Kansas State University Athletics
‘Well, We’re Going Home’
Dec 08, 2025 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Less than 24 hours after landing in Manhattan and delivering riveting remarks in his introductory news conference as Kansas State head football coach, Collin Klein sits on a padded, purple chair in the suite of K-State Athletic Director Gene Taylor at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The 36-year-old Klein, the 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist and one of the greatest players in K-State history, is in the midst of his second day on campus, keeping a tight schedule before heading to address K-State fans at halftime of the men's basketball game at Bramlage Coliseum.
Klein in his opening remarks said, "We're just getting started," and there's no pause, as he and his family — wife Shalin, sons Beric, Rhett and Trek, and daughter Briar — after his halftime address at Bramlage will take a charter flight back to College Station, Texas, where Klein will complete his 2025 football season as second-year offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, splitting his time between roles with the Aggies and the Wildcats.
Exactly when did this journey begin for Klein?
It goes back to his junior year at Loveland High School in Colorado.
Klein wrote it all down on a notecard.
Klein took a few moments to speak with D. Scott Fritchen of K-State Sports Extra about his dream come true of returning to K-State as head football coach and his steps moving forward as he embarks upon his new journey with the Wildcats.
D. SCOTT FRITCHEN: God's timing is perfect, of course. When did you discover Chris Klieman was going to retire and how did you find out and what were your immediate thoughts at that time?
COLLIN KLEIN: We'd had a conversation early in the week, and he reached out to me and kind of discussed what he was thinking and where he was at and things progressed pretty quickly from there.
FRITCHEN: You're in College Station and see the "785" pop up on your phone. What were you doing at the time that Gene Taylor called you, and what all ran through your head when you picked up the phone?
KLEIN: Well, I was trying to keep my kids from throwing the football into the Christmas decorations that we had just put up on the tree. We had some accuracy issues we're working on. So, I was trying to keep that safe. But I answered the phone Wednesday night around 7:00 p.m. or so, and by the time that happened, I was a little bit aware that a conversation was going to happen. I was a little bit surprised and a little bit shocked but overjoyed more than anything that it was actually happening.
FRITCHEN: How long did you and Gene Taylor talk?
KLEIN: We talked for probably 20-30 minutes. He joked about not having my phone number, which actually wasn't true, but that was funny, and it progressed pretty quickly. We talked about the position, and he ended up officially offering it to me there, and I told him I accepted, and obviously I didn't have to think too much about it, and I told him it was a dream come true.
FRITCHEN: What's the first thing you did after hanging up with Gene?
KLEIN: I went out and told Shalin. I said, "Well, we're going home." We were both just a little bit in shock. She was overjoyed. Just couldn't wait to get things going. Just a happy overwhelmed type of feeling for both of us.
FRITCHEN: Gene at the news conference said it was the "worst-kept coaching secret in America." In this day in age, were you at least able to tell your parents the good news before it was out there?
KLEIN: No. The cart was very far ahead of the horse on this one. It had already broke and was out before Gene and I had even had a conversation, and although there were things happening in the background and definitely trending that way, no, I didn't have a chance to give the official, official news to anyone before at least the outside world thought it was done. It's the way it works. I tell all my family that we're going to do the best we can, but they understand the world. I think we just understand it.
FRITCHEN: At what point did it set in that you were head football coach at Kansas State University?
KLEIN: Still hasn't. Still hasn't. And probably won't for a little while. But we're going to get after it and get to work and I'm sure it'll set in at some point.
FRITCHEN: What were your feelings when you were climbing out of the airplane?
KLEIN: Just surreal. Absolutely surreal. You get off and see all the people and Gene is there and so many familiar faces and family and everything, and it kind of blows you away.
FRITCHEN: Then later the day you and Shalin and the kids take the walk down the purple carpet to your introductory news conference. There's a huge crowd. Coach Snyder is sitting in the second row with a big smile. What's that moment like?
KLEIN: It's like a blur. You're just so humbled and honored. The staff here did such an amazing job making that production incredibly honoring and so well done on such a quick turnaround. It was an incredible turnout and so well done. Then just to see your wife and family and Coach Snyder and so many other familiar faces there, it's just incredibly humbling, and almost not real.
FRITCHEN: You unleashed maybe one of the greatest sports monologs in K-State sports history on stage in your opening remarks as head coach. You have an aggressive nature about you that's developed through the years. You talked about physicality. You talked about new old school. You talked about taking K-State to places it's never been before. Did you have in mind what you were going to say on stage and how you were going to present it?
KLEIN: Not really. I had some big overarching bullet points. Not exactly. I speak from the heart. I had a big-picture outline of where I wanted to go with it and put my heart into and prayed that the Lord directed what came out.
FRITCHEN: When you hear the words "Kansas State" what's the first thing that comes to mind?
KLEIN: Family. And all the core principles that are under that umbrella.
FRITCHEN: When you hear the words "Kansas State football" what comes to mind?
KLEIN: Toughness. Competitiveness.
FRITCHEN: Hours after landing in Manhattan you spoke to a football team for the first time as a head coach. What was that experience like wearing the head-coaching hat and speaking to a football team for the first time?
KLEIN: I took a step back and was like, "Man, this is my first team meeting." It's about, and always has been, and this is how I've been able to discipline myself to stay focused in the midst of a lot of things going on, is — "What do we have to get accomplished in the next step?" Well, first of all, those players have to get to know me and understand a little bit of my background and where I come from and how I view things and how I look and view this game. I shared with him how I view and see this program and what the history of this program has been for the last 36 years and the heritage they are a part of and the brotherhood that they have with me even outside of my position as the head coach. Then I cast the vision of how some of those practical steps are going to look like for us to all take this thing to the next level. I believe it was well received. It's hard to do that in 15-20 minutes. That's just the tip of the iceberg. I hope and feel like they felt the urgency and aggressiveness and attack mentality that they're going to get from me top to bottom.
FRITCHEN: Are there any current K-State players who you'll lean on for roster retention and things like that?
KLEIN: Avery Johnson and Austin Romaine are going to be key pieces on both sides of the ball, but it's going to take everybody. We need and want everyone to want to be a part of this thing, and I want the guys who are going to buy in, and the guys who are going to feel that, and feel that calling, and feel that sense of family and brotherhood and want to be a part of it. I think most and all will, but we're going to be who we are, and we're going to be aggressive in attacking things, but we're also going to attract like-minded people who want to be a part of this special thing that we have going.
FRITCHEN: Avery is on the verge of some of your marks at K-State. How proud are you of his development at K-State?
KLEIN: He's an incredible individual and it's well known his skill set and God-given talent, but his makeup is special, and I knew that full well early on in the recruiting process, just how mature and the depth of his understanding level, which is something that's impressive.
FRITCHEN: You're organized, detail-oriented, passionate and aggressive. What will be the first steps you take as K-State head coach?
KLEIN: First of all, it's thanking so many people who were a part of making this thing happen. Addressing the team and building relationships there is the first thing and most important thing — building relationships with everyone in that locker room and on the roster right now. Next level is the recruits who just signed a couple days ago and building relationships with them and their families. Then it's going to get to work and expanding that family to the staff and support staff to get things lined up how they need to be.
FRITCHEN: Every job is unique and has its own challenges. What are the top challenges of being a head football coach at Kansas State University?
KLEIN: Right now, it is bringing us up to speed with our competition. From a roster management standpoint, there are steps and strides we need to take to be able to compete in today's recruiting landscape. Some of that is financial, some of that is procedure and operation. That's one of the biggest things. We've been blessed with amazing facilities and amazing infrastructure. Now we've got to catch up to the market from a staffing standpoint and make sure we have the resources required to put together the entirety of a staff that's competitive in this league and across the country for where we want to go. Those are the two biggest things we need to catch up on.
FRITCHEN: What excites you most about this challenge?
KLEIN: It's home. We have a chance now to do something that this place has never done, and that's get to a playoff, and compete for a championship. That's what I wrote down on my notecard my junior year of high school. First time around, got one of the three and was darn close to the other two. We have the opportunity to do that here if we find and get the right people in the right position and bring everyone together from every era and from every pocket of Kansas State supporters to help push this place where it needs to go.
FRITCHEN: So junior year of high school, you wrote this all down?
KLEIN: I wrote. That I wanted to win a national championship, win the Big 12, and win the Heisman Trophy on a notecard in my desk my junior year of high school at Loveland High School.
FRITCHEN: Do you still have the notecard?
KLEIN: I think my mom does somewhere. Yeah, it might be in a box in storage.
FRITCHEN: It is amazing to you that things have panned out like this?
KLEIN: No, just because that's what I expect. You don't ever step onto the field expecting anything different. Now the reality is you take a step back and it's pretty incredible but everything has happened how it's supposed to and how it has, and even just this opportunity here, I keep saying it, but I mean, in the coaching profession, to be able to take the right steps that you have to take for growth and learning and then have it come full circle that the first opportunity I have to be a head coach in this profession — which I do feel ready for and do feel the time is right for — happens to be at the place I care about the most in all of college football, those odds are percentages aren't great. And that's why it's a God thing.
FRITCHEN: How do you feel like the Big 12 stands right now in the landscape of college football?
KLEIN: It's hard to say because I don't know the backend of all of it, but it's an important time for the league, and we're positioned stronger than some give us credit for, but we do need to be very, very aggressive in this changing landscape to secure our position moving forward.
FRITCHEN: A lot of people are interested in knowing about the uniforms. Any thoughts on that?
KLEIN: I'm sure Gene and I will sit down and maybe arm-wrestle for it. We'll kind of see what we come up with.
Less than 24 hours after landing in Manhattan and delivering riveting remarks in his introductory news conference as Kansas State head football coach, Collin Klein sits on a padded, purple chair in the suite of K-State Athletic Director Gene Taylor at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The 36-year-old Klein, the 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist and one of the greatest players in K-State history, is in the midst of his second day on campus, keeping a tight schedule before heading to address K-State fans at halftime of the men's basketball game at Bramlage Coliseum.
Klein in his opening remarks said, "We're just getting started," and there's no pause, as he and his family — wife Shalin, sons Beric, Rhett and Trek, and daughter Briar — after his halftime address at Bramlage will take a charter flight back to College Station, Texas, where Klein will complete his 2025 football season as second-year offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, splitting his time between roles with the Aggies and the Wildcats.
Exactly when did this journey begin for Klein?
It goes back to his junior year at Loveland High School in Colorado.
Klein wrote it all down on a notecard.
Klein took a few moments to speak with D. Scott Fritchen of K-State Sports Extra about his dream come true of returning to K-State as head football coach and his steps moving forward as he embarks upon his new journey with the Wildcats.
D. SCOTT FRITCHEN: God's timing is perfect, of course. When did you discover Chris Klieman was going to retire and how did you find out and what were your immediate thoughts at that time?
COLLIN KLEIN: We'd had a conversation early in the week, and he reached out to me and kind of discussed what he was thinking and where he was at and things progressed pretty quickly from there.
FRITCHEN: You're in College Station and see the "785" pop up on your phone. What were you doing at the time that Gene Taylor called you, and what all ran through your head when you picked up the phone?
KLEIN: Well, I was trying to keep my kids from throwing the football into the Christmas decorations that we had just put up on the tree. We had some accuracy issues we're working on. So, I was trying to keep that safe. But I answered the phone Wednesday night around 7:00 p.m. or so, and by the time that happened, I was a little bit aware that a conversation was going to happen. I was a little bit surprised and a little bit shocked but overjoyed more than anything that it was actually happening.
FRITCHEN: How long did you and Gene Taylor talk?
KLEIN: We talked for probably 20-30 minutes. He joked about not having my phone number, which actually wasn't true, but that was funny, and it progressed pretty quickly. We talked about the position, and he ended up officially offering it to me there, and I told him I accepted, and obviously I didn't have to think too much about it, and I told him it was a dream come true.
FRITCHEN: What's the first thing you did after hanging up with Gene?
KLEIN: I went out and told Shalin. I said, "Well, we're going home." We were both just a little bit in shock. She was overjoyed. Just couldn't wait to get things going. Just a happy overwhelmed type of feeling for both of us.
FRITCHEN: Gene at the news conference said it was the "worst-kept coaching secret in America." In this day in age, were you at least able to tell your parents the good news before it was out there?
KLEIN: No. The cart was very far ahead of the horse on this one. It had already broke and was out before Gene and I had even had a conversation, and although there were things happening in the background and definitely trending that way, no, I didn't have a chance to give the official, official news to anyone before at least the outside world thought it was done. It's the way it works. I tell all my family that we're going to do the best we can, but they understand the world. I think we just understand it.
FRITCHEN: At what point did it set in that you were head football coach at Kansas State University?
KLEIN: Still hasn't. Still hasn't. And probably won't for a little while. But we're going to get after it and get to work and I'm sure it'll set in at some point.
FRITCHEN: What were your feelings when you were climbing out of the airplane?
KLEIN: Just surreal. Absolutely surreal. You get off and see all the people and Gene is there and so many familiar faces and family and everything, and it kind of blows you away.
FRITCHEN: Then later the day you and Shalin and the kids take the walk down the purple carpet to your introductory news conference. There's a huge crowd. Coach Snyder is sitting in the second row with a big smile. What's that moment like?
KLEIN: It's like a blur. You're just so humbled and honored. The staff here did such an amazing job making that production incredibly honoring and so well done on such a quick turnaround. It was an incredible turnout and so well done. Then just to see your wife and family and Coach Snyder and so many other familiar faces there, it's just incredibly humbling, and almost not real.
FRITCHEN: You unleashed maybe one of the greatest sports monologs in K-State sports history on stage in your opening remarks as head coach. You have an aggressive nature about you that's developed through the years. You talked about physicality. You talked about new old school. You talked about taking K-State to places it's never been before. Did you have in mind what you were going to say on stage and how you were going to present it?
KLEIN: Not really. I had some big overarching bullet points. Not exactly. I speak from the heart. I had a big-picture outline of where I wanted to go with it and put my heart into and prayed that the Lord directed what came out.
FRITCHEN: When you hear the words "Kansas State" what's the first thing that comes to mind?
KLEIN: Family. And all the core principles that are under that umbrella.
FRITCHEN: When you hear the words "Kansas State football" what comes to mind?
KLEIN: Toughness. Competitiveness.
FRITCHEN: Hours after landing in Manhattan you spoke to a football team for the first time as a head coach. What was that experience like wearing the head-coaching hat and speaking to a football team for the first time?
KLEIN: I took a step back and was like, "Man, this is my first team meeting." It's about, and always has been, and this is how I've been able to discipline myself to stay focused in the midst of a lot of things going on, is — "What do we have to get accomplished in the next step?" Well, first of all, those players have to get to know me and understand a little bit of my background and where I come from and how I view things and how I look and view this game. I shared with him how I view and see this program and what the history of this program has been for the last 36 years and the heritage they are a part of and the brotherhood that they have with me even outside of my position as the head coach. Then I cast the vision of how some of those practical steps are going to look like for us to all take this thing to the next level. I believe it was well received. It's hard to do that in 15-20 minutes. That's just the tip of the iceberg. I hope and feel like they felt the urgency and aggressiveness and attack mentality that they're going to get from me top to bottom.
FRITCHEN: Are there any current K-State players who you'll lean on for roster retention and things like that?
KLEIN: Avery Johnson and Austin Romaine are going to be key pieces on both sides of the ball, but it's going to take everybody. We need and want everyone to want to be a part of this thing, and I want the guys who are going to buy in, and the guys who are going to feel that, and feel that calling, and feel that sense of family and brotherhood and want to be a part of it. I think most and all will, but we're going to be who we are, and we're going to be aggressive in attacking things, but we're also going to attract like-minded people who want to be a part of this special thing that we have going.
FRITCHEN: Avery is on the verge of some of your marks at K-State. How proud are you of his development at K-State?
KLEIN: He's an incredible individual and it's well known his skill set and God-given talent, but his makeup is special, and I knew that full well early on in the recruiting process, just how mature and the depth of his understanding level, which is something that's impressive.
FRITCHEN: You're organized, detail-oriented, passionate and aggressive. What will be the first steps you take as K-State head coach?
KLEIN: First of all, it's thanking so many people who were a part of making this thing happen. Addressing the team and building relationships there is the first thing and most important thing — building relationships with everyone in that locker room and on the roster right now. Next level is the recruits who just signed a couple days ago and building relationships with them and their families. Then it's going to get to work and expanding that family to the staff and support staff to get things lined up how they need to be.
FRITCHEN: Every job is unique and has its own challenges. What are the top challenges of being a head football coach at Kansas State University?
KLEIN: Right now, it is bringing us up to speed with our competition. From a roster management standpoint, there are steps and strides we need to take to be able to compete in today's recruiting landscape. Some of that is financial, some of that is procedure and operation. That's one of the biggest things. We've been blessed with amazing facilities and amazing infrastructure. Now we've got to catch up to the market from a staffing standpoint and make sure we have the resources required to put together the entirety of a staff that's competitive in this league and across the country for where we want to go. Those are the two biggest things we need to catch up on.
FRITCHEN: What excites you most about this challenge?
KLEIN: It's home. We have a chance now to do something that this place has never done, and that's get to a playoff, and compete for a championship. That's what I wrote down on my notecard my junior year of high school. First time around, got one of the three and was darn close to the other two. We have the opportunity to do that here if we find and get the right people in the right position and bring everyone together from every era and from every pocket of Kansas State supporters to help push this place where it needs to go.
FRITCHEN: So junior year of high school, you wrote this all down?
KLEIN: I wrote. That I wanted to win a national championship, win the Big 12, and win the Heisman Trophy on a notecard in my desk my junior year of high school at Loveland High School.
FRITCHEN: Do you still have the notecard?
KLEIN: I think my mom does somewhere. Yeah, it might be in a box in storage.
FRITCHEN: It is amazing to you that things have panned out like this?
KLEIN: No, just because that's what I expect. You don't ever step onto the field expecting anything different. Now the reality is you take a step back and it's pretty incredible but everything has happened how it's supposed to and how it has, and even just this opportunity here, I keep saying it, but I mean, in the coaching profession, to be able to take the right steps that you have to take for growth and learning and then have it come full circle that the first opportunity I have to be a head coach in this profession — which I do feel ready for and do feel the time is right for — happens to be at the place I care about the most in all of college football, those odds are percentages aren't great. And that's why it's a God thing.
FRITCHEN: How do you feel like the Big 12 stands right now in the landscape of college football?
KLEIN: It's hard to say because I don't know the backend of all of it, but it's an important time for the league, and we're positioned stronger than some give us credit for, but we do need to be very, very aggressive in this changing landscape to secure our position moving forward.
FRITCHEN: A lot of people are interested in knowing about the uniforms. Any thoughts on that?
KLEIN: I'm sure Gene and I will sit down and maybe arm-wrestle for it. We'll kind of see what we come up with.
Players Mentioned
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