BIG 12 FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 10 OF 16
2026 Season Snapshot • Manhattan, Kansas
6-6 (5-4 Big 12)
BIG 12
Live schedule, lines and results for Kansas State.
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HEAD COACH
Collin Klein — 1st season at Kansas State
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
First head-coaching job
A 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist and Big 12 champion as K-State's quarterback under Bill Snyder, Klein returned to Manhattan as an assistant in 2017, rose to offensive coordinator (19-8 record in that role), then spent two seasons as Texas A&M's OC (helped the Aggies to an 11-1 regular season and a Broyles Award semifinalist nod) before Kansas State hired him one day after Chris Klieman's surprise retirement.
KANSAS STATE ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
Kansas State finished 2025 at 6-6 (5-4 Big 12) under Klieman, a step down after a 2024 Big 12 title-game near-miss (10-4, Rate Bowl win). Klieman's abrupt retirement one week after the season ended reset the program's trajectory heading into Klein's debut.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$4.3M
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Not publicly named
Coach salary per ESPN/NBC Sports (5-yr deal, average base of $4.3M annually, with incentives). Kansas State has not disclosed a team NIL figure. QB Avery Johnson has multiple individual NIL deals (Freddy's, Long McArthur, CVS, WTC Fiber, plus a personalized strawberry lemonade product), though no total valuation has been publicly disclosed.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Collin Klein (play-caller) • Multiple
Klein takes over play-calling personally, reuniting with Avery Johnson (2,385 pass yds, 18 TD, 477 rush yds, 8 rush TD in a down 2025) in the exact system relationship that developed him as a recruit and as a Wildcat. Running back Joe Jackson steps into a larger role after Edwards' departure.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Multiple • Staff in transition
Kansas State's defensive staff is being rebuilt under the new regime; the Wildcats went 5-4 in Big 12 play in 2025 with a defense that beat UCF, TCU, Kansas, and Oklahoma State but lost tight games to Army, Arizona, Baylor, and Utah.
2025 RECORD
6–6 (5–4 Big 12)
Clinched bowl eligibility with a win over Colorado, but Klieman's retirement came just days later — a season overshadowed almost immediately by the coaching change that followed it.
HOME FIELD
Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium
Artificial turf, Manhattan. Named for the coaching legend Klein played for and whose program culture he's now tasked with carrying forward as just the second K-State alum to lead the team since the 1970s.
| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Avery Johnson | Sr | ★★★★★ | Four-star signee (2023, the No. 1 player in Kansas); passed on the transfer portal to return for a final season under the coach who recruited him. 2,385 pass yds, 18 TD, 477 rush yds, 8 rush TD in 2025, one of the Big 12's top dual-threat quarterbacks. |
| RB1 | Joe Jackson | — | ★★★★★ | 2025 Third-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches); steps into the lead role after Dylan Edwards' transfer to rival Kansas, ranking 7th in school history in career yards per carry (5.37). |
| WR1 | Justin Stephens | — | ★★★★★ | Butler CC transfer who played high school ball with Johnson at Maize; part of a homegrown Kansas pipeline the staff has specifically built around its returning quarterback. |
Four-star signee (2023, the No. 1 player in Kansas); passed on the transfer portal to return for a final season under the coach who recruited him. 2,385 pass yds, 18 TD, 477 rush yds, 8 rush TD in 2025, one of the Big 12's top dual-threat quarterbacks.
2025 Third-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches); steps into the lead role after Dylan Edwards' transfer to rival Kansas, ranking 7th in school history in career yards per carry (5.37).
Butler CC transfer who played high school ball with Johnson at Maize; part of a homegrown Kansas pipeline the staff has specifically built around its returning quarterback.
| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line protecting Johnson | OL | — | ★★★★★ | Tasked with protecting Kansas State's most important returning asset through a coaching transition; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed closer to Week 1. |
Tasked with protecting Kansas State's most important returning asset through a coaching transition; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed closer to Week 1.
| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Front seven in transition | DL | Part of a defensive staff being rebuilt under Klein; specific 2026 starters still being determined through fall camp. |
Part of a defensive staff being rebuilt under Klein; specific 2026 starters still being determined through fall camp.
| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary under new staff | DB | ★★★★★ | Adjusting to a new coaching staff installation alongside the rest of the defense; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed as fall camp progresses. |
Adjusting to a new coaching staff installation alongside the rest of the defense; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed as fall camp progresses.
2025 ATS
5-7
41.7% cover rate — 54th of 82
2025 Straight up
6-6
Point differential +33
Scoring environment
56.1
Combined points per game — 20th highest of 82
Home / road ATS
2-4 · 3-2
Totals 7-5 O/U (4-2 home, 3-2 road)
Points scored / allowed
29.4 per game scored (37th) · 26.7 allowed (53rd)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +2.8 (44th) · Strength of schedule +6.9
SRS power rating
+9.5
21st of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
+6.1
20th of 82
Defensive SRS
+3.6
35th of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+2.8 · 44th of 82
Against the spread
5-7 (41.7%) · 54th of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
56.1 · 20th of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Saved Just J research for Kansas State.
Klein personally recruited Avery Johnson to K-State in 2023, and Johnson's return for 2026 was directly tied to Klein taking over — a rare case of a coaching change reinforcing rather than disrupting roster continuity.
Star RB Dylan Edwards, who battled injury for most of 2025, transferred to rival Kansas this offseason — K-State must replace its top skill-position complement to Johnson.
Klein was Johnson's position coach and offensive coordinator before leaving for Texas A&M — a rare, specific scheme-and-personnel continuity advantage for a first-year head coach.
Protecting Johnson is the single highest offensive priority for a first-year staff — his rushing/scrambling ability provides some natural insurance, but early protection numbers are worth tracking closely.
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