Delegating Responsibilities Among Biggest Challenges For K-State's Collin Klein

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One of the biggest transitions in sports is going from a position coach/offensive coordinator to a head coach. 

The coach has to leave behind the small group he was in charge of so he can deal with the entire team. That's the challenge first-year Kansas State Wildcats coach Collin Klein has this season. 

He's spent the past several seasons working solely with the quarterbacks or the offense. Now, he has reach over to the defensive side of the ball for the first time. 

And part of being a good leader is learning to delegate responsibilities to his staff members. While Klein wants to have a hand in the offense, he knows that is the job for offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson. 

Klein addressed it earlier last week.  

"You hit the nail on the head," Klein said. The only way it's going to work is I've got great people around me. That's what we have. I've been very, very pleased with how that flow has worked. Some of those game-management decisions will be myself, Sean Gleeson – our offensive coordinator, who has done that a couple different places that he's been – with Stanton (Weber)."

This is a big adjustment for Klein, especially after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Texas A & M Aggies. The positive is he has learned plenty from the mentors he's encountered during his coaching career. They include legendary Wildcats coach Bill Snyder and ex-Kansas State coach Chris Klieman. 

Snyder was responsible for turning the program into a power during the late 1990s while Klieman had a successful stint with the Wildcats before he resigned after last season. That opened the door for Klein to return to his alma mater, where he was a standout quarterback during the early 2010s. 

Now, he finds himself in charge of orchestrating a turnaround. After finishing 6-6 last year, the Wildcats were picked to finish No. 8 in the Big 12 by the league media. While there are a lot of things he has to adjust to, the biggest is learning to be the CEO of the company. 

"We will use analytics, but we'll put our own little spin on it," Klein said. "So, that'll be part of it. As far as the weekly process goes, there's a lot of moving pieces, but I feel really good with the process that we've been able to build, the schedule that we have to be really, really efficient and get a lot done. It's going to be a lot on my plate, but definitely have a lot of great support."

COLLIN KLEIN MEETS FANS FOR FIRST TIME 

This is perhaps the most anticipated football season for the Kansas State Wildcats in recent years. 

It marks the first year of the coach Collin Klein era. He replaced the successful Chris Klieman, who resigned unexpectedly following last year's 6-6 finish. A former Wildcats star, Klein has hopes of making them once again a contender in the Big 12 conference. 

And fans can have their chance to meet Klein and the players Aug. 22 at the annual "Meet the Cats" event at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Gates open at 11 a.m.

MORE KANSAS STATE NEWS 

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of KStateRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com 

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