Kansas State’s season has shifted from promise to survival, and now Collin Klein’s biggest challenge has little to do with play-calling.
With the Wildcats sitting on a three-game losing streak and little left to chase this season, Klein is trying to keep the group locked in for the final stretch. The football part of the job is familiar territory for him. The tougher piece is making sure the energy doesn’t drain out of a team that has every reason to start looking ahead.
“Like I said just even a second ago, they came in here this morning, they got to work, they flew around,” Klein said. “We had a good Monday practice. That foundation of culture and effort and competitive nature and finish, that’s what K-State has been for a long time.”
That mindset is especially important now because the Wildcats are no longer playing for the kind of goals they had in August. Klein returned to Manhattan to coach his alma mater after two years as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator, taking over for mentor Chris Klieman after last season. The hope was to reset a program that had slipped some, and early on, it looked like that plan might take hold.
Kansas State opened with three straight non-conference wins over Nichols, Washington State and Tulane. Even after back-to-back losses to Cincinnati and Houston, the Wildcats still had enough momentum to beat Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown.
That win was supposed to carry them into the heart of the Big 12 schedule. Instead, the season turned once the starting quarterback suffered an undisclosed injury that is expected to keep him out for the rest of the year.
Since then, the Wildcats have had to piece things together at quarterback, starting three different players after Johnson went down. The bigger picture is not much prettier: there is no path to the Big 12 title game or the College Football Playoff, and the only remaining goal is a lower-tier bowl berth.
Even that may not be enough to change the decision if Kansas State reaches six wins. The Wildcats declined bowl invitations last year after finishing 6-6, and Klein’s task now is less about salvaging the season than making sure the team keeps its edge and carries something forward into next year.
In Other News...
K-State Is Still Waiting On Timo Malovec For One Big Reason
Timo Malovecs absence has been one of the early storylines for Kansas State, but there is finally some optimism around the senior forward. He has missed the first two games because of an injury, yet coach Casey Alexander said Malovec is progressing well and is moving closer to a return after a setback in July. The good news for the Wildcats is that he has been back on the practice floor recently, which is usually the clearest sign a player is nearing game action.
What makes this situation worth watching is how quickly Malovec could matter once he is cleared. Alexander indicated the forward could slide into the rotation or even the starting lineup, giving Kansas State another experienced piece as the season settles in. For a team still sorting out its early-season rhythm, getting a veteran forward back in the mix would be a meaningful boost, even if the exact timing is still being worked out. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Is Making An Early Regional Recruiting Push
Kansas State is getting an early start on the next wave of recruiting, extending scholarship offers to a growing list of high school prospects across several states. One of the more notable names in that group is receiver Cyrus Johnson of Stillwater High School in Oklahoma, a sign that the Wildcats are already working to build relationships well ahead of the 2028 to 2030 classes.
The broad reach of those offers shows how aggressively Kansas State is trying to plant flags in neighboring territory and beyond, with prospects from multiple states already on the board. It is still the opening stage of the process, but the pattern is clear: the Wildcats are not waiting around to see how the board develops, and the early attention could matter later if these recruits keep rising. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Faces A Brutal Home Test For Its Three Point Identity
Kansas State gets one of its toughest early measuring sticks at Bramlage Coliseum with Creighton coming to town, a matchup that should tell plenty about how real the Wildcats perimeter-heavy identity is. The Bluejays bring a defense that has already made life difficult for opponents and a size edge that can change the feel of a game quickly, while Kansas State is leaning hard on its three-point shooting to keep the offense afloat.
That makes this a tricky spot for the Wildcats, who have to balance pace, spacing and shot selection against a team built to punish empty possessions. The matchup also comes with the usual early-season intrigue around probable starters and recent form, but the bigger question is whether Kansas State can turn its long-range approach into enough consistent offense to stay within striking distance of a Creighton team that enters as the favorite. [Read more 🡒]