The Life He Always Wanted
Aug 02, 2024 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The Village of Hammond, Wisconsin, "The Heart of St. Croix County," rests 42 miles west of Minnesota's Twin Cities. There's no grocery store in Hammond, which has a population of a couple thousand people. Only a golf course and a few bars. And, for a time, Hammond harbored a ninth grader named Joe Klanderman, an ardent Walter Payton fanatic, who was a decent tight end, linebacker, defensive lineman and offensive linemen at St. Croix Central High School. Before Klanderman could legally operate an automobile, the Sweetness-headband-wearing lover of strategy, competition and organization knew what he wanted.
He wanted to be a coach.
"There was just a lot about coaching that I thought fit my personality," Klanderman says. "I liked the teaching part of it, all of that. It all was perfect for me."
And now here sits Klanderman inside his office chair at the Vanier Family Football Complex one day before the start of Kansas State training camp. One minute he's talking defense, the next he's returning a text message from a recruit, one minute he's breaking down schedules, the next he's analyzing defensive fronts. This is the life. This is his life. The 2001 graduate from Minnesota State with a degree in social studies, and who obtained his master's degree in sports administration from MSU in 2004, is in his sanctuary — a computer monitor here, a K-State autographed football there, a crayon-colored Powercat needled against a wall, a stack of papers upon an otherwise clean desk.
He knows soon he will kiss his wife, Amanda, and four children, Elle, Corryn, Jarrett and James goodbye. And that's when everybody knows it's go time. It's part of the annual routine that accompanies a coach's family. In recent years, they've been able to celebrate together in warm December destinations.
Of course, that's the plan again in 2024.
Or perhaps they'll party in January.
"We have the potential to beat everybody, but if we don't play well, we could lose to everybody," Klanderman says. "It's going to come down to the culmination of our daily stuff. Not to take the easy way out of the question, but that legitimately is how championships are won. I've been a part of some of them and never ever did we talk about the end. We just talked about the process, and that's where we are right now."
The K-State defense is in good hands. Spearheading a defense that has been one of the best in the Big 12 Conference over the last three seasons, Klanderman enters his sixth season at K-State and his fifth as defensive coordinator. In addition to running the defense, Klanderman also coaches the safeties, as he has done since arriving in Manhattan with head coach Chris Klieman in 2019.
K-State has allowed fewer than 22.0 points per game each of the last three seasons for the first time since doing so between 1991 and 2003. In fact, K-State has allowed 21.3 points per game over the last three seasons, which ranks 15th among Power 4 teams. K-State has forced 47 takeaways over the last two seasons to rank first among returning Big 12 teams and has ranked top 20 nationally in takeaways each of the last season seasons for the first time since 1999 and 2000.
And that's just starters for K-State, which followed up a 10-4 record and 2022 Big 12 Championship title with a 9-4 mark and a 28-19 win over No. 19 NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
"There were a lot of injuries and things we went through last year, and we took it in stride," Klanderman says. "To go into that bowl game as shorthanded as we were and to play as hard as we did, the thing I'm most proud of is those guys never took a day off. They never took a week off. They played their butts off and rose to the occasion.
"I think we're starting to get to the point where this culture is going to be a constant competitive culture. That really started with a lot of the guys who were on the team last year."
Despite its injuries and ailments, K-State finished top 30 in eight defensive categories, including 11th in third-down defense (30.2%), 16th in fumble recoveries (10), 18th in pass efficiency defense (118.63), 20th in turnovers gained (23), 25th in interceptions (13), 26th in scoring defense (21.0), 28th in first downs allowed (225) and 20th in red zone defense (89.2%). The Wildcats allowed just 39.4% red-zone touchdowns, which ranked second in the FBS.
Prospective players are apparently taking note of K-State's defensive success along with the fact that the Wildcats produced first round NFL Draft pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah and second-round selection Julius Brents.
"We're doing a good job recruiting, and I think sometimes when you look at all the stars and whatever — we might not have that, but we're getting the right people for what we're trying to do — we get blue-collar, competitive guys who are developmental guys who are going to get better while they're here," Klanderman says. "The guys who enjoy teamwork and the process are going to thrive here, and that's what we're attracting. We have some guys that are third and fourth on the depth chart that could legitimately be players. That's an exciting thing."
There's a lengthy list of defensive standouts among this group for this fall, including linebackers Austin Moore and Desmond Purnell, defensive ends Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean, cornerbacks Jacob Parrish and Keenan Garber, and safety Marques Sigle. But there's plenty more in store as well.
"I think we're really talented," Klanderman says. "We have really good team speed. We've got a great mix of older guys and younger guys and some good leadership across all levels of this defense. Now we just have to go out there and do it. You do it on the grass, you don't do it on paper. These media days and everything people do now, I get a chuckle out of this stuff, because everybody has the best-laid plans. Mike Tyson says, 'Everybody has a plan until they get hit.'
"I think our guys are going to have the resolve to do what we need them to do."
Klanderman says K-State is in good shape at safety. He likes the talent at defensive end. He likes the toughness of the linebacker.
"And I think we're better at corner than what we've been — maybe ever," he says. "I know we don't have the names Julius Brents and Ekow Boye-Doe, but man, Jacob Parrish and Keenan Garber are really good. We've got a couple others in that room that are going to be able to help us, too. I think we have a lot more depth than maybe we've ever had before."
Where does the overall development process stand at this point in time?
"We're developing some of these younger guys that we're going to need to be really good players — Austin Romaine, Chiddi Obiazor, Kanijal Thomas, guys like that," Klanderman says. "We're getting some of these older guys back into the fray that are going to have to be big-time players for us like Jordan Riley, who's new here, and Travis Bates, who we're going to expect a lot of big things from. And we're going to continue to push some of our better players to be even better — Austin Moore, Marques Sigle, Damian Ilalio — so they can be the best that they can be. If everybody is the best they can be, we'll be happy with where the chips fall."
As for utilizing a three-man front versus a four-man front?
"We have some different things that we've explored a little bit in part because of the talent we have in our defensive end room," Klanderman says. "I think that getting Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean back and adding in Travis Bates and Jordan Allen is coming along and Ryan Davis is coming along and Chiddi is coming along, there are a lot of guys in that room that I feel like we can play, and the thinking was how can we get more of those guys on the field and how can we get them doing things that they're good at doing on top of that? We're trying to massage a few things. We got through some of that stuff in the spring, and we'll see how that looks in fall camp and how much of that stuff we're going to do."
Klanderman and the defensive coaches will examine and re-examine plays and practice film during training camp.
When game week hits and the Wildcats prepare to face UT Martin in their season opener on August 31 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, the daily schedule for the season is set.
"The days start at 6 a.m. and then by noon we're starting to put practice together," Klanderman says. "That's a mad dash to do that in and of itself. That's another process. That takes me up until 2 p.m. and then I get about an hour to get my meeting ready with the players, which is as important of an hour and 15 minutes as we get in a day. So, it's a mad dash there for an hour to get those thoughts down of what I want to impart, then at 3 p.m., we're rolling into the position meeting room.
"Practice usually starts at around 4:30 p.m. and we go until about 6:30 p.m., and then when we come up to the offices afterward, we'll watch practice until about 9 or 9:30 p.m. Then maybe we'll have a couple other thoughts, and we'll start the process again tomorrow. And we'll do that from August to January."
They'll take time to look at everything. That includes the five defensive metrics that they track, which they believe equates to success: 1) turnovers created, 2) third-down percentage, 3) red-zone touchdown percentage, 4) explosive plays allowed, and 5) points allowed per game.
"Those are the five things we look at and take stock in," he says. "We've been at or near the top of the league in all those things. The one that could use a little bit of a push along is just giving up fewer explosive plays, but all the other categories we're No. 1 or No. 2 in the league, and we have been for three years in a row."
It's been quite an impressive road for Klanderman, who came with head coach Chris Klieman to Manhattan after helping North Dakota State to win four national titles in his five seasons on staff as defensive backs coach. Prior to helping coach the Bison, Klanderman coached 12 years at his alma mater, Minnesota State, including seven as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
"Coming to K-State was a dream come true," Klanderman says. "It was an unbelievable opportunity to be at this place, which has so much tradition — Bill Snyder Family Stadium — and to be at a place that fits a lot of the values that I have in my life."
After coaching safeties during his first season at K-State, Klanderman became defensive coordinator and safeties coach following the departure of defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton to Michigan State.
"There was that possibility that Scottie was going to take another job, and I thought through the years I'd earned Coach's trust," Klanderman says. "I feel like Coach and I spoke the same language and we think very similarly when it comes to defensive football. I really appreciate him because there are a lot of times, he'll think of something I don't think of and to have a mind as sharp as his in there is a big deal. I think he thought that we could work really well together, and we have."
And here we are with Klanderman leading a K-State defense that recently has been among the tops in the nation. Oh, there will be challenges this season, particularly with the barrage of new opponents on the season schedule, but better believe the defensive coaching staff has outlined its foes heading toward the fall.
It's all a dream come true for the former ninth grader from Hammond, Wisconsin, who always knew what he wanted.
And when Klanderman jogs out of the tunnel for the first time this season, he knows exactly what he's going to be thinking about.
"I'm going to be thinking about getting that first stop," he says. "I do enjoy it. I do take a quick breath to look around. I love the fans, and the atmosphere around here is awesome. Most of the time I'm just trying to get our guys happy and get some stops.
He pauses.
"Then at the end of the year," he says, "if I get a day or so to reflect on it, that's a great day."
The Village of Hammond, Wisconsin, "The Heart of St. Croix County," rests 42 miles west of Minnesota's Twin Cities. There's no grocery store in Hammond, which has a population of a couple thousand people. Only a golf course and a few bars. And, for a time, Hammond harbored a ninth grader named Joe Klanderman, an ardent Walter Payton fanatic, who was a decent tight end, linebacker, defensive lineman and offensive linemen at St. Croix Central High School. Before Klanderman could legally operate an automobile, the Sweetness-headband-wearing lover of strategy, competition and organization knew what he wanted.
He wanted to be a coach.
"There was just a lot about coaching that I thought fit my personality," Klanderman says. "I liked the teaching part of it, all of that. It all was perfect for me."
And now here sits Klanderman inside his office chair at the Vanier Family Football Complex one day before the start of Kansas State training camp. One minute he's talking defense, the next he's returning a text message from a recruit, one minute he's breaking down schedules, the next he's analyzing defensive fronts. This is the life. This is his life. The 2001 graduate from Minnesota State with a degree in social studies, and who obtained his master's degree in sports administration from MSU in 2004, is in his sanctuary — a computer monitor here, a K-State autographed football there, a crayon-colored Powercat needled against a wall, a stack of papers upon an otherwise clean desk.
He knows soon he will kiss his wife, Amanda, and four children, Elle, Corryn, Jarrett and James goodbye. And that's when everybody knows it's go time. It's part of the annual routine that accompanies a coach's family. In recent years, they've been able to celebrate together in warm December destinations.
Of course, that's the plan again in 2024.
Or perhaps they'll party in January.
"We have the potential to beat everybody, but if we don't play well, we could lose to everybody," Klanderman says. "It's going to come down to the culmination of our daily stuff. Not to take the easy way out of the question, but that legitimately is how championships are won. I've been a part of some of them and never ever did we talk about the end. We just talked about the process, and that's where we are right now."
The K-State defense is in good hands. Spearheading a defense that has been one of the best in the Big 12 Conference over the last three seasons, Klanderman enters his sixth season at K-State and his fifth as defensive coordinator. In addition to running the defense, Klanderman also coaches the safeties, as he has done since arriving in Manhattan with head coach Chris Klieman in 2019.
K-State has allowed fewer than 22.0 points per game each of the last three seasons for the first time since doing so between 1991 and 2003. In fact, K-State has allowed 21.3 points per game over the last three seasons, which ranks 15th among Power 4 teams. K-State has forced 47 takeaways over the last two seasons to rank first among returning Big 12 teams and has ranked top 20 nationally in takeaways each of the last season seasons for the first time since 1999 and 2000.
And that's just starters for K-State, which followed up a 10-4 record and 2022 Big 12 Championship title with a 9-4 mark and a 28-19 win over No. 19 NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
"There were a lot of injuries and things we went through last year, and we took it in stride," Klanderman says. "To go into that bowl game as shorthanded as we were and to play as hard as we did, the thing I'm most proud of is those guys never took a day off. They never took a week off. They played their butts off and rose to the occasion.
"I think we're starting to get to the point where this culture is going to be a constant competitive culture. That really started with a lot of the guys who were on the team last year."
Despite its injuries and ailments, K-State finished top 30 in eight defensive categories, including 11th in third-down defense (30.2%), 16th in fumble recoveries (10), 18th in pass efficiency defense (118.63), 20th in turnovers gained (23), 25th in interceptions (13), 26th in scoring defense (21.0), 28th in first downs allowed (225) and 20th in red zone defense (89.2%). The Wildcats allowed just 39.4% red-zone touchdowns, which ranked second in the FBS.
Prospective players are apparently taking note of K-State's defensive success along with the fact that the Wildcats produced first round NFL Draft pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah and second-round selection Julius Brents.
"We're doing a good job recruiting, and I think sometimes when you look at all the stars and whatever — we might not have that, but we're getting the right people for what we're trying to do — we get blue-collar, competitive guys who are developmental guys who are going to get better while they're here," Klanderman says. "The guys who enjoy teamwork and the process are going to thrive here, and that's what we're attracting. We have some guys that are third and fourth on the depth chart that could legitimately be players. That's an exciting thing."
There's a lengthy list of defensive standouts among this group for this fall, including linebackers Austin Moore and Desmond Purnell, defensive ends Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean, cornerbacks Jacob Parrish and Keenan Garber, and safety Marques Sigle. But there's plenty more in store as well.
"I think we're really talented," Klanderman says. "We have really good team speed. We've got a great mix of older guys and younger guys and some good leadership across all levels of this defense. Now we just have to go out there and do it. You do it on the grass, you don't do it on paper. These media days and everything people do now, I get a chuckle out of this stuff, because everybody has the best-laid plans. Mike Tyson says, 'Everybody has a plan until they get hit.'
"I think our guys are going to have the resolve to do what we need them to do."
Klanderman says K-State is in good shape at safety. He likes the talent at defensive end. He likes the toughness of the linebacker.
"And I think we're better at corner than what we've been — maybe ever," he says. "I know we don't have the names Julius Brents and Ekow Boye-Doe, but man, Jacob Parrish and Keenan Garber are really good. We've got a couple others in that room that are going to be able to help us, too. I think we have a lot more depth than maybe we've ever had before."
Where does the overall development process stand at this point in time?
"We're developing some of these younger guys that we're going to need to be really good players — Austin Romaine, Chiddi Obiazor, Kanijal Thomas, guys like that," Klanderman says. "We're getting some of these older guys back into the fray that are going to have to be big-time players for us like Jordan Riley, who's new here, and Travis Bates, who we're going to expect a lot of big things from. And we're going to continue to push some of our better players to be even better — Austin Moore, Marques Sigle, Damian Ilalio — so they can be the best that they can be. If everybody is the best they can be, we'll be happy with where the chips fall."
As for utilizing a three-man front versus a four-man front?
"We have some different things that we've explored a little bit in part because of the talent we have in our defensive end room," Klanderman says. "I think that getting Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean back and adding in Travis Bates and Jordan Allen is coming along and Ryan Davis is coming along and Chiddi is coming along, there are a lot of guys in that room that I feel like we can play, and the thinking was how can we get more of those guys on the field and how can we get them doing things that they're good at doing on top of that? We're trying to massage a few things. We got through some of that stuff in the spring, and we'll see how that looks in fall camp and how much of that stuff we're going to do."
Klanderman and the defensive coaches will examine and re-examine plays and practice film during training camp.
When game week hits and the Wildcats prepare to face UT Martin in their season opener on August 31 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, the daily schedule for the season is set.
"The days start at 6 a.m. and then by noon we're starting to put practice together," Klanderman says. "That's a mad dash to do that in and of itself. That's another process. That takes me up until 2 p.m. and then I get about an hour to get my meeting ready with the players, which is as important of an hour and 15 minutes as we get in a day. So, it's a mad dash there for an hour to get those thoughts down of what I want to impart, then at 3 p.m., we're rolling into the position meeting room.
"Practice usually starts at around 4:30 p.m. and we go until about 6:30 p.m., and then when we come up to the offices afterward, we'll watch practice until about 9 or 9:30 p.m. Then maybe we'll have a couple other thoughts, and we'll start the process again tomorrow. And we'll do that from August to January."
They'll take time to look at everything. That includes the five defensive metrics that they track, which they believe equates to success: 1) turnovers created, 2) third-down percentage, 3) red-zone touchdown percentage, 4) explosive plays allowed, and 5) points allowed per game.
"Those are the five things we look at and take stock in," he says. "We've been at or near the top of the league in all those things. The one that could use a little bit of a push along is just giving up fewer explosive plays, but all the other categories we're No. 1 or No. 2 in the league, and we have been for three years in a row."
It's been quite an impressive road for Klanderman, who came with head coach Chris Klieman to Manhattan after helping North Dakota State to win four national titles in his five seasons on staff as defensive backs coach. Prior to helping coach the Bison, Klanderman coached 12 years at his alma mater, Minnesota State, including seven as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
"Coming to K-State was a dream come true," Klanderman says. "It was an unbelievable opportunity to be at this place, which has so much tradition — Bill Snyder Family Stadium — and to be at a place that fits a lot of the values that I have in my life."
After coaching safeties during his first season at K-State, Klanderman became defensive coordinator and safeties coach following the departure of defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton to Michigan State.
"There was that possibility that Scottie was going to take another job, and I thought through the years I'd earned Coach's trust," Klanderman says. "I feel like Coach and I spoke the same language and we think very similarly when it comes to defensive football. I really appreciate him because there are a lot of times, he'll think of something I don't think of and to have a mind as sharp as his in there is a big deal. I think he thought that we could work really well together, and we have."
And here we are with Klanderman leading a K-State defense that recently has been among the tops in the nation. Oh, there will be challenges this season, particularly with the barrage of new opponents on the season schedule, but better believe the defensive coaching staff has outlined its foes heading toward the fall.
It's all a dream come true for the former ninth grader from Hammond, Wisconsin, who always knew what he wanted.
And when Klanderman jogs out of the tunnel for the first time this season, he knows exactly what he's going to be thinking about.
"I'm going to be thinking about getting that first stop," he says. "I do enjoy it. I do take a quick breath to look around. I love the fans, and the atmosphere around here is awesome. Most of the time I'm just trying to get our guys happy and get some stops.
He pauses.
"Then at the end of the year," he says, "if I get a day or so to reflect on it, that's a great day."
Players Mentioned
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