Collin Klein gets ‘surreal’ welcome upon arrival as Kansas State football coach
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State named Collin Klein head coach, prompting a boisterous airport homecoming.
- Klein will finish the 2025 season at Texas A&M while preparing to lead the Wildcats.
- Klein returns to his alma mater after prior playing and coordinator roles at K-State.
It was fitting that Collin Klein held his first interview as Kansas State’s head football coach in front of a Christmas tree.
His airport arrival Friday was viewed as an early holiday gift by K-State fans.
That much was clear based on the hero’s welcome that Klein received as he walked off a private flight on a chilly morning in Manhattan. K-State athletic director Gene Taylor greeted Klein with a hug as the school pep band played “Wabash Cannonball” nearby. Then fans rushed to welcome Klein and his family back to his alma mater.
“Very surreal,” Klein said. “I still feel like I am going to wake up.”
The K-State football team hired Klein as its new head coach on Thursday night. It didn’t take long to get him on campus. Klein has been working as the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, and he plans to finish out the season there as the Aggies prepare to play in the College Football Playoff. But his future is with the Wildcats.
This is also a homecoming for him.
Klein has a long history with K-State. As a college student, he played quarterback for the Wildcats and led them to a pair of memorable seasons. In 2011, he helped K-State win 10 games and play in the Cotton Bowl. A year later, the Wildcats won a Big 12 championship and he traveled to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
A few years later, he returned as an assistant coach. He quickly rose through ranks and became offensive coordinator for Chris Klieman until he was lured away for the same job at Texas A&M two years ago.
Klein took that job, in part, because he thought it would help him become a head coach one day.
His goal was to return to K-State in that role at some point. That made him a slam-dunk choice for Taylor after Klieman surprisingly decided to retire earlier this week.
“It’s always been a dream of mine, absolutely,” Klein said of being the head coach at K-State. “But in this world it doesn’t always work out. So for it to be able to work out and for the timing to be right and for me to be ready to go is absolutely incredible.”
A busy few days await.
An introductory news conference is scheduled for Klein at 4 p.m. Friday. He will be a guest of honor at the K-State men’s basketball game on Saturday. Then he will be working two jobs until Texas A&M’s season comes to an end.
Klein is ready for all of it.
“I couldn’t be more grateful to be home,” he said, “and I’m excited to get back to work.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 12:22 PM.