Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein is leaving his alma mater for the SEC
Chris Klieman is suddenly in the market for a new offensive coordinator.
Kansas State play-caller Collin Klein has decided to leave the Wildcats after two highly successful seasons for the same position at Texas A&M, sources confirmed Wednesday morning.
The Aggies are expected to make Klein one of the highest paid coordinators in all of college football. He was earning $825,000 in salary on a two-year contract with the Wildcats.
Many high-profile teams have tried to lure Klein away from his alma mater over the past year. Notre Dame made a run at Klein in February. That came after Alabama and, coincidentally, Texas A&M expressed interest when they had openings. But Klein stayed true to the place where he has spent the vast majority of his coaching career and previously starred as a quarterback. Until now.
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko succeeded where others failed.
It is not immediately clear why Klein decided this offer was too good to pass up. But money could have been a factor. K-State can not pay him nearly as much as Texas A&M, which has some of the best resources in all of college football. The Aggies can afford to pay their coordinators more than some schools pay their head coaches.
It’s possible Klein is also simply looking for a new experience after a long run with the Wildcats.
Klein started out as a QB coach at K-State under Bill Snyder in 2017. Then he worked his way up to offensive coordinator under Chris Klieman.
The Wildcats were an exciting team with Klein in control of the offense. Last year, they average 32.3 points and 418.8 yards per game on their way to 10 wins and a Big 12 championship. This season, K-State was even better. The Wildcats averaged 37.8 points and 446.1 yards per game on their way to eight wins and the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Before he got into coaching, he was a star quarterback for the Wildcats. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist as a senior in 2012 and also guided K-State to a Big 12 championship.
Klein made a quick decision about his new job. Sources said he interviewed with Texas A&M on Tuesday and accepted the job after a few hours of thought.
Klein was in a similar situation earlier this year when Notre Dame made a push for him. He interviewed for the position but ultimately decided to return to K-State.
His reasoning: “I felt like after going through the process that the Lord really put it on my heart that there was still work to do here.”
Something was different this time around. Klein is off to a new challenge, and the Wildcats are in the market for a new offensive coordinator.
It will be interesting to see where Klieman goes from here. He promoted Klein the last time he needed a new offensive coordinator. There aren’t any current in-house candidates at K-State with that same kind of appeal, though offensive line coach Conor Riley and tight ends coach Brian Lepak could be options.
Klieman may think outside the box this time. With freshman quarterback Avery Johnson ready to lead the offense for the next few years, it will be important for K-State to find a new play-caller who can keep Johnson happy and take advantage of his dual-threat capabilities.
This story was originally published December 6, 2023 at 8:43 AM with the headline "Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein is leaving his alma mater for the SEC."