Tag: Chris Klieman

Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman says he’s not interested in MSU open job

Chris Klieman of Kansas State is not interested in the head coaching position at Michigan State

Chris Klieman of Kansas State is not interested in the head coaching position at Michigan State.

Klieman was asked about his interest in the Michigan State head coach opening on Wednesday and responded by stating he “will not be a candidate for that job.” Klieman is in his fifth season at Kansas State and holds a 33-21 record and one Big 12 championship.

Klieman came to Kansas State after experiencing a ton of success at North Dakota State in the FCS level. He led the Bison to four national championships in five seasons as their head coach before moving up to Kansas State.

Klieman has been a hot name for the Spartans’ head coach opening — which was made official on Wednesday with the firing of Mel Tucker. His response may sound like a closed door on his candidacy but at the same time I’m not sure what you expect him to say at this point. So while he may be saying he’s not interested in September, we should truly wait until November or December before we rule him out as a candidate for the Spartans’ gig.

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20 potential candidates to replace Mel Tucker as Michigan State football’s coach

Who could potentially replace Mel Tucker? We came up with 20 coaches to consider.

Following an in-depth investigation by USA TODAY into the allegations made by Brenda Tracy against Mel Tucker, the university placed Mel Tucker on an unpaid suspension.

Operating under the assumption that Tucker has coached his last game as the head man of the Michigan State football program, as Lansing State Journal reporter Graham Couch speculated, the Spartans will be in the market for a new leader of their football program.

Check out some of the potential candidates Michigan State could look to bring in:

CBS Sports Big 12 Hot Seat Ratings: ‘Pressure is mounting’ for Brent Venables

In their updated hot seat rating for the 2023 season, CBS Sports believes “pressure is mounting” for Oklahoma’s Brent Venables.

Coming out of a 2022 season where the Oklahoma Sooners had their first losing season since 1998 with one of the worst defenses in the team’s history, it’s not unreasonable to have questions about the direction of the program.

At the same time, it’s only been one year, and we haven’t seen Venables’ recruiting classes take the field and play significant snaps yet. The team may not have much success to speak about on the field yet, but the coaching staff has done a tremendous job off of it on the recruiting trail.

They’ve put together two top 10 classes, and with the way things are shaping up, the Sooners are looking at a third straight top 10 class in the 2024 cycle.

Ahead of the 2023 season, CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd took a look at every head coach in the FBS and determined where they stood on his “hot seat rating system.”

It’s a system that rates coaches from 0-5. “Zero” represents coaches that are untouchable, like Nick Saban or Kirby Smart. “Five” represents coaches that are in must-win mode heading into 2023.

Here’s a look at where the 14 Big 12 coaches stand heading into 2023. We also included where each coach ranked in CBS Sports’ head coach rankings in the Big 12 and overall and their career winning percentages.

Longhorns Big 12 team to beat, Sooners third in preseason media poll

The Oklahoma Sooners were picked to finish third in the Big 12 preseason media poll while their Red River Rivals look like the team to beat.

Next week, all 14 teams in the Big 12 will descend upon Arlington, Texas, for Big 12 Media Days at AT&T Stadium.

It marks a landmark season for the conference in what will be the last year featuring the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns before they depart for the SEC next summer.

The Big 12 is as wide open as it has been recently. If one team leads the pack in the public eye, it is the Texas Longhorns.

Their combination of incoming talent and returning star power them as the favorite to win the conference early on.

Ahead of next week’s media days, here’s how those that cover the Big 12 voted in the preseason poll.

CBS Sports ranked every coach in the Power Five, how did the Big 12 fair?

How did Brent Venables and the Big 12 fare in CBS Sports ranking of each Power Five coach?

The expansion to 14 teams for the 2023-2024 academic year provides a unique environment for the Big 12 in its final year with Oklahoma and Texas. New teams mean new faces in the coaching ranks.

Over at CBS Sports, they ranked each coach in the Power Five, so we’ve collated where the Big 12 head coaches stack up ahead of the 2023 season.

CBS Sports coach rankings No. 26-69.

CBS Sports coach rankings No. 25-1.

Four Big 12 coaches landed in the top 25, but none made it into the top 10. It’s a pivotal season for several guys. Here’s a look at how the Big 12 coaches faired in CBS Sports Power Five head coach rankings.

Kansas State, Chris Klieman agree to eight-year extension

Kansas State and head coach Chris Klieman have agreed to an extension that will keep him in “The Little Apple” through 2030.

As reported last week by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Kansas State and head football coach Chris Klieman have agreed to an eight-year extension. The two sides announced the contract extension on Monday.

The new extension for Klieman will keep the former FCS national championship coach in Manhattan through the 2030 season. Klieman will receive a $5.5 million salary for each of the eight years, for a total contract value of $44 million.

Chris has done an unbelievable job building a program in four years that not only has won a Big 12 Championship but even more importantly, one that players have taken great pride in and helped sustain a championship culture,” Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor said in a press release. “He is a tremendous fit for K-State and Manhattan, and we want to continue to ride the momentum that he and his staff have fostered. We are excited that Chris will be the leader of our football program for many years to come.”

Klieman released his own statement in the release, saying,  “What we have been able to accomplish in our first four years here is due to the culture that our players and staff have been able to create. I am excited to continue to lead this football program and put a product on the field each year that can compete at the highest level.” He also expressed his appreciation for the Kansas State administration and their support of the program.

Klieman had just finished up his fourth season with the Wildcats where he led them to a 10-4 record and a Big 12 Championship. Through his first four seasons with the Wildcats, he is 30-20 and has posted three eight-plus win seasons.

Prior to coming to Manhattan, Klieman was 69-6 overall at North Dakota State while leading the Bison to four NCAA championships.

REPORT: Kansas State, Chris Klieman working on new contract

Kansas State is working towards an extension with head coach Chris Klieman.

Kansas State and head coach Chris Kleiman are working towards a new contract according to ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel.

Thamel also reports that the deal is expected to extend Chris Klieman through the 2030 season and will be for a total of $44 million, an average of $5.5 million per season.

Kleiman is set to enter his fifth year in Manhattan and is coming off his best season yet with the Wildcats leading them to a 10-4 record and a Big 12 Championship.

Through his first four seasons, Kleiman is 30-20 and has posted three seasons of eight wins or more. The Wildcats have been ranked in each of his four seasons and have reached as high as No. 11 in the AP Poll.

The former North Dakota State head coach has carried over much of the success that legendary Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder had during his last stint with the program. From 2009 through 2019, Snyder posted six seasons of eight wins or more and only had two losing seasons.

The success of Kleiman shouldn’t come as a surprise. Prior to his time with the Wildcats, Klieman led the North Dakota State Bison to four NCAA championships at the FCS level over five seasons. During his five years with North Dakota State, he went 69-6 overall and 36-4 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play.

Final Big 12 football head coach power rankings

How do the Big 12 coaches finish in Pat’s final conference power rankings of 2022?

The 2022 college football season is done for everyone except Georgia and Texas Christian. They will meet in Los Angeles on Monday, Jan. 9, to find out who is the best team in 2022.

TCU could become the first Big 12 team to win the title since the Texas Longhorns accomplished this feat in 2005. It is a tall task, asking a team to beat the Bulldogs who have lost just once in their last 29 games.

Back to the task at hand, I am laying out my final power rankings for each head coach in the Big 12. These rankings are only based on what transpired during the season and factoring in where they were slated to finish in the Big 12 preseason poll.

We kick it off at the top with a first-year head coach who is looking to make history in the Lone Star state.

Looking at what Texas will face against No. 13 Kansas State

Will Howard threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns against Oklahoma State.

The Kansas State Wildcats present another huge opportunity for the Texas football program this week. They also pose a significant threat to the Longhorns’ bid for a Big 12 title appearance.

Presently, the Wildcats sit at 6-2 with one loss in conference play. Texas is currently 5-3 with two conference losses.

Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman has done a great job building a contender this season. Behind a strong defense and running game, Klieman’s team is playing as well as any other team in the conference.

K-State backup quarterback Will Howard played well in relief of an injured Adrian Martinez against Oklahoma State. Howard completed 21 of 37 pass attempts for 296 yards and four touchdowns. Whether or not he plays or Martinez returns, the Wildcats will be able to fall back on a strong running game.

Deuce Vaughn led the K-State rushing attack with 158 yards on 22 carries against Oklahoma State. He will figure to play a significant role in his team’s offensive attack against Texas.

Here are a few challenges Texas will need to account for this week.

Nebraska Football Coaching Search Tracker: Week 6

Who are some of the leading candidates for the Nebraska vacancy?!

Now that Week 6 has come and gone, the list of prospective candidates for the head football coach job at Nebraska continues to evolve. It’s important to remember that Athletic Director Trev Alberts has clarified that this will be a national search and that he intends to “reach out to a lot of people.”

When asked for the qualities Alberts will look for in someone to run the program, he stated,

“I don’t know if there is anything specific to how magnified the role is. I certainly think it has to be someone who has a servant leadership mentality that is here to serve young people. Perhaps sees a picture that is bigger than themselves. But I don’t think anything specific. Every single job in college football has challenges. This job has advantages to other jobs and it has some disadvantages. It is the same thing with every job in college football. We have 1.8 million people in this state. That is not going to change. But we have some built in advantages here so if we play to our strengths and build on those. The right type of coach sees this as an opportunity to rebuild and build something special here.”

When asked for a timeline when a hire would be made, Alberts said,

“I do think there’s some benefits in terms of making the decision when we made it. I think this gives us an opportunity to really do the necessary work. We need to dive into a real process, and a detail-oriented process that talks to a lot of people. That’s why I mentioned earlier, you’re gonna hear about a lot of names. That’s good. That means we’re going to talk to a lot of people, because we’re going to clearly define what our values are. And we’re not going to hire coaches who don’t believe in what we believe in. We need to take as long as it takes to find the right leader. So is there an ideal timeline? Sure. You could naturally look at some of these timelines – early signing date – and say it would be really nice to be able to get the person in place by then, because it would allow us to do that. We won’t make decisions or rush things just to get a coach hired. We’re also not going to try to win the press conference. At the end of the day, we need to hire the right leader and the right fit, and that’s a really important thing here, as well.”

Below is a list of the active college football coaches who have been rumored around the head coaching search and then one wildcard who I think should be given a serious look.