The Kansas State football program faced insurmountable odds in December after the announcement of former head coach Chris Klieman’s retirement. Not long after, the Wildcats hired former quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Collin Klein as the program’s 36th head coach.
It doesn’t matter how you look at it, everything about the hire screams potential. So far, it’s been right in line with his motto – family business.
Kansas State’s Decision to Hire Former Quarterback Collin Klein is A Game-Changer
Klein is well acquainted with Kansas State. He was a member of the Wildcats roster from 2008-12, and served as the team’s starting quarterback in his final two seasons. Between his junior and senior years, Klein completed 358 passes for 4,559 yards and 29 touchdowns.
He led the team to a combined 21-5 record, finishing third in the Heisman race in 2012 behind Johnny Manziel and Manti Te’o. Needless to say, he also won the Big 12 Championship that season and played in the Fiesta Bowl.
Klein’s time suiting up under center wasn’t the end of it, either. From 2017 to 2021, he served as the Wildcats’ quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator before leaving for Texas A&M. He spent two seasons with the Aggies occupying similar roles before returning ahead of the 2026 season.
After years as a player and coach, Klein knows The Little Apple inside and out.
Klein Hasn’t Just Been Around. He’s Won, and Won A Lot.
Former players sticking around as assistants is common at the college level, and not just in the Big 12. Klein, however, isn’t just another one of those guys who opted to hang around. He’s a revitalizing part of an offensive staff that’s making a difference.
He’s produced players like Adrian Martinez, a former member of the San Francisco 49ers and Birmingham Stallions, along with 2025 national championship quarterback Will Howard. Like Klein, Howard was also a Heisman finalist.
He led four eight-win seasons from 2017 to 2022, capping his time in College Station with the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance, where the Aggies fell in the opening round to eventual national title contender Miami.
If that wasn’t enough, Klein’s offense bested the Hurricanes’ defense with 326 total yards, 21 first downs, and eight third-down conversions in that game. Talk about making a statement. A quick look back at the numbers from that season, and it becomes clear it wasn’t a one-off.
Marcel Reed, the Texas A&M starting quarterback under Klein’s offense, threw for 439 yards against South Carolina in conference play and ended the year with 10 games over the 200-yard mark. In the team’s lone loss to the Texas Longhorns, he rushed for 71 of the team’s 157 total yards on the ground.
Performances like that come from preparation, and during his time with the Aggies, his approach has clearly struck a chord with his players.
Collin Klein To Do Things Differently In His First Season As The Wildcats Head Coach
Klein’s return to Manhattan hasn’t followed a traditional path. However, for someone of his caliber, you wouldn’t want it to. It starts with his coaching hires, a group that’s poised to have just as much influence on this team’s performance as anyone.
That identity begins with quarterbacks coach Christian Anderson, the 28-year-old Northern Iowa product. He’s already praised starting quarterback Avery Johnson and, at times, mirrors the same presence Klein once brought to the role.
Anderson brings that next-level quarterback mindset – the same edge Klein carried with the Wildcats, both as a starter and later on the coaching staff. Like Klein, he’s willing to trust his instincts, and that confidence has shown up throughout his career.
A handful of other hires came in the form of previous assistants, including Joe Bob Clements, who served as an assistant under the legendary Bill Snyder. If you’re unfamiliar, Snyder is the winningest football coach in program history. His name also happens to line the side of the stadium.
Enough about Snyder – the next level quarterback mentality that Klein carries sets up for that level of greatness. Take the same formula he’s used thus far entering spring camp and apply it to the rest of his staff, and the upside is endless.
The only difference for Klein comes in the fact that he’s not an assistant in the box. He’s keeping that sort of mentality. While, maintaining the responsibility for calling plays. In someone at the helm of an already promising Wildcats program, that’s exactly the kind of leadership you’d expect.
If a winning culture and proven program history weren’t already enough. Klein is a “different” kind of leader and might be exactly what Kansas State needs for another postseason push. Perhaps, even in Klein’s first year at the helm.
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