K-State Promotes Ray Thomas to Director of Strength and Conditioning

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Ray Thomas, who has served on the Kansas State football strength and conditioning staff for the past four seasons, has been promoted to Director of Strength and Conditioning, head coach Chris Klieman announced Wednesday.

"We are pleased to elevate Ray to lead our strength and conditioning program," Klieman said. "Our players and coaches have the utmost respect for him, and his style and leadership will fit in seamlessly with our program as we enter the summer training months and into the season."

Thomas was a driving force this offseason in helping K-State football players collectively gain 700 pounds of muscle while maintaining top-end speed as 33 players were clocked at over 21 miles per hour, six were over 22 miles per hour and four – VJ Payne, Dylan Edwards, Donovan McIntosh and Avery Johnson – hit 23 miles per hour.

"I am blessed and thankful for the opportunity this new role presents," Thomas said. "I look forward to helping continue to lead these young men with Coach Klieman's vision in mind. It's time to get to work and begin preparations for summer workouts and the 2025 season."

Originally coming to Manhattan as an assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2021, Thomas was promoted to associate strength and conditioning coach prior to the 2023 season. Before his arrival at K-State, Thomas worked the 2018 season at Colorado State, 2019 at Arkansas and 2020 at South Florida.

Thomas earned his bachelor's degree in health performance and physical education from Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado, as he was a football player for the Grizzlies from 2006 to 2010. He then went through a two-year teaching program for Pikes Peak BOCES, which serves 14 school districts in the Pikes Peak area of Colorado before earning his master's degree in coaching from West Virginia in 2019.

Thomas became a certified strength and conditioning specialist in May 2018 and earned his USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coaching Certification three months prior. A native of Woodland Park, Colorado, Thomas and his wife, Arianne, have identical twin boys, Tre and Rowan, and a daughter, Maylee.

Coming off its third-straight season with at least nine victories – which included a 9-4 campaign in 2024 that was capped off with a win over Rutgers in the Rate Bowl – Kansas State opens the 2025 season by taking on Iowa State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, August 23, at Avivia Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.

– k-statesports.com –

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Kansas State University Athletics

K-State Promotes Ray Thomas to Director of Strength and Conditioning

Players Mentioned

Dylan Edwards

Avery Johnson

Donovan McIntosh

VJ Payne

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