By Toby Hammes

WICHITA — Less than 24 hours after moving into Manhattan to begin his Kansas State football career, Pratt senior Arley Morrell found himself back on the track for one final high school competition.

Morrell, a Kansas State football tight end signee and one of the first commitments secured by new Wildcats head coach Collin Klein, competed Friday at the KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State’s University Stadium, closing out a decorated prep career before returning to Manhattan for summer football workouts.

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An evening season opener and a pair of morning kickoffs begin the Collin Klein era of Kansas State football, as the Big 12 Conference and its television partners have made selections for the first three weeks of the 2026 season.

The first game of the 2026 campaign against Nicholls on Sept. 5 will kick at 6 p.m. and be shown on ESPN+, followed by a pair of 11 a.m., contests against Washington State (Sept. 12) and Tulane (Sept. 19). The game against the Cougars will air on TNT/HBO Max, while the contest against the Green Wave will be shown on ESPN2.

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K-State Football fans will be greeted with a new LED lighting system in Bill Snyder Family Stadium this fall, thanks to a leadership gift from the Koster Family of Garden City, Kansas. This gift will also aid in the daily operation of the athletics department.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Klein back to K-State and for him to lead our football program,” Kathy Koster said in a statement. “Our grandchildren have seen other football stadiums with lighting systems that change color and add to the gameday excitement. We visited as a family; we wanted the football team and Wildcat fans to have the same experience and are proud to make this gift to support this project.”

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Kansas State football is losing a special-teams standout from last season

Sophomore wide receiver and kick returner Bryce Noernberg is no longer with the team, according to a social media post from his father, Scott, on Facebook.

In a post from Tuesday night, Noernberg’s father claimed that after first-year head coach Collin Klein and his staff took over the program, the sophomore from Olathe North found himself at the bottom of the heap in his position groups and is going to try to find playing time elsewhere.

“It was an amazing couple (of) years in Manhattan, but then D1 College Football did what it does. New HC Collin Klein brought in all new coaches and players … paid them accordingly, and (Bryce Noernberg) found himself at the bottom of the depth chart. Not wanting to start over again as a true walk-on freshman, he basically told them to kiss his ass!!

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Former Wildcat senior safety VJ Payne was picked with the 12th pick of the seventh round (228th overall) by the New York Jets.

It’s the fifth-straight year and the 37th draft overall that the Wildcats have had at least two players picked.

A four-year starter for the Wildcats, Payne played in 52 career games, which is tied for 11th in school history. He started 42 career games including 41-consecutive games to end his career, which stood as the longest streak on the team at the time of his graduation.

A two-time All-Big 12 honorable mention pick, Payne ended the 2025 season with 59 tackles, three tackles for loss, an interception, four passes defended and two forced fumbles.

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It took until Day 3, but Kansas State football is sending another player to the next level.

Wildcat senior center Sam Hecht was picked with the fourth pick of the fifth round (144th overall) of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers Saturday afternoon.

A former walk-on, the 6-foot-4, 303-pound offensive lineman was a first-time All-Big 12 selection by the leagues coaches and earned honorable mention for the league’s offensive lineman of the year award.

He played in 42 games as a Wildcat, and started in the last 25 of them.

During the 2025 season, Hecht played 759 offensive snaps and did not commit an accepted penalty. He anchored an offensive line that helped guide the Wildcats to a No. 10 ranking in sacks allowed (1.08 per game) and helped K-State finish fifth in school history in rushing yards per carry (5.09).

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By Ned Seaton

Chris Klieman is back.

Klieman, who retired last November as the K-State football coach, has signed an agreement to serve as a consultant to the athletics department through the end of the year. He’ll help advise Coach Collin Klein and athletics director Gene Taylor, Taylor said in a phone interview with The Mercury Tuesday.

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Collin Klein has had almost the full head-coaching experience over the last several months. He’s accepted a job at his alma mater to rapturous acclaim, built a staff, and filled a roster.

But on Thursday, the former Wildcat Heisman finalist and Ring of Honor inductee will run his first practice as a head coach when K-State opens 2026 spring practice.

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Manhattan Christian College’s president announced his resignation Tuesday and said he’ll take a new position as director of player development for the Kansas State football team.

Kevin Ingram said this move “has not been an easy decision at all.”

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Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Joe Bob Clements is joining the K-State football staff, a source confirmed Thursday.

Clements will serve as an assistant for the Wildcats and new head coach Collin Klein, the source said.

Clements just finished his 12th year as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at OSU. He had been a coach at Kansas State beginning in 1999, when he was a student assistant. He was defensive ends coach there from 2003-2005, then defensive line coach from 2009 to 2011, and defense run game coordinator in 2012.

Clements on Thursday changed his profile on the social media app X to a Powercat, which prompted excited replies from Wildcat fans.

He joined the Oklahoma State coaching staff in January of 2013 after helping lead his alma mater, Kansas State, to the Big 12 title in 2012. Six of Clements’ 11 years in Stillwater have resulted in 10-win seasons for OSU.

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Kansas State Athletics Director Gene Taylor announced Friday the addition of three staff members who will be responsible for managing the department’s revenue-sharing contracts as well as focusing on third-party NIL efforts.

Julie Owen, who previously served as senior associate athletics director at K-State, returned in July as the department’s new executive director of cap management and revenue sharing. Brett Foltz, who has served on the Ahearn Fund staff in a fundraising role, has been named associate athletics director for NIL initiatives and strategic revenue, while an assistant director of NIL position is currently posted for hire.

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By Toby Hammes

For decades, special teams have been a key part of the Kansas State football program’s identity, with many fans even adopting the moniker “Special Teams University.”

When the Wildcats scored their 139th non-offensive touchdown since 1999 in this year’s Sunflower Showdown, it served as another reminder of a statistic that separates K-State nationally. No program in the FBS has produced more non-offensive scores over that span.

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Kansas State head coach Collin Klein announced Wednesday the signing of five more players for the Class of 2026.

The new signees include tight end Arley Morrell, defensive end Jackson Hollie, athlete Blake Jay, wide receiver Nash Morrison and kicker Aidan O’Neill.

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Kansas State football added another young running back to its roster this week, as former Memphis tailback Makari Bodiford has signed with the Wildcats, the team announced on Thursday.

The 5-foot-11, 222-pound sophomore appeared in parts of two seasons at Memphis, rushing for 170 yards and four touchdowns on 37 carries. He played in four games during the 2025 season, scoring three touchdowns, and enters Manhattan with three years of eligibility remaining.

With Bodiford’s addition, K-State is up to 27 transfers in this portal cycle, including running backs Rodney Fields Jr. (Oklahoma State) and Jay Harris (Oregon), joining last year’s lead back in Joe Jackson, who finished the season with 911 rushing yards on 169 carries (5.4 yards/carry) with eight touchdowns.

Read the rest at The Mercury!

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A seven-game home schedule, which includes five home contests in the first six games of the season, highlights Kansas State’s 2026 football schedule that was announced Wednesday by K-State Athletics and the Big 12 Conference.

The Collin Klein era of K-State football opens with three-straight non-conference games inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium beginning on September 5, when the Wildcats host Nicholls. K-State then welcomes Washington State on September 12 for the first-ever meeting between the Wildcats and Cougars on the gridiron, while it closes non-conference play by hosting Tulane on September 19.

For the 22nd time in the 31-year history of the Big 12 – including the seventh time in the last nine years – K-State will begin conference play with a true road game when the Wildcats travel northeast to face Cincinnati on September 26. It will be K-State’s first visit to The Queen City since a 23-21 last-second victory in 1995.

Following its lone bye of the 2026 season, K-State returns for two-straight home games against Houston (October 10) and Kansas (October 17). The Wildcats are looking to win their second-consecutive home game over the Cougars, while they will be in search of their 18th-straight win over the Jayhawks.

The Wildcats’ only stretch with consecutive road games in 2026 closes out the month of October when they travel to face Arizona State on October 24 and Colorado on October 31. K-State plays at Arizona State for the sixth time ever but the first since 1989, while the Wildcats will play inside what is now known as Mountain America Stadium for the first time since a 31-14 victory over Michigan in the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. K-State returns to Boulder after a thrilling 31-28 win two years ago, and the Wildcats are playing on Halloween for the 17th time in program history and first since 2020.

The month of November trades home and away games over the final four weeks of the season beginning with a contest against Oklahoma State on November 7 inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Last season, K-State became the first road team to win a game in the series with the Cowboys since 2020, and the series is tied, 19-19, in Manhattan.

K-State hits the road for the penultimate time in 2026 when it plays at TCU on November 14. The Wildcats have won three-straight games over the Horned Frogs and six of the last seven dating back to 2019.

Kansas State’s Senior Day contest will be staged on November 21 when the Wildcats face Arizona. It is the third-straight year K-State has played U of A – with the home team winning the previous two contests – but this will be the first time the programs will meet as conference foes after a pair of previously scheduled non-conference games in 2024 and 2025.

The Wildcats conclude the 2026 regular season at Iowa State on November 28. K-State will be in search of their second win in Ames in the last five tries, while it is the third time in the last five trips to Iowa State that the game against the Cyclones serves as the regular-season finale.

The 2026 Big 12 Championship game will be held on Friday, December 4 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

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For the second-straight day, Kansas State football has added a young, talented defensive lineman out of the transfer portal who should make an immediate impact for the Wildcats in 2026.

Kennesaw State soon-to-be sophomore Elijah Hill is headed to Manhattan, according to reports on Monday, after a breakout season for the Owls.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Arkansas native and three-time high school state champion, Hill was a first team all-Conference USA player in 2025 and helped lead Kennesaw State to its first conference championship.

He ended the season with 22 tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks, which led Conference USA last season. It was also the most sacks recorded by a freshman in FBS in 2025. He also recorded six quarterback hurries.

With Monday night’s addition of former Oklahoma State star Wendell Gregory, the Wildcats should have a formidable pass rush heading into 2026, including returners like Travis bates and Jordan Allen.

Read the rest of the story at The Mercury!

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One of the most electrifying and dynamic players in the early 2000s, Kansas State’s Terence Newman has been selected to the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame Induction Class of 2026.

Newman is the seventh K-State player or coach to be selected to college football’s highest honor and the fourth in the last 15 years. He joins former running back Darren Sproles (Class of 2021), linebackers Gary Spani (Class of 2002) and Mark Simoneau (Class of 2012), as well as coaches Lynn “Pappy” Waldorf (Class of 1966), Charles Bachman (Class of 1978) and Bill Snyder (Class of 2015).

The 2026 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 8, 2026, at the Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Once the 2026 Hall of Fame Class is officially inducted, only 1,129 players and 241 coaches will have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.86 million who have played or coached the game during the past 157 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of the individuals who have played/coached the game have earned this distinction.

Read the rest of the story at The Mercury!

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While many Kansas State fans slept late Monday night, Kansas State coaches added perhaps the highest caliber transfer portal addition so far.

Former Oklahoma State defensive end Wendell Gregory, the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year last season, is making the short trip north from Manhattan to Stillwater, according to reports.

The sophomore edge rusher was a four-star prospect out of high school, and a four-star transfer portal target. A native of Marietta, Georgia, Gregory started his career at South Carolina but played sparingly, retaining his redshirt, before jumping to Oklahoma State.

As a Cowboy, Gregory racked up a team-high four sacks and 12 tackles for loss, the most of any freshman in FBS and the fifth-most in the conference. He also ended the season with 27 total tackles, seven quarterback hurries, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.

An all-Big 12 third-team pick, the 6-foot-3 portal add helps buoy a Wildcat defensive line that lost several major contributors to the transfer portal, including Tobi Osunsanmi (Indiana) and Chiddi Obiazor (Indiana).

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A 19-year coaching veteran who has presided over explosive offenses during his eight seasons as a coordinator, Sean Gleeson has been hired as Kansas State’s offensive coordinator, head coach Collin Klein announced Monday.

Gleeson comes to Manhattan from Missouri where he spent the last two seasons working with the Tiger quarterbacks.

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After a quiet day on Thursday, Kansas State football came away with three potential starters from the transfer portal on Friday.

Virginia cornerback Ja’Son Prevard and offensive linemen Tanner Morely (Colorado State) and Delvin Morris (Akron) joined the Wildcat roster for 2026 on Friday, according to reports. K-State also added Oklahoma State long-snapper Jaxson Duffield.

Prevard comes to K-State after a year as a Cavalier, where he was an All-ACC honorable mention pick, recording 24 tackles, three interceptions, and five passes defended.

The 6-foot-2, 199-pound, Atlantic City, New Jersey native started his career at FCS Morgan State (Maryland).

Morely, a 6-foot-7, 325-pound offensive lineman and Colorado native, spent the previous three seasons in Colorado Springs. He’s allowed one sack in his career and has three years of eligibility remaining.

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By Toby Hammes

College football’s transfer portal has made roster turnover feel inevitable. Players arrive, contribute, and often leave before anyone has time to learn much about them beyond a jersey number.

This week’s sprint to building a roster has shown us that K-State has been active in the portal, just like many teams, but a closer look at how the Wildcats are building suggests something more deliberate than a short-term shuffle.

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For the third day in a row, Kansas State football has gotten good returns out of the transfer portal.

The commitments of five new incoming Wildcats were announced on Wednesday, led by junior wide receiver Joshua Manning, a player whom K-State recruited heavily out of high school.

In addition to Manning, the Wildcats added Cal Poly (FCS) offensive lineman Charlie Adams, Coastal Carolina defensive end Jayden Bryant, Cincinnati defensive tackle Kamari Burns and Toledo kicker Robert Hammond III.

To read more, visit The Manhattan Mercury!

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By Tim Everson

After a blitz of incoming transfers on Monday, Kansas State kept the party going Tuesday morning with the addition of Louisiana Tech linebacker Mekhi Mason.

Mason, a native of Miami suburb Pemrboke Pines, started his career with two seasons at Syracuse before transferring to Ruston in 2024.

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It was a busy transfer day for the Wildcats on Monday, with seven new additions signing to play for Kansas State, including five players announced in the afternoon and evening.

Defensive tackle De’Arieun Hicks (Gardner-Webb), running back Rodney Fields Jr. (Oklahoma State), safety Koy Beasley (Miami of Ohio), linebacker Jacobi Oliphant Jr. (Oklahoma State) and safety Kaleb Patterson (Illinois) all signed to play for K-State in 2026.

The quintet brings K-State transfer total to nine so far, in addition to cornerback Keshawn Davila (cornerback), offensive lineman Keiton Jones (Missouri), wide receiver Izaiah Williams (Texas A&M) and punter Dylan Davidson (Emporia State).

Get more info on K-State’s portal class at The Manhattan Mercury!

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By K-State Athletics

Brian Lepak, who has had a hand in K-State’s offensive success since his arrival in 2021, will remain at Kansas State and move back to coaching the Wildcat tight ends, head coach Collin Klein announced Monday.

Lepak (pronounced luh-PACK) arrived in Manhattan in 2021 as a Senior Offensive Quality Control Coach and also tutored the Wildcat offensive line in 2025, while he spent the 2022 through 2024 seasons coaching the K-State tight ends.

“I am excited to continue to represent Kansas State University under Coach Klein’s leadership,” said Lepak. “I look forward to implementing Coach Klein’s vision and build on the tradition of this program.”

Lepak and Klein worked together on staff for three seasons, which included K-State’s 2022 Big 12 Championship campaign in 2022.

“Brian has worked tirelessly for this program since he has been here,” Klein said. “He is detailed, caring, competitive and one of the smartest coaches I have worked with at K-State. I am excited to have him continue to develop our tight ends.”

Lepak has found quick success during his first four years as a full-time coach for the Wildcats, tutoring tight end Ben Sinnott to All-Big 12 First Team accolades in both 2022 and 2023, while the Wildcats had two tight ends pick up All-Big 12 honors in 2024 in Garrett Oakley (second team) and Will Swanson (honorable mention). It was the first time since 1997 that the Wildcats had a pair of All-Big 12 tight ends in the same season, while Oakley’s second-team designation marked the first time in the Big 12 era that K-State had a first- or second-team all-conference tight end in three straight seasons.

In 2024, Lepak’s tight end unit combined for a nation-leading 13 touchdown receptions. Five of those came from Oakley, which tied for the second most in school history by a tight end and third by any sophomore. Oakley went on to break the school record for career receiving touchdowns by a tight end during the 2025 season (13), while he ranks fourth in catches (71) and fifth in yards (779).

Over his first two seasons tutoring the K-State tight ends, Lepak coached Sinnott to top-10 rankings nationally among the position group in receiving yards (third), receptions (fourth) and receiving touchdowns (tied for eighth). Sinnott left K-State by tying for the most career receiving touchdowns by a tight end (10) in addition to ranking third among the position in receptions (82) and fourth in receiving yards (1,138).

Under Lepak’s leadership, Sinnott had a banner year as a junior in 2023 as he earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from Phil Steele and was a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, the first player in school history to be named a semifinalist for the award that is presented annually to the nation’s top tight end. All Sinnott did was record the most single-season receptions (49), receiving yards (676) and receiving touchdowns (6) by a tight end in school history, marks that each ranked in the top five nationally among the position group. Sinnott was selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft – No. 53 overall – by the Washington Commanders, the highest-drafted tight end in school history.

In Lepak’s first season coaching the tight ends, Sinnott averaged 14.4 yards per catch to rank fourth nationally as he earned his first All-Big 12 honor. The K-State tight ends helped the Wildcats win the 2022 Big 12 title thanks to an offensive unit that ranked in the top 10 in school history in 11 categories, including ranking second in offensive yards (5,863) and plays (958), fourth in rushing yards (2,916) and fifth in yards per game (418.8).

While tutoring the offensive line in 2025, Lepak coached center Sam Hecht to All-Big 12 First Team honors in addition to receiving votes for the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year award, while tackle John Pastore was a second-team selection. Under Lepak’s guidance, the offensive line helped K-State rank fifth in school history by averaging 5.09 yards per carry, which included a school-record three rushes of at least 75 yards. One of those was an 80-yard rush at Utah during a school-record 472-yard rushing output, bettering a school record that had stood for 71 years.

During the game against the Utes, the Lepak’s unit blocked for a school record 293 rushing yards by Joe Jackson, bettering Darren Sproles’ mark set in 2004. In terms of pass protection, the Wildcats finished the 2025 season ranked 11th nationally in sacks allowed per game (1.08).

Lepak began his coaching career as an offensive graduate assistant at Indiana from 2014 through 2016, while he held the same position at Oklahoma from 2017 through 2019. He coached the spring of 2021 at Southern as the running game coordinator and offensive line coach before his first season in Manhattan in the fall of 2021.

A native of Claremore, Oklahoma, Lepak was an offensive lineman for two seasons at Colorado State before transferring to Oklahoma where he spent three years, including the 2010 Big 12 Championship season, while he was an Academic All-American that year.

After completing his playing career, Lepak was awarded the Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholar Award and attended law school at the University of Oklahoma College of Law where he was a member of the Oklahoma Law Review. He graduated in 2014 and was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar Association the same year. In addition to his law degree, he has dual degrees in Accounting and Finance from the OU Price College of Business where he was the Outstanding Senior in Accounting.

Lepak and his wife, Colleen, have four children, Thomas, Penelope, Luke and Margaret.

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Just a day after landing its first target of portal season Sunday afternoon, Kansas State added two more SEC transfers into the fold Monday morning.

According to reports from 247Sports, Texas A&M wide receiver Izaiah Williams and Missouri offensive lineman Keiton Jones are both headed to Manhattan to join the Wildcat roster in head coach Collin Klein’s inaugural season.

Jones was a four-star recruit in the class of 2025 from Coffeyville. The 6-foot-4, 333-pound interior offensive lineman played eight snaps in two appearances for Missouri last season and will have four years of eligibility.

To continue reading, visit the Manhattan Mercury!

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Kansas State football has its first commit of the transfer portal season.

On Sunday, former Arkansas cornerback Keshawn Davila became the first transfer portal addition of the Collin Klein era.

Davila follows new Wildcat assistant coach and co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson, who coached him in Fayetteville.

A native of Tampa, Fla., Davila was a four-star junior college prospect and the No. 2 overall Juco player coming out of Northwest Mississippi Community College heading into the 2025 season.

Finish the article at The Manhattan Mercury!

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There’s still quite a bit of uncertainty concerning the 2026 Kansas State football roster, but one thing is known: the Wildcats still have their quarterback.

On Friday afternoon, soon-to-be senior signal caller Avery Johnson announced on social media that he would be returning to K-State for his final collegiate season under new head coach Collin Klein.

“After a lot of prayer and conversations with my family, and talks with my coaches, I’ve made the decision to return to Kansas State for my final year,” Johnson said. “There is unfinished business here, and I’m not done yet. This place, this program and this fan base mean everything to me. The relationships I’ve built, the culture we’ve created, and the goals we still have ahead of us are too important to walk away from.

Read the rest at the Manhattan Mercury!

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Mike Schmidt, who has helped teams rank in the top 30 nationally in rushing offense multiple times in his 14 seasons as a full-time assistant coach, has been hired as the offensive line coach at Kansas State, head coach Collin Klein announced Friday.

Schmidt comes to K-State after working the past two seasons as the run game coordinator and offensive line coach at his alma mater, San Diego State. It was his second stint with the Aztecs as he also served as a graduate assistant from 2009 through 2011 and offensive line coach from 2012 through 2020.

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had Ward, who served as the Wildcats’ wide receivers coach during their 2022 Big 12 Championship season and has spent the last three seasons at Illinois, has been hired as Kansas State’s associate head coach and will tutor the wide receivers, head coach Collin Klein announced Friday.

Ward comes back to Manhattan after working the last three seasons at Illinois as the running backs coach, which included the title of assistant head coach during the final two years. Over the last two seasons, he helped lead the Illini to consecutive seasons with at least nine victories and back-to-back bowl wins for the first time in program history.

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Kansas State junior running back Antonio Martin Jr. plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, according to reports.

He becomes the latest Wildcat to explore options elsewhere during an active stretch of roster movement, which now totals 20 reports of planned entrances into the portal.

A late addition to the roster, Martin Jr. transferred to K-State in April after rushing for 1,228 yards in 2024 at Southeastern Louisiana. He worked into the Wildcats’ backfield rotation during the 2025 season, rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown.

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Jeremy Jacobs, an Army veteran who has worked at three Power 4 schools over the last 10 seasons, has been hired as Kansas State’s Director of Strength and Conditioning, head coach Collin Klein announced Tuesday.

After serving in the military – which included two combat rotations – Jacobs has worked in the collegiate space at four institutions, including the LSU, Duke and Texas A&M football programs.

“My family and I feel very blessed to be a part of the K-State Family,” Jacobs said in a statement. “Time to get to work!”

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An experienced skill position coach with eight years of work at Power 4 schools after a highly-successful stint as a high school head coach, Cory Patterson has been hired as Kansas State’s running backs coach, head coach Collin Klein announced Tuesday.

Patterson most recently coached the running backs during the 2025 season at Oklahoma State, while he also worked at Illinois coaching tight ends (2018-20) and running backs (2021-22), and he was the associate head coach and wide receivers coach at Purdue (2023-24).

“I am excited about the opportunity to do something special here at K-State,” Patterson said in a statement. “There has been a tradition of great running back play here, so we have to keep the party going!”

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A 24-year coaching veteran who has 13 years of coordinator experience, Jeremiah Johnson has been hired as a defensive backs coach at Kansas State, head coach Collin Klein announced Wednesday.

Johnson comes to Manhattan after serving one season as the defensive coordinator at Coastal Carolina in addition to being the Chanticleers’ interim head coach for the Independence Bowl against Louisiana Tech, which will be played next Tuesday.

“When Coach Klein called about joining his staff, it was a no-brainer,” Johnson, who worked with Klein during the 2016 season at Northern Iowa, said in a statement. “Having the opportunity to help him execute his vision for this program is exciting, and I am humbled and honored to work alongside one of the best coaches, leaders and humans in this business. It’s an added bonus that I am able to return to my home state. Nicki, Lane, Drew and I are so grateful to Collin and Shalin for bringing us on their journey and making us a part of their Wildcat Family. Team Johnson is fired up to get to Manhattan and get to work. Go Cats!”

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Kansas State football experienced some comings and goings over the Christmas holiday.

Sophomore cornerback Donovan McIntosh announced that he would be staying with the program after reports surfaced that he was leaving, while sophomore defensive lineman Chiddi Obiazor and senior defensive back Daniel Cobbs are entering the transfer portal, according to reports.

McIntosh, a St. Louis native, played in 10 games last season and was a starter in seven. He finished the year with 33 tackles, an interception and four pass breakups.

The sophomore announced that he would be staying in Manhattan in a post on social media Friday.

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It’s early, but new Kansas State head coach Collin Klein is getting high marks from athletics director Gene Taylor for how he’s handled a tricky transition period to start his tenure.

The Mercury sat down with Taylor earlier this month for a wide-ranging conversation which will feature in multiple articles in the near future.

Klein was officially introduced as the Wildcats new head coach on Dec. 5, just days following Chris Klieman’s retirement. In the time since, Klein has been boomeranging from Manhattan to College Station, Texas, starting the process of player retention and building a coaching staff at K-State, while also fulfilling his offensive coordinator duties at Texas A&M, helping the Aggies prepare for their opening-round College Football Playoff game versus Miami.

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A day after the official hiring of Jordan Peterson as Kansas State’s new defensive coordinator, head coach Collin Klein announced two more additions to the defensive staff.

Linebackers coach Nick Toth and defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson round out the main defensive assistants on Klein’s inaugural staff, along with Peterson (safeties) and Buddy Wyatt (defensive line).

Toth comes to Manhattan from Air Force where he served the last four seasons as the Falcons’ safeties coach.

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Kansas State is losing its top defender to the transfer portal.

Linebacker Austin Romaine is entering the transfer portal, according to a multiple national reports Monday afternoon.

The junior from Hillsboro, Mo., has been a dominant presence in the middle of K-State’s defense, wracking up 162 tackles over the last two seasons, including 66 and seven tackles for loss in just nine games played in 2025. He’s been a starter the past three seasons for the Wildcats.

A two-time All-Big 12 second team selection and a honorable mention pick for the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2023, Romaine injured his hand midway through this past season and played with a cast on his hand before having season-ending surgery following K-State’s home loss to Texas Tech.

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From K-State sports

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Jordan Peterson, an experienced defensive backs coach who has five years of coordinator experience and spent six years on Big 12 staffs, has been hired as Kansas State’s defensive coordinator and will work with the Wildcat defensive backs, head coach Collin Klein announced Sunday.

Peterson comes from his alma mater, Texas A&M, where he served alongside Klein as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach each of the past two seasons.

“I am extremely excited to accept this position at Kansas State and join Coach Klein and the Wildcat program,” Peterson said. “Kansas State is a special place with a proud football tradition. My family and I are looking forward to the opportunity to return to the great state of Kansas and lead the K-State defense. I am also very thankful to Texas A&M and Coach Elko for an incredible two years and for the support and relationships that mean so much to our family. EMAW!”

A native of Lexington, Texas, Peterson is entering his third stint in the Big 12 having served as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M in 2010 and 2011 – the Aggies’ final two years in the conference – in addition to being a defensive assistant at Kansas from 2020 through 2023.

“Jordan is the entire package – an elite strategist and recruiter, and he develops relationships with his players,” Klein said. “His players play incredibly hard for him and continually get better. I am excited for him to be the leader of our defense.”

Peterson helped guide Texas A&M to an 11-2 record and a trip to the College Football Playoff in 2025. Texas A&M leads the nation in third down defense (22.9%), while the Aggies rank second in sacks (3.31 per game), third in tackles for loss (8.5 per game), 16th in passing yards allowed (176.6 per game) and first down defense (205), 19th in total defense (307.4 per game), and 22nd in fourth down defense (41.2%).

Peterson’s defensive backs were responsible for 24 pass breakups this past season, which included a combined 14 from starting cornerbacks Will Lee III and Dezz Ricks. Additionally, safety Marcus Ratcliffe ranked second on the team with 66 tackles and another safety, Dalton Brooks, had 5.5 tackles for loss.

In his first season on staff at Texas A&M in 2024, Peterson helped the Aggies earn an 8-5 record – including a program-best 5-0 start to SEC play – and an appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl. He oversaw a secondary that played a key role in the Aggies ranking 14th nationally with 16 interceptions, while Texas A&M tied for fifth in the country with 76 total passes defended. Of the 16 interceptions, 13 came from Peterson’s defensive backs, including three from BJ Mayes to tie for fourth in the SEC.

Peterson tutored Lee III to 2024 All-SEC Second Team accolades as he ranked fifth in the conference with 10 pass breakups and was in the top five on the team with 42 tackles, including a team-best 39 solo stops.

Prior to his time at Texas A&M, Peterson worked four seasons at Kansas as the safeties coach (2020, 2022), senior defensive analyst (2021) and defensive passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach (2023). During his time in Lawrence, Peterson mentored four All-Big 12 selections, including two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection Cobee Bryant. Bryant and Mello Dotson, an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honoree, combined for seven interceptions in 2023, the most by a Kansas duo since 2007. Dotson returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns, doing so in back-to-back games as he became the first player in school history with a pick-six in consecutive games.

In 2022, Peterson helped the Jayhawks qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2008. That season, Bryant finished with three interceptions and nine pass breakups, ranking fifth in the conference with 12 passes defended in league play, while he totaled 38 tackles on the year.

Peterson joined Kansas’ staff as the safeties coach in 2020 when he guided Kenny Logan Jr. a team-high two interceptions and 58 tackles.

Peterson went to Kansas from New Mexico where he earned a promotion each season. Originally joining the Lobo staff as a safeties coach, Peterson was the defensive pass game coordinator in 2018 before running the UNM defense in 2019. In his first two seasons at New Mexico, Peterson’s safeties paced the squad in tackles as Jake Rothschiller (2017) and Stanley Barnwell Jr. (2018) each had a team-leading 76 stops.

The longest stint in Peterson’s career came at Fresno State where, like other stops, he received multiple promotions. During his time with the Bulldogs, he coached eight All-Mountain West honorees, four of which earned first-team designations.

Beginning as the secondary coach in 2012, Peterson helped the Bulldogs to a 9-4 record as they ranked second nationally in pass defense (167.15 yards per game) and fourth in pass efficiency defense (100.80). He also mentored safety Phillip Thomas to Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors. Fresno State then won the 2013 Mountain West title and a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl before he coached the outside linebackers and served as the recruiting coordinator in 2015 and 2016.

Peterson received his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M in 2010 and 2011, the Aggies’ final two seasons in the Big 12. He was a four-year letterwinner for Texas A&M from 2006 to 2009 as a safety and punt returner, recording 81 career tackles to go along with 15 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and four interceptions, one of which he returned 48 yards for a touchdown. He also led the team with 14 punt returns for 108 yards in 2007. A three-time Academic All-Big 12 performer, Peterson was an Academic All-Region selection in 2008.

Peterson received his bachelor’s degree in sport management from Texas A&M in 2009 in addition to his master’s degree in education curriculum and instruction in 2010. He and his wife, Missy, have three daughters, Ellie, Emery and Everly.

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Familiar ties abounded in Wednesday’s NJCAA D1 Football National Championship game between Hutchinson Community College and Iowa Western at West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas.

The Blue Dragons fell short, losing 28-10 to the Reivers, ending their magical undefeated season and push for back-to-back national titles.

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Kansas State defensive end Ryan Davis intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal, per national reports on Wednesday, becoming the latest Wildcat to depart as the program navigates a roster movement in the wake of coaching change.

Davis’ decision came after fellow former Wildcats Jayce Brown and Donovan McIntosh entered the portal earlier Wednesday, adding to a growing list of departures during a period of transition for the program. The transfer is the 15th reported this season.

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By Tim Everson

Kansas State’s top pass catcher and playmaker is headed to the transfer portal.

Junior wide receiver Jayce Brown is leaving Manhattan for his senior season, the star wide-out announced on social media Tuesday evening.

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A seven-year coaching staff member who has tutored Wildcat defensive ends to 10 All-Big 12 honors, Buddy Wyatt will remain on staff to coach the Kansas State defensive line, head coach Collin Klein announced Monday.

Wyatt has coached at K-State since 2019 and guided players to All-Big 12 First Team honors on five occasions.

“I appreciate Collin placing his trust in me,” Wyatt said. “Kansas State has a strong tradition and culture, and I am excited to be a part of this staff. I look forward to helping our players and this program succeed.”

Wyatt worked alongside Klein in each of his first five seasons in Manhattan.

“Buddy has a tremendous track record of developing young men,” Klein said. “I have always admired how he built genuine relationships with players and staff. He is of the highest character, and I am very excited he will be with us moving forward.”

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A $5 million buyout and and a $6.5 million salary pool for assistant coaches are just two highlights from new Kansas State head coach Collin Klein’s contract, which the athletics department released on Wednesday.

As previously announced, Klein’s deal runs for five years and will have a base salary of $4.1 million for the 2026 season. That amount will increase by $100,000 for the next four seasons.

That ranks 10th in the Big 12, and is higher than the two other new hires in the conference: Iowa State’s Jimmy Rogers ($3 million) and Oklahoma State’s Eric Morris ($3.8 million).

If the Wildcats win six or more games in any of those four seasons, that will trigger up to two automatic extensions.

With the two auto-extensions, Klein’s deal equals $30.8 million before any bonuses.

Since Klein is starting before the start of 2026, he’ll be paid a prorated base salary calculated using the $4.1 million for the 2026-27 school year.

If Klein were to leave before the end of the contract for any reason, the buy-out owed to K-State would be $5 million if he leaves before Dec. 31, 2026. That amount decreases by $1 million if he leaves before Dec. 31 of the next three years, and then drops to $1 million if he leaves anytime from Jan. 1, 2030, to Dec. 1, 2030. After Dec. 1, 2030, the buyout drops to $0.

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By Tim Everson

New Kansas State head coach Collin Klein has locked in on the first two members of his inaugural coaching staff, according to reports.

Trey Scott, a former Wildcat quarterback and graduate of Mill Valley High School, has been picked as Klein’s general manager, according to reports from On3 and CBSSports. CBSSports also reported that Texas A&M tight ends coach Christian Ellsworth is set to follow Klein to in Manhattan.

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By Tim Everson

Kansas State is officially declining its bowl bid, athletics director Gene Taylor announced in a statement released Sunday morning.

“Following our recent coaching change and conversations with our player leadership and Commissioner (Brett) Yormark, I determined that we will not accept a bowl invitation on Sunday,” Taylor said in a statement. “This decision was not taken lightly, but with our coaching staff transition and several uncertainties regarding player availability, I felt it was not in our best interest to try to field a team that was not representative of Kansas State University.

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By Tim Everson

Kansas State’s potential bowl fate is still up in the air just a couple of days following the sudden retirement of former head coach Chris Klieman.

Athletics director Gene Taylor spoke to the media following the introductory press conference of new head coach Collin Klein on Friday and said that, despite some national reports stating the Wildcats have declined their bowl bid, K-State is still in the process of making a decision.

“We’re still working through it, to be honest with you,” Taylor said. “I didn’t have a team meeting. I talked to the leadership. We didn’t have a vote. We kind of got a sense (of where things are with the team). I texted with Coach Kleiman this morning, and now I’ve got to talk to the Big 12. I haven’t had a chance to do that, just to kind of let them know where we are and then see where they are. So I’ve still got a little more work to do, but I’m just kind of working through it right now.”

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One of the greatest players in school history will return to lead the Wildcats on the sidelines, as Collin Klein has been named the next head football coach at Kansas State, athletics director Gene Taylor announced Thursday.

A 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist and member of K-State Football’s Ring of Honor, Klein is now in his 12th year in coaching, nine of which have come at K-State. Klein will be introduced to the public Friday in a welcome event at Morgan Family Arena. Doors open at 3 p.m., with the ceremony beginning at 4 p.m. It will also be streamed live on ESPN+.

“We are excited to welcome one of our all-time greats back home to Manhattan,” Taylor said in a statement. “Collin is a tremendous leader who cares deeply about his players. The grit, toughness and aggression he displayed as a player still fuels him today as a coach, and he is determined to carry on the tremendous success this program has achieved. As we know, college football has changed, and I am confident that Collin is ready to embrace this new model while maintaining the culture that we know as K-State Football. Welcome home, Collin, Shalin, Beric, Rhett, Trek and Briar.”

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By Ned Seaton

Collin Klein will be introduced as the new K-State football coach Friday, and the plan is to have him appear Saturday afternoon at the men’s basketball game at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Mercury has learned from sources close to the situation that, while the exact logistics were still getting worked out Thursday, the basic plan is set. Klein, who’s currently in College Station to coach Texas A&M into the college football playoffs, will be in Manhattan Friday and Saturday.

No details are yet available about a contract, although it’s expected to be in the $4 million range. Chris Klieman, the outgoing coach, was making $5.25 million. Klein was making $1.6 million as the offensive coordinator at A&M. There’s no buyout provision in his contract if he leaves to take a FBS head-coaching position.

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By Ned Seaton

Chris Klieman is set to retire as the K-State football coach as early as today, and his replacement is already lined up: Collin Klein.

The Manhattan Mercury has learned that the coaching transition is to be announced this week. No press conference had been announced as of early Wednesday, but the transition is expected to take effect this week.

Klieman, 58, just completed his seventh season at K-State, compiling a 54-37 record, winning the Big 12 Championship in 2022. The Wildcats will play in an as-yet-undetermined bowl game this year, having gone 6-6 in the regular season.

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