K-State's Chris Klieman Gets Flattering Ranking From ESPN Analyst
Chris Klieman is set to enter his seventh season at the helm of the Kansas State football program.
He has posted a record of 48-28 in seven seasons with the Wildcats, going 31-23 in Big 12 play and 3-2 in bowl games.
While last season might not have been what many Kansas State fans expected when the season opened, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy believes Klieman is one of the best college football coaches in the business. Klieman was ranked No.14 in McElroy's Top 25 coaches list.
"Twenty-eight wins in the last three years," McElroy said in a video posted to YouTube. "That's the best stretch at Kansas State since 2012 to 2014 under Bill Snyder."
McElroy said the Wildcats have been consistent under Klieman after winning eight games in five of the last six seasons. He was also impressed with Klieman's ability to defeat ranked opponents and develop draft picks.
"They're not great from a recruiting standpoint, but they're giant killers," McElroy said. "He's 8-9 against ranked opponents at KSU and they've had 10 players drafted since 2021, so he knows how to find those diamonds in the rough, he knows how to develop those guys, and he knows when given the opportunity to play against ranked teams, he knows how to get his team prepared."
Klieman joins a long list of Big 12 coaches featured on McElroys poll. He comes in above Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham, Colorado's Deion Sanders, BYU's Kalani Sitake, and Kansas' Lance Leipold. The only Big 12 coach ranked ahead of Klieman was Iowa State's Matt Campbell (No. 13).
Seth Kunz is a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at sethkunz988@gmail.com
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Seth is a journalism student at the University of Missouri. He is a big follower of Big 12 athletics, especially football and basketball. He is also part of the student-run radio station, KCOU 88.1 FM. He is a native of Williamsville, Ill.
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