Collin Klein wants to take Kansas State football where it hasn't been before

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

MANHATTAN — On a day in which Kansas State football fans had dreamt about, Collin Klein looked at a purple-dressed crowd and wondered aloud when he, himself, would wake up.

Klein saw familiar faces, many of whom cheered him when he’d put his head down and run into the end zone. Some wore his iconic No. 7 jersey.

He once spent years bleeding for them, whether it was trying to etch out a four-overtime victory over Texas A&M or doing everything he could to pull off a road win at Miami. He also celebrated with them, from winning a Big 12 title against Texas to beating Oklahoma in Norman and the countless other memories that made him a legend.

Here, Klein stood on a stage, accepting the position that he had coveted ever since he fell in love with the university over a decade ago — Kansas State head football coach.

“This has been such a dream come true on so many levels,” Klein said. “This is incredible.”

Klein became the 36th head coach in his alma mater’s history, succeeding Chris Klieman, who retired on Dec. 3 after seven seasons. He was introduced on Friday, Dec. 5, inside Morgan Family Arena. He’s the fourth coach the school has had since 1989, a role that the legendary Bill Snyder, his head coach who gave him his first coaching opportunity, held for 27 years.

Klein signed a five-year contract with an average base salary of $4.3 million. He joins the Wildcats after serving as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator for two seasons, a role he will continue in through the Aggies’ College Football Playoff run.

“It’s been a long week, but it’s been very rewarding and fulfilling,” athletic director Gene Taylor said. “It’s been stressful, it’s been fun, and right now, I’m just enjoying watching him enjoy this.”

Collin Klein wants Kansas State to be the ‘new old school’

Klein spent his introductory speech talking about the toughness that has been instilled at K-State through the foundation Snyder built and the one Klieman maintained.

Since 1989, Klein said, Snyder instilled a culture that challenged athletes to be the best versions of themselves. Through those challenges, they develop the mental and intestinal fortitude to play football the way it needs to be played. It’s a physical game, and Kansas State needs to be built on the brand of physical football it’s known for.

“We’re not gonna take shortcuts,” Klein said. “We’re gonna do everything; every little detail is going to be taken care of to make sure that our players know what is going to happen before it happens. We’re going to be resilient to adversity, and as I told the team this afternoon, you’re going to have to learn how to pick yourself up from failure.”

How you respond to failure is something Snyder stressed when Klein was K-State’s star quarterback and became a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2012. The lesson applies to the football field and in life. The family atmosphere was what Klein loved so much about playing for the Wildcats, and he wants to continue it into 2026 and beyond.

“We have the most dedicated, passionate fans in the country,” Klein said. “Their unwavering support, [and] family value system is perfectly aligned to what our program is all about. What is our mission moving forward? We’re gonna be the new old school. We’re going to stay true to a value system that has been in place for a very, very long time.”

Collin Klein will give ‘every ounce’ he has to move K-State forward

Klein becomes Kansas State’s head coach during a critical, uncertain state of college football. Taylor said in his press conference on Dec. 3 that the changes to the sport played a factor in Klieman’s decision to retire after nearly 35 years in the business.

Klein, 36, will be tasked with leading K-State through these times. Klein said he believes K-State has already made “really good strides” financially in the short time he’s been in communication with the school, while Taylor said there is “unbelievable” excitement among donors after Klein’s hiring.

Spending the last two seasons at Texas A&M could prove invaluable for Klein, who saw one of the nation’s leading programs in Name, Image and Likeness and revenue-sharing turn the Aggies into a College Football Playoff contender.

“The time is now,” Klein said. “There’s never been a more critical time in college football, of more volatility and a little bit of uncertainty. We have to attack this thing head-on, and it’s going to take all of us, every single one of us in here has something to give to help take this program where it needs to go.

“I told our players this afternoon that they’re going to get every ounce that I have to help move this program forward in every single area. I love challenges; I love going and doing hard things. To take this program where it has never been is going to be hard, and I want it to be hard. We are going to attack this thing together, as a staff, as players, as a fanbase and as an administration… We’re going to take this program where it hasn’t been before.”

Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: What Collin Klein said about becoming Kansas State football coach

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos