Why Collin Klein decided to keep calling offensive plays as K-State’s head coach
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Klein kept calling plays to run the elite, pressure-driven package he helped build.
- He'll lead the offense on the sideline while Gleeson scouts tendencies from the press box.
- Klein will take on defensive oversight while continuing to lead the offense.
Put yourself in Collin Klein’s shoes for a moment.
You’ve spent the past four years calling plays as an offensive coordinator at Kansas State and then Texas A&M. You were good at your job. So good, it turns out, that you are now the head coach at your alma mater. You used to play quarterback at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, and you led the Wildcats to a Big 12 championship in 2012. You know a lot about football, but your specialty is scoring touchdowns.
Now you have a decision to make.
Do you lean into that history and continue calling offensive plays now that you are the head football coach at K-State? Or do you hire someone else to captain the offense while you manage the entire team?
“That is something I spent a lot of time thinking about,” Klein said in an exclusive interview. “It wasn’t a no-brainer decision by any stretch.”
If you decided that you should continue to call your own plays as a head coach, because you are one of the best offensive coordinators in the country, then you and Klein think alike.
“The package that we have put together, and that I have been a part of the last four years, is really elite,” Klein said. “I think it puts a lot of pressure on defenses. I think we have a ton of flexibility. I think our ability to put stress on defensive coordinators in what we do is special.
“I was really struggling with letting it go, because I enjoy it. But I also think as we get off the ground here with a lot of new faces this is the best way to make sure we are getting things done the right way, exactly how I envision it. Leading the offense is important to me, and I’m really excited about it.”
Few K-State fans will complain about Klein serving as both offensive coordinator and head coach.
The Wildcats averaged 32.3 points and 418.8 yards per game with Klein calling plays in 2022. They won 10 games and a conference championship that season. The following year, they averaged 37 points and 445.2 yards per game on their way to nine wins.
K-State quarterback Avery Johnson also had a five-touchdown game with Klein as a freshman.
Then Klein left for Texas A&M, and the Aggies built one of the best offenses in the SEC behind quarterback Marcel Reed.
Hopes are high that K-State will have a high-octane offense next season.
Of course, things will work differently than the past. Klein will no longer call plays from the press box. He will move down to the field and be with his team on the sideline next season. The plan is for K-State offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson to analyze defenses from the press box and help Klein recognize tendencies over the headset.
Klein trusts all of his assistants on offense to help him as he adjusts.
“I’m excited to get in the fray a little bit, honestly,” Klein said. “Sometimes you feel like you’re cooped up in the press box and you’ve got to get out of there. I’m excited to be on the sideline again and to be around the players in real time, in the fight. I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to that.”
Perhaps the biggest change he will encounter is when K-State is on defense. In the past, Klein remained focused on the offense even when the other team possessed the ball. Now, he will need to be involved in every part of the game.
But he is also looking forward to his new defensive duties.
After spending the bulk of his coaching career under defensive minded leaders like Chris Klieman and Mike Elko, he is prepared to oversee that part of the game.
Still, it will feel a little strange for him when the K-State defense makes a big play in practice.
As the offensive play caller, will he celebrate?
“No one has ever asked me that question before,” Klein said with a laugh. “Never. But as I think about it now, heck yeah, I’m going to celebrate. We’re going to try to score a lot of points, but I’m all about stopping people.”