K-State's Klieman signs new $44M contract

MANHATTAN (KSNT) - Kansas State University's Head Football Coach Chris Klieman has signed a new contract on Monday.

Ryan Lackey with K-State said the Klieman has signed a new eight-year contract with the football team, putting him at the top of the program through the 2030 season. Klieman previously led the Wildcats to a Big 12 Championship in 2022 and is entering his fifth year in Manhattan. He will be paid an average base salary of $5.5 million throughout his contract, amounting to $44 million.

“Chris has done an unbelievable job building a program in four years that not only has won a Big 12 Championship, but even more importantly, one that players have taken great pride in and helped sustain a championship culture,” K-State Director of Athletics Gene Taylor said. “He is a tremendous fit for K-State and Manhattan, and we want to continue to ride the momentum that he and his staff have fostered. We are excited that Chris will be the leader of our football program for many years to come.”

Klieman holds a 30-20 record at the university, according to Lackey. This includes a 10-4 record last season when the Wildcats won the 2022 Big 12 Championship with a 31-28 overtime victory over No. 3 TCU. This was K-State's third Big 12 title and the first since 2012 and it was the team's first 10-win season in a decade.

The Wildcats ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press (AP) poll since Klieman took over in 2018, according to Lackey.

“I am extremely appreciative of Dr. Richard Linton and Gene Taylor for their phenomenal support of our football program,” Klieman said. “What we have been able to accomplish in our first four years here is due to the culture that our players and staff have been able to create. I am excited to continue to lead this football program and put a product on the field each year that can compete at the highest level. We have what we need here at K-State to consistently win at a high level – administrative support, unbelievable facilities and the best fans in the country – and my family and I are grateful to be a part of the Wildcat family.”