Notre Dame offensive coordinator target Collin Klein to remain at Kansas State
Notre Dame had talks with a highly-regarded, up-and-coming young mind for its vacant offensive coordinator position. That coach is going to remain with his current program according to multiple reports.
That young mind is Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein, a 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist who got into coaching as a graduate assistant in 2014 but has only been an offensive coordinator for one year. Klein, A Kansas State graduate, has spent eight of the nine years he’s been in coaching with his alma mater. As it turns out, he’s going to make it 9 of 10. ESPN’s Heather Dinich first reported that Klein is staying put, stating that Klein is “no longer a candidate for the ND OC position.”
“He did have conversations and interview, according to sources,” Dinich tweeted.
K-StateOnline.com’s Derek Young confirmed the news, as did Max Olson of The Athletic.
It’s not surprising Notre Dame went hard after Klein after former Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees left for Alabama last week. Klein, 33, led Kansas State to a Big 12 championship in his first year as an offensive coordinator, and he did it having to manage two different quarterbacks. The Wildcats went 10-4 with Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez and Will Howard, two different signal-callers in terms of stylistic play, splitting time.
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Klein was benefitted by coaching one of the best running backs in the country in Deuce Vaughn, who ran 293 times for 1,558 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also caught 42 passes for 378 yards and 3 more scores. Kansas State generated 6.12 yards per play in 2022, slightly more than Notre Dame’s mark of 5.92. Those figures ranked 36th and 45th, respectively, in the country.
It had to be alluring for Notre Dame to pursue a coach who is not only billed as a legit quarterback developer but also one who knows how to get the most out of elite running back talent. Notre Dame has some of that at its disposal in Audric Estime, Logan Diggs and Chris Tyree. The ship on Klein has sailed nonetheless. Notre Dame still has plenty of options in its search for a replacement for Rees. A list of potential candidates can be found here.
