With Kansas State in the middle of a bizarro Christmas where they got to unwrap their big gift on December 1, can’t play with it until after the New Year, there has been surprisingly little to talk about
when it comes to the football program. Coach Klein has made a few obvious additions to his Wildcat staff, while his attention is mainly focused on preparation for Texas A&M’s game against Miami on Saturday, but it’s all been low-hanging fruit. That’s a good thing. Sometimes the best choices are also the most obvious choices.
Even though there hasn’t been much in terms of official news, I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen thus far. I have some thoughts on what makes a good coaching staff that I’ll share after Coach Klein completes his, but I had a front-row seat to the Jeff Brohm-to-Ryan Walters transition, and it has to rank among the worst in modern college football. Purdue went from playing in the Big Ten Championship Game against Michigan to a two-season conference losing streak over the last three seasons.
To be fair to Ryan Walters, and I do not want to be fair to Ryan Walters, he inherited a crumbling foundation from Jeff Brohm. Yes, Purdue was coming off an appearance in the Big 10 Championship game, but that was mainly due to an incredibly favorable schedule. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but it almost seems like Coach Brohm set his team up to cash in so he could cash out and land the Louisville job with little regard to building anything sustainable in West Lafayette. I tried to warn everyone, but my pleas were drowned out by the sheer ecstasy involved with a nine-win Purdue season.
Walters stepped into a tough job as a first-time coach and immediately made things exponentially worse. I started to sweat as soon as his staff began to take shape. It was clear he was hiring guys because they were available, and not because they were the right fit for the program. That happens sometimes when a young coordinator is thrust into a head coaching role before he’s built up the requisite coaching contacts. I’m pretty sure everyone on the staff had to wear “Hi, My Name Is…” nametags during the first week of Spring practice. Ryan Walters needed his staff to be on the same page from day one, but they didn’t even know which book they were supposed to be reading.
What resulted was a convoluted mess that culminated in Walters panicking and making a bad situation into one of the dumbest things I’ve seen a college football coach attempt. In his first season as head coach, he stripped his defensive coordinator of play-calling duties midway through the season and took over the job himself. At least that made sense. He got the Purdue job for his ability to call a defense. I didn’t love it, and it didn’t help Purdue win six games, but it was understandable.
In the second and final season as head coach, he stripped his offensive coordinator of play-calling duties, relinquished defensive playcalling to the guy he demoted the previous season, and took over as offensive coordinator, despite never having called an offensive play in his coaching career. To no one’s surprise, Walters’s tenure as a head coach was brief, and he was back to calling defensive plays for the Washington Huskies this season. It sounds like he may be headed to Knoxville to call the Vols’ defense next season. He might be one of those guys who is a good coordinator and should remain one. Let’s consider him the Josh McDaniels of college football.
Ryan Walters was destined to fail at Purdue the moment he hired a coaching staff he didn’t trust. When the going got tough, he felt like the only solution was to do the job himself. Essentially, that’s a confession of head coaching incompetence. Purdue didn’t hire him to be the all-time coordinator to let him live out his EA Sports College Football Dynasty fantasies. They brought him in as the head coach, and one of the head coach’s critical responsibilities is hiring a trustworthy staff. He didn’t get the job done, and now Barry Odom is tasked with cleaning up his mess.
Trust seems to be a requisite bullet point on any resume that passes through Coach Klein’s hands early in the staff building process. His first move was to bring in Trey Scott as his general manager. I don’t exactly know how to evaluate the hiring of a college football general manager, but I like this quote from Trey:
“I have had a long career in football, but this is different – this is Family, and this is home,” Scott said. “I am excited to work with quality people and be aggressive in this era of opportunity. Thank you to Coach Klein for trusting me to help advance our program. I can’t wait for my wife and kids to become a part of this special community.”
I assume he’ll be joined by Mr. EMAW himself, Taylor Braet. I don’t have a source for this, but it’s rumored that Taylor has handcuffed himself to the Bill Snyder statue and is refusing to leave until they find him a job on the incoming staff (the rumors are coming from inside my head). It sounds like Coach Klein has a couple of guys he can rely on to help him navigate the ever-changing landscape of college football rosters.
I know a little more about Special Teams Coordinator Stanton Weber because I know what a Special Teams Coordinator does for a football team. Weber, like Trey Scott, is a former Wildcat returning to the Flint Hills after holding the same role at Toledo the last three seasons. According to the Kansas State press release, he “was named a finalist for the Special Teams Coordinator of the year by Football Scoop in addition to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 35 Under 35 Leadership Institute.”
This seems like another step in the right direction after shaky special teams plagued the squad over the last two seasons. Special teams have historically been a staple of the Wildcat football program. Bringing back Weber, who was a part of that legacy in Manhattan, is a welcome addition to the coaching staff.
Earlier today, it was announced that Coach Buddy Wyatt would be retained as the defensive line coach. It’s another move that makes sense. Coach Wyatt has produced some high-level defensive linemen during his time in Manhattan and brings a wealth of coaching experience. He’s the type of old head a young coach needs in the locker room. When Coach Wyatt talks, everyone shuts up and listens. His statement in the press release announcing his retention was short, sweet, and to the point:
“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.”
There’s the word again, trust.
I’m sure y’all are aware of the rumors regarding other potential staff moves. I don’t leak information from behind paywalls, but everyone I’ve seen tied to the Klein staff either has deep ties to Kansas State, Coach Klein, or both. That’s how you build in Manhattan, Kansas. The whole of this team has to be greater than the sum of its assembled parts, and putting together a coaching staff that is not only passionate about college football but also passionate about Kansas State Wildcat football.
I’m not sure if it works out, but it’s a great place to start. One thing I can guarantee is that at no point in the next two seasons will Collin Klein declare himself the defensive coordinator. In terms of coaching floors, he’s already ahead of Ryan Walters.
