Report: Texas A&M offers offensive coordinator job to Kansas State's Collin Klein

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has reportedly zeroed in on a top candidate for his offensive coordinator opening, offering the job to Kansas State OC Collin Klein, according to KHOU’s Matt Musil.

Klein reportedly turned down the Penn State offensive coordinator opening last week. He played quarterback at Kansas State from 2008-12.

Klein has been on the Kansas State staff since 2017 and has been the offensive coordinator the past two seasons. The Wildcats have gone 18-8 and won the 2022 Big 12 championship in that two-year run.

Klein earned legendary status in Manhattan, Kansas, for his two-year run leading the Wildcats in 2011 and 2012. After going 10-3 in 2011, Klein came back to school and led his team to an 11-2 mark.

A move to Texas A&M and the SEC might be an upgrade in competition and pay, but the emotional ties between Klein and his alma mater are hard to gauge from afar — and potentially difficult to overcome in making a hire.

Rece Davis: Texas A&M hit a home run with Mike Elko hire

Elko is barely getting his feet wet as head coach at Texas A&M — but high expectations are already surrounding his hire. 

According to ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis, those expectations are well warranted, as he expects big things from the former Aggie defensive coordinator during his tenure in College Station. 

“From Ross Bjork’s standpoint, and from A&M’s standpoint, they hit a home-run here,” Davis said on the College GameDay podcast. “Honesty compels me to say, I thought the same thing when they hired Jimbo [Fisher], but even though he worked for Jimbo, he’s a completely different guy as we’ve outlined here. 

“I think it is an absolute home run hire, and probably one that is a more creative approach to hire than what appeared to be his initial attempt to hire him.”

Elko was the eventual hire over the likes of Kentucky‘s Mark Stoops, Kansas‘ Lance Leipold, and UTSA’s Jeff Traylor, among others, were all heavily considered alongside Elko. Stoops was even reportedly set to accept to Aggies’ job before a seemingly last-minute collapse in negotiations. That set Elko up perfectly to swoop in for a triumphant return to College Station.

“I think Mark Stoops is a terrific football coach,” Davis continued. “But because of the challenges that I’ve outlined earlier, maybe an Elko, who might look at things in different ways because of the varied experiences and also because he has actually been at A&M — which is a not for long — but he was there and that is a different place … He would have he would have made A&M much, much better. 

“But this higher is both both really smart and a home run and from a background fit, perspective and a little outside the box. It’s just enough outside the box to have a chance to be really successful.”

On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this article.