Thad Ward Returns to K-State as Associate Head Coach
Jan 02, 2026 | Football
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Thad Ward, who served as the Wildcats' wide receivers coach during their 2022 Big 12 Championship season and has spent the last three seasons at Illinois, has been hired as Kansas State's associate head coach and will tutor the wide receivers, head coach Collin Klein announced Friday.
Ward comes back to Manhattan after working the last three seasons at Illinois as the running backs coach, which included the title of assistant head coach during the final two years. Over the last two seasons, he helped lead the Illini to consecutive seasons with at least nine victories and back-to-back bowl wins for the first time in program history.
"My family and I are extremely honored and excited about returning to Kansas State University to build something special," Ward said. "I am super excited to get to work with Coach Klein and this staff and looking forward to getting right to work."
Aside from K-State, Ward has also coached wide receivers at Gardner-Webb (2011), Western Michigan (2012), Northern Illinois (2013-15) and Temple (2019-21). He also served as the passing game coordinator at both Gardner-Webb and Temple.
"Thad is a winner!" said Klein. "He is competitive, detailed and caring as a person. Every player in his room gets better over time. I am excited to have him lead our wide receivers and help lead our explosive offense."
During his first season in Manhattan in 2022, K-State earned a 10-4 record, including a 31-28 overtime win over eventual National Championship Runner-Up TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Wildcats finished the season with a No. 14 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 and a trip to the Sugar Bowl thanks in part to its offense, which ranked in the top 10 in school history in 11 categories, including offensive yards (2nd; 5,863), plays (2nd; 958) and yards per game (5th; 418.8).
Ward's unit claimed the top three receiver spots for the Wildcats that season, combining for 139 receptions for 1,768 yards and 11 touchdowns. Malik Knowles led the way with 48 receptions for 725 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Kade Warner had 46 catches for 456 yards and five scores. Both players signed with NFL clubs following the season as Knowles was picked up by Minnesota and Warner inked with Tampa Bay.
This past season at Illinois, Ward helped Illinois to a 9-4 record, which culminated with a victory in the Music City Bowl, a game in which the Illini rushed for 221 yards, including 150 from the running backs. Ward coached a trio of running backs that combined for 1,503 yards and 14 touchdowns in Ca'Lil Valentine, Kaden Feagin and Aidan Laughery, all three of which logged starts in 2025.
Ward's running back room was key to the Fighting Illini's offensive success in 2024, helping Illinois go 10-3 – tying the single-season record for wins – and a No. 16 final ranking in the Associated Press Top 25. The Illini's top four backs – McCray, Feagin, Laughery and Valentine – combined for 1,716 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Ward helped the 2024 Illinois offense rank in the top five in the Big Ten in total offense (3rd; 391.0 yards per game) and scoring (5th; 24.5 points per game) during the first season of his second tenure in 2023. Ward guided the emergence of Feagin, one of the top true freshman running backs in the nation that season, to All-Big Ten Honorable Mention accolades and two Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.
Ward's first stint in Manhattan came on the heels of working three seasons at Temple where he tutored the Owl wide receivers and served as the pass game coordinator. He coached Jadan Blue to a pair of All-AAC honors, including the 2019 season when Blue set the school's all-time record for receptions (95) and yards (1,067), becoming the first player in school history to top the 1,000-yard receiving mark. Opposite Blue, Branden Mack caught 59 passes for 904 yards and seven touchdowns, each of which ranked among the best in school history.
In 2019, Ward's wideouts were the top three receivers for the Owls as the position group combined for 152 catches for 1,568 yards and 10 scores.
Ward went to Temple following his first three seasons at Illinois from 2016 through 2018 where he also coached the running backs. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Florida A&M in 2022 before moving to the high school ranks to coach at Tallahassee Richards High School in 2003 and 2004, the latter year serving as the interim head coach.
A native of Tallahassee, Florida, Ward got back into the college game by working with the running backs at Western Illinois from 2005 through 2010 before a season at Gardner-Web where he coached the wide receivers and served as the passing game coordinator. He also coached wide receivers at Western Michigan (2012) and Northern Illinois (2013-15) before his first stint in Champaign.
Ward played three seasons at UCF from 1999 to 2001. As a senior, he was the team's second-leading receiver for 44 catches for 446 yards and a touchdown. In 1999, Ward returned a pair of blocked punts for touchdowns, one at Georgia and the other at Middle Tennessee. He went to UCF after spending two seasons at Coffeyville Community College.
Ward obtained his bachelor's degree in criminal justice at UCF in 2001. He and his wife, Jocelyn, have two daughters, Jayda and Journie, and one son, Thaddaeus, Jr.
THE THAD WARD FILE
Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
College: UCF – Bachelor's degree in criminal justice (2001)
Family: Wife: Jocelyn; Children: Jayda, Journie, Thaddaeus Jr.
Playing Career: Coffeyville CC (wide receiver), 1997-98; UCF (wide receiver), 1999-2001
THAD WARD'S COACHING CAREER
2002, Florida A&M (Graduate Assistant)
2003-04, Tallahassee Rickards High School (Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs/Interim Head Coach [2004])
2005-10, Western Illinois (Running Backs)
2011, Gardner-Webb (Wide Receivers/Passing Game Coordinator)
2012, Western Michigan (Wide Receivers)
2013-15, Northern Illinois (Wide Receivers)
2016-18, Illinois (Running Backs)
2019-21, Temple (Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers)
2022, K-State (Wide Receivers)
2023, Illinois (Running Backs)
2024-25, Illinois (Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs)
2026, K-State (Associate Head Coach/Wide Receivers)
Ward comes back to Manhattan after working the last three seasons at Illinois as the running backs coach, which included the title of assistant head coach during the final two years. Over the last two seasons, he helped lead the Illini to consecutive seasons with at least nine victories and back-to-back bowl wins for the first time in program history.
"My family and I are extremely honored and excited about returning to Kansas State University to build something special," Ward said. "I am super excited to get to work with Coach Klein and this staff and looking forward to getting right to work."
Aside from K-State, Ward has also coached wide receivers at Gardner-Webb (2011), Western Michigan (2012), Northern Illinois (2013-15) and Temple (2019-21). He also served as the passing game coordinator at both Gardner-Webb and Temple.
"Thad is a winner!" said Klein. "He is competitive, detailed and caring as a person. Every player in his room gets better over time. I am excited to have him lead our wide receivers and help lead our explosive offense."
During his first season in Manhattan in 2022, K-State earned a 10-4 record, including a 31-28 overtime win over eventual National Championship Runner-Up TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Wildcats finished the season with a No. 14 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 and a trip to the Sugar Bowl thanks in part to its offense, which ranked in the top 10 in school history in 11 categories, including offensive yards (2nd; 5,863), plays (2nd; 958) and yards per game (5th; 418.8).
Ward's unit claimed the top three receiver spots for the Wildcats that season, combining for 139 receptions for 1,768 yards and 11 touchdowns. Malik Knowles led the way with 48 receptions for 725 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Kade Warner had 46 catches for 456 yards and five scores. Both players signed with NFL clubs following the season as Knowles was picked up by Minnesota and Warner inked with Tampa Bay.
This past season at Illinois, Ward helped Illinois to a 9-4 record, which culminated with a victory in the Music City Bowl, a game in which the Illini rushed for 221 yards, including 150 from the running backs. Ward coached a trio of running backs that combined for 1,503 yards and 14 touchdowns in Ca'Lil Valentine, Kaden Feagin and Aidan Laughery, all three of which logged starts in 2025.
Ward's running back room was key to the Fighting Illini's offensive success in 2024, helping Illinois go 10-3 – tying the single-season record for wins – and a No. 16 final ranking in the Associated Press Top 25. The Illini's top four backs – McCray, Feagin, Laughery and Valentine – combined for 1,716 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Ward helped the 2024 Illinois offense rank in the top five in the Big Ten in total offense (3rd; 391.0 yards per game) and scoring (5th; 24.5 points per game) during the first season of his second tenure in 2023. Ward guided the emergence of Feagin, one of the top true freshman running backs in the nation that season, to All-Big Ten Honorable Mention accolades and two Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.
Ward's first stint in Manhattan came on the heels of working three seasons at Temple where he tutored the Owl wide receivers and served as the pass game coordinator. He coached Jadan Blue to a pair of All-AAC honors, including the 2019 season when Blue set the school's all-time record for receptions (95) and yards (1,067), becoming the first player in school history to top the 1,000-yard receiving mark. Opposite Blue, Branden Mack caught 59 passes for 904 yards and seven touchdowns, each of which ranked among the best in school history.
In 2019, Ward's wideouts were the top three receivers for the Owls as the position group combined for 152 catches for 1,568 yards and 10 scores.
Ward went to Temple following his first three seasons at Illinois from 2016 through 2018 where he also coached the running backs. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Florida A&M in 2022 before moving to the high school ranks to coach at Tallahassee Richards High School in 2003 and 2004, the latter year serving as the interim head coach.
A native of Tallahassee, Florida, Ward got back into the college game by working with the running backs at Western Illinois from 2005 through 2010 before a season at Gardner-Web where he coached the wide receivers and served as the passing game coordinator. He also coached wide receivers at Western Michigan (2012) and Northern Illinois (2013-15) before his first stint in Champaign.
Ward played three seasons at UCF from 1999 to 2001. As a senior, he was the team's second-leading receiver for 44 catches for 446 yards and a touchdown. In 1999, Ward returned a pair of blocked punts for touchdowns, one at Georgia and the other at Middle Tennessee. He went to UCF after spending two seasons at Coffeyville Community College.
Ward obtained his bachelor's degree in criminal justice at UCF in 2001. He and his wife, Jocelyn, have two daughters, Jayda and Journie, and one son, Thaddaeus, Jr.
THE THAD WARD FILE
Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
College: UCF – Bachelor's degree in criminal justice (2001)
Family: Wife: Jocelyn; Children: Jayda, Journie, Thaddaeus Jr.
Playing Career: Coffeyville CC (wide receiver), 1997-98; UCF (wide receiver), 1999-2001
THAD WARD'S COACHING CAREER
2002, Florida A&M (Graduate Assistant)
2003-04, Tallahassee Rickards High School (Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs/Interim Head Coach [2004])
2005-10, Western Illinois (Running Backs)
2011, Gardner-Webb (Wide Receivers/Passing Game Coordinator)
2012, Western Michigan (Wide Receivers)
2013-15, Northern Illinois (Wide Receivers)
2016-18, Illinois (Running Backs)
2019-21, Temple (Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers)
2022, K-State (Wide Receivers)
2023, Illinois (Running Backs)
2024-25, Illinois (Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs)
2026, K-State (Associate Head Coach/Wide Receivers)
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How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Football, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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