Texas A&M football has hired Kansas State’s Collin Klein as the team’s new offensive coordinator, according to GigEm247. Klein served in the same role with the Wildcats for two seasons, in addition to coaching the team’s quarterbacks for seven seasons. The move comes after former A&M offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino was hired at Arkansas on Nov. 28.
This season, No. 25 Kansas State is 8-4 with a 6-3 mark in Big 12 play and will take on No. 18 North Carolina State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 28. The Wildcats average 37.8 points per game to rank second in the conference and 446.1 yards for fifth.
Kansas State won the 2022 Big 12 Championship over TCU in Klein’s first season as offensive coordinator behind an offensive resurgence of 32.3 yards per game. The Wildcats’ 208.3 rushing yards per game ranked 15th in the nation while their passing yards and total yards per game were at their highest since 2014.
Kansas State’s 2022 quarterback duo of Adrian Martinez and Will Howard set the school record for lowest interception percentage. The team’s total interceptions since Klein began coaching quarterbacks in 2017 is the lowest in the conference. Martinez was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention for his play, with running back Deuce Vaughn and offensive lineman Cooper Beebe also earning all-conference accolades.
From 2017 to 2021, Klein coached Skylar Thompson, one of the top quarterbacks in program history. Thompson’s 24 wins are the most by a Kansas State starting quarterback since 1990, and he’s the only Wildcat in history with 6,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards. Thompson’s passing touchdowns, passing yards and total yards are all second in the Kansas State record books.
Klein began his career at Kansas State as a quarterback under coach Bill Snyder while starting at the position in 2011 and 2012. In his final season as a player, he led the Wildcats to a Big 12 title while being named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy alongside A&M quarterback and eventual winner Johnny Manziel. He finished his career as a starter with a 21-5 record.