Can Kansas State, Collin Klein's old-school values survive modern college football?

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Kansas State is a notoriously tough place to win, even more so in the era of NIL, revenue sharing and the transfer portal. The chaos of the sport took a toll on Klieman, who broke down in tears after a late-season loss to Utah and told the Manhattan Mercury, “I’d die if I kept doing this job.” Does that sound appealing? It did to Klein, 36, a self-described “eternal optimist.” Optimism is a prerequisite to coaching at Kansas State, which was a doormat of college football until Bill Snyder arrived in 1989. If anyone can keep the Wildcats competitive in the new era, it’s the quarterback whose rise from unheralded recruit to Heisman Trophy finalist provided Kansas State’s blueprint for success. “In a lot of ways, I think that’s enabled me to be successful at Kansas State, just being very secure in how God made me and what he gave me to do,” said Klein, who spent the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M. “Doing my very, very best over and over again for the people I’m around — I don’t think that will ever change.” As a quarterback, Klein was known for his rugged running style, iron will and devout faith. He carried the ball 524 times in his two seasons as a full-time starter and took about as many punishing hits. He also had the scruples of a Boy Scout — no swearing, no partying, not so much as a kiss before he married his college sweetheart, Shalin Spani, a basketball player at Kansas State. College coaching is, in general, not a profession full of Boy Scouts. So how does Klein plan to navigate the murky waters of the transfer portal and compete with programs spending $30 million or more on their rosters, all while staying true to Kansas State’s Midwestern values? “That’s where that competitive juice really burns hot,” Klein said. “Everything you do, you’re competing every single day. Yeah, there’s a business side of this with how we have to build a roster, how we have to build an engine that fuels everything. Again, that’s part of the challenge.” Kansas State has had four coaches since 1989: Snyder, Ron Prince, Snyder again, Klieman and now Klein. The high point of Snyder’s second act came in 2012, when Klein led the Wildcats to a Big 12 championship and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting behind Johnny Manziel and Manti Te’o. Klein called Kansas State a developmental program, meaning the Wildcats need three-star recruits to become all-conference players by their junior and senior years. Klein is the template: He came to Kansas State as an overlooked recruit, redshirted his first season and played a year at wide receiver before switching to quarterback. Even in a much different era, Klein is confident Kansas State can win with four-year players. The Wildcats have a chance to prove it with Avery Johnson, the quarterback Klein recruited to Kansas State four years ago when he was the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator. Johnson, a top-100 prospect from Wichita, Kan., was the biggest recruit to sign during Klieman’s tenure. He’s had a productive career and could break most of Kansas State’s major passing records as a senior, but he hasn’t led the Wildcats to the heights that fans imagined when he replaced Will Howard as the starting quarterback. Last year’s 6-6 finish, which included a season-opening defeat against Iowa State in Ireland and a loss to Army, was a major disappointment for a team that started the season with a top-20 ranking and Big 12 championship aspirations. Johnson acknowledges he wants more from his college career: a place in Kansas State’s ring of honor, a Big 12 championship, a spot alongside Klein and other quarterbacks who led the Wildcats to memorable seasons. Kansas State’s best seasons came with dual-threat quarterbacks like Klein, Michael Bishop and Ell Roberson who could punish defenses with their legs. Johnson comes from a similar mold and showed his running ability while splitting time with Howard as a freshman. Kansas State limited his rushing attempts the past two seasons to protect him from injuries, a decision that frustrated fans and, at times, Johnson himself. Klein, a quarterback who made a living on 3-yard runs, doesn’t mind if Johnson scrambles for positive yards rather than forcing himself to play from the pocket. Johnson said the freedom to trust his instincts helped him feel more like himself this spring. “If you go back and look at my freshman year tape and how I ran the ball, it’s night and day difference,” Johnson said. “Coach Klein allows me to be a little bit more of who I truly am and play to my strengths.” Klein is the third generation of the only coaching model that has produced sustained success at Kansas State. Klieman, currently working for Kansas State as a consultant, is more actively involved than the 86-year-old Snyder, but longtime observers see Snyder’s imprint in the way Klein manages the program. Klein describes his approach as an “old-school mentality in a new age.” Snyder was one of the first coaches to mine the junior college ranks for instant-impact transfers, and now every program does something similar. Though the business of roster-building has changed dramatically, Klein learned from Snyder that when everyone at Kansas State buys into the vision, small gains can add up to something big. “That’s what he was able to do for a long time,” Klein said, “and something I’m very, very excited to continue.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms