Chris Klieman wants Kansas State to simplify offense with new coordinator this spring
It’s fair for Kansas State football fans to wonder about what the Wildcats will look like on offense next season.
Even though there is excitement about what Avery Johnson will be able to accomplish as the team’s new starting quarterback, and confidence in what DJ Giddens will contribute as one of the best returning running backs in the Big 12, there are question marks at just about every other position.
Throw in the fact that offensive line coach Conor Riley will be calling plays for the first time and there is some mystery surrounding K-State as it looks to replace valuable personnel at offensive coordinator (Collin Klein), quarterback (Will Howard), tight end (Ben Sinnott), wide receiver (Phillip Brooks) and the offensive line (Cooper Beebe, Hayden Gillum, KT Leveston).
But head coach Chris Klieman doesn’t seem too worried.
Ask him what K-State’s passing attack will look like next season, and he says he thinks the Wildcats can put up much better numbers than they have in the past. His reasoning: the roster has more than enough talent to move the ball through the air.
K-State’s coaches just need to adjust a few things to make life easier for their playmakers.
“We have got to be able to move our wide receivers around,” Klieman said earlier this week at the outset of spring practice. “We feel like we have enough bodies there and enough talented guys there. We have got to do two things: we have got to move guys around to get them in the best spot to be successful and we have got to simplify some things in the wide receiver room.”
Some could take that comment as criticism aimed at Klein, who left K-State to become offensive coordinator at Texas A&M shortly after the regular season came to an end in 2023.
In any case, it seems that Klieman is excited to put a new spin on the offense with Riley calling the shots.
“That is something we have spent the most time on from an offensive standpoint this winter and early spring,” Klieman said, “is simplifying it, because we have some really talented guys that we probably made it too complicated, in my opinion, for them to get on the field. We are going to simplify it so we can get our best players out there.”
K-State does have potential at wide receiver.
Jayce Brown was arguably the best wide out on the team last year. He piled up 27 catches for 437 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman. His relationship with Johnson should grow as they both mature.
Iowa transfer Keagan Johnson is also a downfield threat when he’s healthy and Jadon Jackson has flashed his potential in several games. Add in Sterling Lockett, Tre Spivey and Penn State transfer Dante Cephas and Klieman doesn’t see question marks. He sees exclamation points.
Adding former Texas Tech and Utah State head coach Matt Wells as a quarterbacks coach could also help the Wildcats unlock their full potential next season.
More than anything, Klieman has stressed that K-State needs to find ways to work smarter, not harder. That could be the theme for the Wildcats’ offense during spring practice.
“I am impressed with some of the calming things that he has done for our offense,” Klieman said, “and pushing Coach Riley and pushing our offensive staff to continue to find more ways to do things, maybe easier ways, simpler ways.
“I’m excited about some of the things that he’s brought to our pass game that we’ll get to start working on.”