We’re less than a month from seeing Kansas State football back.
And there’s a lot to be desired. 2025 was one of the worst seasons in recent memory, leaving many searching for answers this upcoming year.
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Wildcats coach Collin Klein delivered some on Tuesday. Klein held his fall camp press conference, detailing what fans can expect for 2026 with him back calling plays. He says the surrounding coaching staff is the biggest support system for his game plan.
“The only way it’s going to work is that I’ve got great people around me,” Klein said. “That’s what we have. I’ve been very pleased with how that flow has worked. Some of those game-management decisions will be me, [offensive coordinator] Sean Gleeson, and Stanton [Weber].”
In his return, Klein has compiled a mix of veterans and former assistants with whom he’s worked.
“We’ll use analytics, but we’ll put our own little spin on it,” Klein said. “As far as the weekly process goes, there are a lot of moving pieces. But I feel really good with the process that we’ve built. The schedule means we have to be really efficient and get a lot done. It’s going to be a lot on my plate, but I definitely have a lot of great support.”
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Even as the head coach, he’ll have his hand in the offensive system. Klein will help with play-calling, with many hailing his return as the biggest catalyst for quarterback Avery Johnson‘s potential career season. He’s emphasized his defensive coaching search, since he’ll mainly focus on the other side.
And honestly, that should be a point of focus for the Wildcats. They arguably had their worst defensive year in a decade, offsetting a typically solid Joe Klanderman unit. The trouble started upfront with the inability to stop the run, as evidenced by their losses to Army and Utah.
But even with this regression, the biggest player under the microscope is Johnson. That will be Klein’s biggest task: creating a game plan to replicate and surpass Johnson’s freshman season. He transcended in his first year with Klein, stringing together performances that made him a top Big 12 quarterback candidate for years to come.
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Jayden Armant is a contributor to KStateRoundtable. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com.
