Collin Klein is back in Manhattan, and the hire has quickly become the biggest storyline around Kansas State as he steps into his first season as a head coach.
Klein replaces Chris Klieman, who unexpectedly resigned after the season, and plenty around the program believe the Wildcats may have landed the right man to push them back toward the standard set under Bill Snyder. Snyder, of course, was the figure who transformed Kansas State from a punchline into a perennial contender.
“Klein’s workmanlike consistency as a quarterback shined in Manhattan, Kansas, however, separating him as arguably the face of K-State football’s definitive era,” the article wrote. “If he can inspire similar consistency from new generations of Wildcats, Klein can shape another defining era in the Little Apple.”
The Wildcats are trying to bounce back after a pair of disappointing seasons under Klieman. Even with solid recruiting and some helpful work in the transfer portal, they still haven’t made much noise on the national stage.
Deadspin framed Klein’s arrival as a possible return to the days of K-State legend Michael Bishop at quarterback, and that comparison makes sense with Avery Johnson leading the offense. Johnson brings a dual-threat style similar to Bishop’s, and he chose to stay in Manhattan despite multiple NIL offers from SEC schools and other conferences because he is a Kansas native.
Klein’s résumé also gives the hire some real weight. Last season at Texas A&M, he helped guide the Aggies to their first College Football Playoff appearance, and the offense averaged 260 passing yards per game.
“Last season at Texas A&M, Klein helped the Aggies to their first College Football Playoff appearance with an offense that produced 260 passing yards per game,” the article continued. “Klein’s adaptability as a coordinator follows the evolution of K-State under Snyder, which could win as much playing ground-and-pound ball with Klein behind center as it did riding the big arm of Michael Bishop in 1998.”
The final question hanging over all of it: whether EA Sports made an Avery Johnson blunder in the video game.
In Other News...
Kansas State May Have Found The Answer Avery Johnson Needed
Kansas States passing game has been looking for a new headliner, and Josh Manning gives Avery Johnson a familiar kind of answer. The former Missouri receiver arrives after three seasons with the Tigers and is expected to step into the top spot in the Wildcats receiving group, a timely boost for an offense that needed to replace production after Jayce Brown moved on to LSU.
The staff is also still working the recruiting trail, with an offer out to Antonio Dural, a two-way athlete from Klein Oak High School in Texas who plays both cornerback and wide receiver. Mannings presence gives Kansas State a proven target to build around now, while the Dural pursuit shows the Wildcats are still trying to add more speed and flexibility to the room for the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
Wendell Gregory Carries Huge Expectations Into Collin Kleins First Kansas State Season
Wendell Gregory arrives in Manhattan with the kind of rsum that makes people around Kansas State stop and pay attention. The defensive end transferred in from Oklahoma State after a breakout season that earned him Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors and a spot on the conferences third team, and he is expected to be a major addition as Collin Klein begins his first season running the program.
There is still the usual early-summer adjustment period for any transfer, even one with Gregorys pedigree, as he settles in with new teammates and a different playbook. Kansas State is also still working the recruiting trail, including an offer to two-way athlete Antonio Dural from Klein Oak High School in Texas, a reminder that the staff is trying to build both immediate help and longer-term depth around this next phase. [Read more 🡒]
Big 12 Preseason Respect Puts Kansas State Defense In The Spotlight
The Big 12s preseason honors offered an early glimpse of how the league views Kansas State heading into the next season, and the Wildcats landed a pair of defensive names on the conferences All-Conference preseason team in John Pastore and Wendell Gregory. Former Wildcat linebacker Austin Romaine, now at Texas Tech, also surfaced on the list, a reminder that Kansas States defensive pipeline continues to send recognizable talent around the league.
For Collin Klein, the bigger storyline may be the way the Wildcats are building up front. He has pointed to the defensive lines depth and improvement, especially on the edge, where several players have flashed enough to make the room feel deeper than it was a year ago. Even with that momentum, Kansas State was not among the teams driving the preseason conversation at running back, which only adds to the sense that the Wildcats defensive identity will be the part of this roster most worth watching. [Read more 🡒]