Kansas State working to protect recruiting budget as cost-saving measures begin
Whenever college sports return, Kansas State teams will have to operate with fewer resources than they have grown accustomed to in recent years.
The Wildcats have announced salary reductions for 42 of their highest-paid employees, as well as a 10% reduction in operational expenses across their athletic department as they deal with budget constraints in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In all, those cuts will save K-State approximately $3.5 million during the upcoming fiscal year, which begins in July.
But it remains unclear what exactly each K-State team will have to do without next season.
They could choose to cut back on anything from staff to recruiting to travel or equipment. K-State’s athletic budget was $83,550,780 in 2019, leaving many cost-saving avenues for coaches. Chris Klieman said last month the football team was busy exploring different ways to reduce its budget by 10% next season.
Everything is on the table, but K-State athletic director Gene Taylor is fighting for all of his coaches to keep whatever they deem necessary.
“We tried to stay away from cutting anything that would limit their ability to be successful,” K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said in a phone interview.
That means K-State’s recruiting budget will remain mostly intact once coaches are allowed to resume traveling in search of prospects and recruits are given the green light to make official visits to campuses across the country.
“We tried to stay away from recruiting as much as we could,” Taylor said. “But within that some coaches do travel charter flights when they recruit, and we have asked them to trim that back and either fly commercially or drive when they can. It just depends on the situation.”
Some areas that have been deemed less essential include luxurious team travel for games, some forms of athletic equipment and seldom-used recruiting materials. Coaches were encouraged to eliminate expenses they could have easily done without last season.
That shouldn’t stop the football team from flying charter to its road games against West Virginia, Iowa State, TCU and Oklahoma. But the men’s and women’s basketball teams may travel by bus, at least one way, for close road games against opponents like Oklahoma State.
K-State may also eliminate incentive-based bonuses for its coaches next season. Taylor said he has informed all K-State athletic employees not to expect bonuses next season, but they could still could receive them if football season begins on time and the Wildcats play most of their home games in front of big crowds. It is also unclear if bonuses can be frozen for a period of time when they are written into a previously agreed upon contract.
“We will just have to cross that bridge when we get to it,” Taylor said.
Most K-State coaches seem to understand the situation.
K-State basketball coach Bruce Weber ($2.7 million salary) will miss out on $351,000 next season. Klieman ($2.5 million salary) won’t see $325,000. Neither of them have publicly complained about the salary reductions, which are similar to budgetary cuts taking place at other Big 12 schools like Kansas and Iowa State.
There’s no telling what college sports will look like whenever they resume. K-State is taking precautionary measures to help make sure its athletic department is ready for whatever transpires next season. The Wildcats hope to make smart use of their resources without hindering their ability to win.