Kansas State has rewarded head football coach Chris Klieman with a new contract that will run through the 2030 season, the school announced on Monday. Klieman is 30-20 (20-16 Big 12) in four seasons with K-State and just led the Wildcats to a 10-4 season highlighted by a victory over TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game and an appearance in the Sugar Bowl.
The four-year extension will pay Klieman a base salary $5.5 million per year. That averages out to roughly a $1.5 million annual raise for Klieman, whose previous deal ran through 2026. Klieman took over the K-State program after the 2018 season when legendary coach Bill Snyder's second tenure came to an end with a 5-7 campaign.
"I am extremely appreciative of Dr. Richard Linton and Gene Taylor for their phenomenal support of our football program," Klieman said in a statement. "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. We have what we need here at K-State to consistently win at a high level – administrative support, unbelievable facilities and the best fans in the country – and my family and I are grateful to be a part of the Wildcat family."
After winning four national titles in five seasons as the coach at North Dakota State, Klieman quickly returned Kansas State to bowl eligibility with an 8-5 season in 2019. K-State finished just 4-6 in the pandemic-shortened 2020, but that poor record came amid a season-ending injury to star quarterback Skylar Thompson. The Wildcats are 18-9 over the past two seasons and finished the 2022 campaign ranked No. 14, even after a 45-20 Sugar Bowl loss to Alabama.
In addition to the Big 12 title game victory against an eventual CFP runner-up in TCU, Kansas State's 10-4 record this past season also included wins over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, who were top-10 teams at the time.
"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. "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."
The Wildcats recently landed at No. 12 in the post-spring top 25 of CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd despite losing All-American running back Deuce Vaughn. K-State opens the 2023 season against Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 2 and faces a manageable Big 12 slate that features five home games, including contests against league newcomers Houston and UCF.
