaged 32.3 points and 418.8 yards per game that season.

Klein spent another year as offensive coordinator at Kansas State before Mike Elko hired him for the same job at Texas A&M. It was a difficult move to make, Klein said at the time, but one that he thought would better prepare him to become a head coach.

Klein continued to produce high-powered offenses with the Aggies, who went 8-5 last season and started 11-0 this season behind the superb play of quarterback Marcel Reed. A loss to Texas last Friday kept them from playing for the Southeastern Conference title.

“I think when you hired really good people, opportunities like that will come,” Elko said Wednesday, when news surfaced of Klieman's impending retirement and Klein's name was immediately linked to the opening at Kansas State.

“You appreciate that people want to stay part of your program until the next big opportunity comes,” Elko said. “If we're doing this right, that will be a piece of it. No different than losing players to the NFL. If it does turn out to work out like the reports suggest, it's a tremendous opportunity for someone on our staff to take the next step in their career.”

Klein has family ties that run deep at Kansas State, even beyond himself. He met and married his wife, Shalin, during his playing days in Manhattan, Kansas. The daughter of former Wildcats and NFL linebacker Gary Spani also was a basketball player there.

Klein had been connected to the South Florida job after Alex Golesh was hired by Auburn. But he withdrew his name once the Kansas State job appeared to open, and the Bulls quickly pivoted by hiring Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.

“The business is different now,” Taylor said Wednesday, when asked about a timeline for hiring the next Kansas State coach. “It’s going to be fast, and it’s going to be efficient. We need to move quickly. And we’ve already got all the things we need to be in place so when we get to the point where we’re ready to make an offer, things can happen very quickly.

"I think we should make it happen quickly for the players and the staff so they know where the next direction is.”

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