Manhattan
Collin Klein and the Kansas State football team have a long history together.
They hope a bright future is now on the horizon.
Klein is about to add a new chapter to his life as a Wildcat. It will be the most important one yet.
As a college student, he played quarterback for legendary K-State football coach Bill Snyder and led K-State to a Big 12 championship in 2012. Ten years later, he rose to the rank of Wildcats offensive coordinator and called plays for Chris Klieman … and K-State won another conference title.
Now, he is returning to his alma mater in his most important role yet: head coach.
Kansas State has officially hired Klein, 36, to take over for Chris Klieman, 58, who abruptly announced his retirement earlier this week after seven mostly successful seasons in Manhattan. K-State made the announcement Thursday night.
“We are excited to welcome one of our all-time greats back home to Manhattan,” K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said in a news release. “Collin is a tremendous leader who cares deeply about his players. The grit, toughness and aggression he displayed as a player still fuels him today as a coach, and he is determined to carry on the tremendous success this program has achieved. As we know, college football has changed, and I am confident that Collin is ready to embrace this new model while maintaining the culture that we know as K-State Football.”
Klein has agreed to a five-year contract that will pay him an average base salary of $4.3 million.
His introductory news conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday at Morgan Family Arena. ESPN+ will stream the event live.
“My family and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to come home,” Klein said in a statement. “Thank you to president (Richard) Linton and Gene Taylor for believing in us to lead the Cats into a new era. 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. This is Family business, and we cannot wait to get to work!”
It didn’t take long for K-State athletic director Gene Taylor to target Klein in his coaching search. Klein was a slam-dunk choice — so much so, in fact, that the Wildcats didn’t seriously consider any other candidates.
Not only does Klein have a winning pedigree with K-State, he has also proven himself as an elite assistant coach at Texas A&M. His presence on the sidelines in Manhattan will galvanize fans and bring new levels of football excitement to the Little Apple.
This is the succession plan they wanted. And it’s easy to see why EMAW Nation has remained loyal to Klein.
He has guided the Wildcats to some memorable moments. As a player, he was known for his leadership and his toughness. His nickname used to be “Optimus Klein.” He didn’t have the strongest arm, but he sure knew how to run … and win.
Klein threw for 4,724 yards and 30 touchdowns during his four seasons as a player. He also rushed for 2,485 yards and 56 touchdowns.
With Klein at quarterback, K-State won 10 games in reached the Cotton Bowl in 2011. A year later, K-State won 11 games and played in the Fiesta Bowl. Klein was a Heisman Trophy finalist as a senior. He also won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award that year.
From there, he tried to make it as a professional quarterback in both the NFL and the CFL. But he was never able to earn a roster spot. That paved the way for him to return to K-State as an assistant coach under Bill Snyder.
When Snyder retired, Klieman opted to keep Klein on as his quarterbacks coach. Then he promoted him to offensive coordinator. K-State won 54 games under Klieman’s watch, but the Wildcats were at their best with Klein in charge of the offense.
First, they steam-rolled LSU 42-20 at the Texas Bowl when Klein was the interim OC. Then they won 10 games and claimed a Big 12 championship in 2022. The Wildcats averaged 32.3 points and 418.8 yards per game that season.
The K-State offense was even stronger in 2023, when the Wildcats averaged 37.1 points and 445.2 yards per game. K-State won nine games and played in the Pop-Tarts Bowl that year.
K-State moved the ball so proficiently on offense that Klein caught the eye of Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko. For the past two years, Klein has been calling plays for Elko and the Aggies as one of the highest-paid coordinators in all of college football.
During that time, Klein continued to coach explosive offenses. This season, the Aggies have averaged 36.3 points and 454.4 yards per game behind top playmakers Marcel Reed and KC Concepcion. Texas A&M finished the regular season with an 11-1 record.
Klein is expected to remain with the Aggies during the College Football Playoff, but he will also recruit and build a coaching staff at K-State.
Klein seemed to be enjoying himself in College Station, Texas. But his heart may have never left Manhattan.
He met his wife, Shalin (a former K-State women’s basketball player), here and started a family. One of the reasons he left K-State for Texas A&M was to better position himself for a return as a head coach at some point.
The day has arrived.
He is coming home to lead the K-State football team into a new era.
This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 7:53 PM.
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Kellis Robinett
The Wichita Eagle
Kellis Robinett covers Kansas State athletics for The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star. A winner of more than a dozen national writing awards, he lives in Manhattan with his wife and four children.
