Who Coaches Kansas State Football in 2026? Collin Klein
Collin Klein leads Kansas State football in 2026. Read his background, Wildcats connection and how his role differs from other K-State sports coaches.
Who Coaches Kansas State Football in 2026? Collin Klein
Collin Klein is Kansas State's head football coach for the 2026 season. The Wildcats named him their 36th head coach on December 4, 2025, and 2026 is his first season directing the program. He is also a prominent former Kansas State quarterback, which makes this appointment a return to a familiar campus rather than an introduction to a completely new program.
At a glance
| Item | Verified information |
| Coach | Collin Klein |
| Position | Head football coach |
| Appointed | December 4, 2025 |
| First season | 2026 |
| Previous role | Texas A&M offensive coordinator, 2024–25 |
The direct answer and the coaching change
Klein replaced the previous Kansas State football coaching regime ahead of the 2026 season. The school lists him as head coach in its official staff directory, with Thad Ward as associate head coach and Sean Gleeson as offensive coordinator. A reader looking for “coach at Kansas State” should distinguish football from the university's men's basketball, women's basketball and other coaching staffs.
Before the appointment, Chris Klieman was the head coach during the 2025 season. Historical recaps from that year properly mention Klieman, but the name should not be copied as the incumbent on a 2026 team page. The December 2025 announcement is the turning point between those two seasons.
Klein’s connection to Kansas State
Klein played quarterback at Kansas State and helped define an earlier era of the Wildcats' offense. He graduated from Kansas State in 2011, and the school's current profile describes him as one of its distinguished former players. That history matters because fans are evaluating a former player who has returned with both an institutional connection and substantial coaching experience.
His path back to Manhattan was not immediate. Klein worked in recruiting and quality control, coached quarterbacks at Northern Iowa and Kansas State, and later became Kansas State's co-offensive coordinator and then offensive coordinator. He spent 2024 and 2025 at Texas A&M as the offensive coordinator before accepting the head-coaching role.
What his first season actually shows
Through October 24, Kansas State was 4–3. The team started with three wins, lost its first two conference games, beat Kansas 35–24 and then lost to Arizona State. That mix does not support simplistic claims that the new coach has solved every challenge—or that the season has already been defined as a failure. First-year progress is better assessed by actual results and development across the full schedule.
The offense's 359 rushing yards in the win over Kansas is one concrete example of a productive day. Kansas State's 31–26 loss at Cincinnati, by contrast, exposed how a halftime lead can disappear. Neither game alone proves a permanent coaching philosophy. Comparing verified patterns over multiple opponents is a more honest way to discuss Klein's impact.
How to distinguish football roles and sources
A football program has many staff titles, and the offensive coordinator does not automatically make every final game-management decision. Readers who want to know who the head coach is should look to the official staff directory. Questions about quarterback coaching or defensive coordination require the specific assistant's current listing.
Keep biographical details tied to the 2026 staff roster. Later staff moves, injuries or depth chart changes should not silently rewrite the history of Klein's hiring. For win-loss results and kickoff dates, refer to the Wildcats’ current football schedule.
The significance of the first year
Being a former standout player does not eliminate the normal demands of leading a college program. Klein’s 2026 responsibilities include the entire roster, coaching staff and weekly game decisions, whereas his previous coordinator work concentrated more directly on offense. That expansion of responsibility is part of the story behind his return.
Kansas State’s official biography calls 2026 his first year as a head coach and lists his previous work at Texas A&M in 2024 and 2025. That timeline gives readers a verifiable answer without relying on coaching rumors or an outdated assistant-coach directory.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Kansas State’s head football coach in 2026?
Collin Klein, in his first season as head coach.
When was Collin Klein hired?
Kansas State named him head coach on December 4, 2025.
Did Collin Klein play for Kansas State?
Yes. He was a Kansas State quarterback before building a coaching career.
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Kansas State Football Schedule 2026: Dates, Opponents and Results