KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas State football head coach Chris Klieman announced his retirement from coaching on Wednesday.
Klieman, 58, will be joined by K-State Athletics Director Gene Taylor for an afternoon news conference to discuss the announcement.
The news conference is set to begin around 4 p.m. You can watch live in the video player below.
“After many deep and thoughtful conversations with my family, we have decided that the time is right for me to retire from coaching,” Klieman said in a press release. “This decision was not taken lightly and was the culmination of many factors, including my own personal health. I absolutely love coaching the game of football and developing players into young men, but now is the time for me to step away and spend more time with Rhonda and our three kids."
Thank You, @CoachKli ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/eBJF5nbY2W
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) December 3, 2025
He went on to thank Taylor for trusting him to take over the program in 2018.
Klieman's highlights include winning the 2022 Big 12 Championship, recording 54 wins, five postseason appearances, six bowl appearances and keeping the Governor's Cup in Manhattan for seven-straight years. He retires as the second-winningest coach in school history.
"Chris Klieman has built a program and culture that embodies what it means to be a K-Stater," Taylor said in the release. "Following a legend was no easy task, and he quickly established himself as one of the best coaches in the Big 12 Conference and one of the most successful in our program’s history. He is a special person, and we have been fortunate to have him leading the young men in our program and being a first-class representative of Kansas State University."
There has been no announcement of who will take over for Klieman. However, reports from ESPN's Pete Themel and the Manhattan Mercury indicate KSU football alum Collin Klein is set to become the new head coach.
The expectation at Kansas State is that they'd target Collin Klein as the next coach, per sources. There's been no deal in place, but there's mutual interest for Klein to return to his alma mater. https://t.co/Ev9yhQ8JhH
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 3, 2025
Klein, 36, is in his second year as the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M. Before that, he was the offensive coordinator under Klieman at K-State. Klein played quarterback at K-State from 2009-2012.
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