Kansas State is struggling now, but it won't last long under Chris Klieman
When Bill Snyder hung up his headset two years ago, I wondered how Kansas State would replace the man who brought them out of the depths of the college football abyss.
The first time Snyder tried to retire, KSU hired Ron Prince, who putting it mildly was not a good head coach. He let his emotions rule him and that was the exact opposite of the Snyder way. So when they went the North Dakota State route for Snyder’s next replacement, I knew they had seen the error of their ways.
Let’s get the ugly 2020 stuff out of the way. This Kansas State team is not good right now after starting off really well and showinga lot of potential.
But after quarterback Skylar Thompson got hurt and COVID-19 ran wild, they are now a shell of themselves. There’s really nothing you can do about that. So they are where they are and they don’t have many weapons.
Even still, I think there are good things on the horizon.
NDSU is the definition of how to implement a system. One that transfers from coach to coach without missing a beat and something doesn’t happen very often in college football anymore. In most places, when one coach leaves his philosophy leaves with him. Sometimes they replace him with someone from his staff, but for the most part, when a coach leaves, that style leaves with him.
Klieman picked up right where former NMSU Craig Bohl left off and was EXCELLENT.
You should expect Kansas State to look like they always have under Snyder no and for as long as he is in the Little Apple. They will have some good teams, some that don’t have oomph, and some that will contend. But they will always be a tough out.
Like Matt Campbell, Kileman is boring in a good way. The Wildcats will be consistent, they will be physical and they will be annoying.
What does this mean for Baylor? Who can say? I think Baylor will win as there is too much going wrong in Manhattan right now. But given the way that both teams have played at times, I don’t expect it to be easy. Klieman will have his team ready to block and tackle to the best of their ability and everything else will fall where it may.
I’d like to make fun of Chris Klieman like I do all coaches, but I actually am a little afraid of him. He seems like the kind of guy who would make me run stadiums for teasing him. So I won’t. He might even out boring Matt Campbell.
The coolest city he has lived in his professional life is Manhattan, Kansas. Think about that for a second. His mind must be blown when he goes to a town with a second Chili’s.
It’s rough now for the Wildcats, but don’t expect that to linger.