Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman announced his retirement from coaching on Tuesday. The 58 year old finishes a 32-year career in coaching with including the last seven years in Manhattan. Klieman said in a press conference that he was putting family first.
He said that he wasn’t afraid to follow legends in his career.
Klieman finishes his career with a 126-47 record. He led the Wildcats to a record of 54-34 with a 36-27 mark in Big 12 play including the 2022 Big 12 title. He qualified for five bowl games and this year’s team is bowl eligible and he went 3-2 in bowls with the Wildcats. Athletic director Gene Taylor was distressed at the reason his coach was leaving.
Taylor said the coaching search for KSU starts now.
That conflicts with widely available reports from the AP and ESPN that former K-State assistant and quarterback Collin Klein had already agreed to become K-State’s next head coach. He’s currently the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M. The Aggies are highly likely to receive a berth into the College Football Playoff. Taylor did not say whether Klieman would coach his team in any potential bowl game. The Wildcats finshed 2025 6-6 with a 5-4 Big 12 record.
