There were several head coaching changes in the Big 12 this offseason, but none carry quite the heft as Collin Klein.
Klein will make his head coaching debut with his alma mater, the Kansas State Wildcats. While he was a player, he helped lead Kansas State to one of its best seasons in program history and was named a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Since then, this job seemed to be his manifest destiny. He spent all but three seasons as an assistant coach under either Bill Snyder or Chris Klieman, and when the latter decided to retire after last season there was no question who Kansas State was going to go get.
Now the hard part. They say you can’t go home again? Klein is either going to prove the adage true or false.
Here are three things to watch going into the 2026 season.
Time for Avery to Elevate
Avery Johnson has been a good quarterback at Kansas State. At times he’s been great — but not at the consistent level that Wildcats fans have hoped for the past three years. The hiring of Klein as head coach is what everyone connected to the program hopes unlocks his full potential.
He’s thrown for more than 2,000 yards each of the last two seasons. He’s rushed for 15 touchdowns across the past two seasons. But with Klein at the controls, it’s possible Johnson could approach 4,000 yards in total offense and a season like that would show everyone just what the Wichita, Kan., native is truly capable of.
Can Collin Klein Handle the Pressure?
There is no dispute about Klein’s place in Kansas State history. He’s along the greatest players in program history. In every way he has been groomed to assume this job one day. The move to Texas A&M was a great opportunity for him to get outside the Manhattan bubble and learn a different way of doing things.
The fan base loves that he’s back. The people of Manhattan can’t get enough. But Klein has never been a head coach before and there’s a learning curve. How will he handle it? Can he handle play calling and game management at the same time? Some head coaches handle it great, others don’t.
There are bound to be a few growing point pains and Klein is going to have to learn how to roll with those punches. The trick is how quickly he can adjust to being “the guy” on game day. If he makes the adjustment quickly, Kansas State should be a stealthy contender in the Big 12.
Will This Defense Be Good?
Kansas State’s season my hinge on just how good this unit could be. Klein and his new staff were only able to retain two starters — cornerbacks Zashon Rich and Donovan McIntosh. They lost several key players to other schools, including linebacker Austin Romaine transferring to Texas Tech. There’s potential for at least a half dozen transfers to start for the Wildcats.
While they brought in some high performing transfers, getting them to play with one another is going to be the trick for the Wildcats and their defensive staff. The Wildcats’ best teams have been great on defense. If Kansas State wants to be great, this unit must be improved over a year ago.
