Collin Klein is hard at work for K-State, but right now his focus is Texas A&M
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Collin Klein splits roles as Texas A&M offensive coordinator and K‑State head coach.
- He prioritizes finishing A&M's College Football Playoff run before full K‑State duties.
- Klein manages recruiting, staff hires and A&M game planning while calendars remain stable.
Collin Klein has been busy working two jobs over the past few weeks, but he only has one primary focus at the moment.
Right now, he is the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M more than he is the head coach at Kansas State.
That won’t change until the first round of the College Football Playoff is over. Klein said as much this week in College Station as he wore a maroon hoodie with the word “Aggies” emblazoned on the front in white script.
His top priority is helping Texas A&M defeat the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday morning in an elimination game at Kyle Field. Everything else feels secondary.
“There’s a lot of things that are moving really, really fast,” Klein said. “When things happen in this world, they happen very, very quickly and out of the blue. I’m very fortunate in this situation that coach (Mike) Elko and I were able to communicate and make sure we were able to get a plan together pretty much right from the start of how we were going to work things out and do it the right way.
“It’s about sending the right message to our team, that it’s about finishing and being right in the now, wherever we are.”
Klein has been a busy man ever since former K-State football coach Chris Klieman unexpectedly decided to retire.
The Wildcats hired Klein, a former K-State quarterback and assistant coach, the day after Klieman stepped down. Then he was on a plane to Manhattan for an introductory news conference and a home basketball game.
Klein was excited to be back at his alma mater, but he also said he had unfinished business at Texas A&M. So he worked out an arrangement to close out the season with the Aggies while he also gets started with the Wildcats.
Klein has been back and forth since then. He has hired assistant coaches and landed recruits at K-State. He has studied the Miami defense and developed a game plan at Texas A&M.
None of it has felt like too much for him.
“We have some really, really good people in both places,” Klein said, “that have really helped me and helped us stay on track and do the job how it needs to be done.”
One thing that has helped Klein split his time between two jobs is the college football calendar. The transfer portal won’t open until January 2, and the nation’s focus will be on the CFP until then.
“That has definitely created a bit more stability,” Klein said.
But things could get hectic for him if Texas A&M advances in the bracket. The national championship game isn’t until January 19. If the Aggies make a playoff run, Klein could find himself with dueling priorities.
K-State fans may feel conflicted about the idea of Klein winning several more games at Texas A&M.
But there is no debate for Klein.
He is prepared to work two jobs until his time with the Aggies is complete.
“I don’t think there’s a perfect calendar that anybody could come up with,” Klein said. “Change is always hard, but at the same time it’s like what we preach to our players from Day 1 with all the distractions in their world. That is college football nowadays. You’ve got to be in the now, and you’ve got to be where your feet are. You’ve got to do your very best for those guys next to you, because they’re counting on you. That’s the mindset.”