Collin Klein adds Texas A&M assistants to his K-State football coaching staff
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- Collin Klein is rebuilding K‑State staff, bringing Christian Ellsworth from Texas A&M.
- Ellsworth returns to Manhattan and will tutor quarterbacks after prior K‑State stint.
- Klein plans more Texas A&M hires; Peterson expected to lead K‑State defense.
Collin Klein’s inaugural coaching staff with the Kansas State football team will feature multiple assistants who worked with him over the past two seasons at Texas A&M.
The Wildcats officially hired the first two on Sunday.
Jordan Peterson, who coached defensive backs at Texas A&M this season, is set to lead the K-State defense as its new coordinator.
“I am extremely excited to accept this position at Kansas State and join Coach Klein and the Wildcat program,” Peterson said in a statement. “Kansas State is a special place with a proud football tradition. My family and I are looking forward to the opportunity to return to the great state of Kansas and lead the K-State defense.”
Peterson has previous experience in the Sunflower State. He served as an assistant coach at Kansas from 2020 to 2023.
He has a reputation as both a strong recruiter and a strong coach.
“Jordan is the entire package,” Kein said, “an elite strategist and recruiter, and he develops relationships with his players. His players play incredibly hard for him and continually get better. I am excited for him to be the leader of our defense.”
Christian Ellsworth, who coached tight ends for the Aggies this year, is set to tutor K-State quarterbacks moving forward.
“My family and I are humbled and excited to be back in Manhattan,” Ellsworth said in a statement. “It is an honor to serve this program, university, and community.”
Ellsworth has worked at K-State before as an offensive graduate assistant in 2020 and 2021.
“Christian is a rising star in this profession,” Klein said in a statement. “His work ethic and competitive nature are on another level. He is of the utmost character and integrity, and I am proud for him to develop our quarterbacks.”
Ellsworth has a long history with Klein. Ellsworth played quarterback for him at Northern Iowa and then helped coach alongside Klein at both K-State and Texas A&M. Ellsworth has also worked at Nebraska and South Carolina.
Klein is expected to bring a few more Texas A&M staffers with him to Manhattan.
Texas A&M analyst Josh Buford and potentially others are also expected to be on Klein’s staff.
Klein has already hired Stanton Weber as K-State’s new special teams coordinator and Trey Scott as general manager. Buddy Wyatt is staying on as the defensive line coach. And Brian Lepak is expected to be retained as the team’s tight ends coach.
This story was originally published December 21, 2025 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Collin Klein adds Texas A&M assistants to his K-State football coaching staff."