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

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

Klein is expected to continue working with the Aggies during the College Football Playoff, should they be selected, while also building out his staff and laying the groundwork at Kansas State. Texas A&M was seventh in the penultimate CFP rankings released Tuesday night.

The 36-year-old Klein, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist for longtime Kansas State coach Bill Snyder, has never been a head coach, though that won't bother fans who have been pining for him to come home. 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 a second time, and Klieman was hired, Klein was kept on staff as the 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 once did as a player. They averaged 32.3 points and 418.8 yards per game that season.

Klein spent another year as offensive coordinator before Mike Elko hired him for the same job at Texas A&M.

Klein has continued to produce high-powered offenses with the Aggies. They went 8-5 last season and started 11-0 this season behind the superb play of quarterback Marcel Reed, before a loss to Texas last Friday eliminated 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 ties that run deep at Kansas State, even beyond himself. He met his wife, Shalin, during his days in Manhattan, Kansas. The daughter of former Wildcats and NFL linebacker Gary Spani played basketball for K-State.

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,” Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor said Wednesday, when asked about a timeline for hiring his next 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.