What Texas A&M fans can expect out of Collin Klein’s offense

One of Mike Elko’s first big splashes after taking over at Texas A&M was to hire Collin Klein away from Kansas State. Klein garnered interest last offseason after helping the Wildcats to the Big 12 Championship, but decided to stay in Manhattan at his alma mater.

This time around, he decided to accept the position in College Station as Elko landed his offensive coordinator.

Klein only spent two years as Kansas State’s primary play-caller, but the results were impressive. This past season, the Wildcats had the second-best scoring offense in the Big 12 after ranking sixth in 2022. That’s why, according to K-State Online’s Derek Young, Klein is such an impressive hire for Texas A&M.

“We’ll put it this way. His first year as a play-caller, offensive coordinator at Kansas State, they won the Big 12 Championship and he had a top-two or top-three [rushing] offense in the Big 12,” Young told Andy Staples on Andy Staples On3. “The second year, everyone has questions what he can do without Deuce Vaughn, even without Adrian Martinez to an extent — even though Will Howard took over the job — without Malik Knowles at wide receiver. And all he did was No. 1 in the Big 12 in points per drive and yardage rate.

“So only two years of a sample size, but it’s about the best two years you can ask of a Power Five offensive coordinator.”

Collin Klein’s ‘star is rising’

Klein starred as a quarterback at K-State from 2008-12 and finished as a Heisman Trophy finalist as a senior. Despite professional opportunities, he returned to the Wildcats as a graduate assistant from 2014-15 before a year as the quarterbacks coach at Northern Iowa in 2016. But Kansas State brought him back in 2017 as the team’s quarterbacks coach, and he moved up to co-offensive coordinator briefly in 2018 before taking on sole offensive coordinator duties the last two seasons.

Since becoming OC, Young said he’s heard plenty of good things about Klein’s abilities. That’s why he put him among the best play-callers in the game, which speaks to the type of hire it was for Elko as he gets settled in at Texas A&M, replacing Jimbo Fisher.

“His star is rising,” Young said. “I mean, everyone just raves — from the high school level to the college level. I’ve even seen some professional people commented on it. They think he’s one of the brightest offensive minds at all of college football.”

This past year with Bobby Petrino serving as Fisher’s offensive coordinator, Texas A&M ranked No. 7 in the SEC in total offense and No. 5 in scoring en route to a 6-6 record.