Collin Klein has been part of Big 12 titles at Kansas State as a Heisman Trophy-finalist quarterback and an assistant coach. Now 36, he is leading the Wildcats again.
With Klein, the Wildcats were one of four Big 12 schools with a new head coach during spring practice.
Only a day after Chris Klieman’s unexpected decision in December to retire after a 6-6 season, the Wildcats brought home the beloved Klein after two seasons away as offensive coordinator
at Texas A&M, which reached the College Football Playoff last year.
“We have to get this program from A to B, and how we have to get it done (is) the fastest, most efficient, and provide the best opportunity for our players,” said Klein, the QB when the Wildcats shared the league title in 2012, and the OC when they won the Big 12 championship game 10 years later. “That’s the mindset that I look through, trying to do my job better and better every single day for them.”
Like K-State, Utah didn’t need long or have to look far for its new coach after an unplanned change. Kyle Whittingham surprisingly announced in December that he was stepping down after 21 seasons leading the Utes. Two weeks later, he became Michigan’s coach.
The Utes needed only a day to promote Morgan Scalley from defensive coordinator, his role the past 10 seasons for Whittingham after first joining his staff in 2007 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater.
Iowa State also lost its coach to the Big Ten when Matt Campbell left after 10 seasons for Penn State. The Cyclones hired 39-year-old Jimmy Rogers, who won an undefeated FCS national championship at South Dakota State in 2023 while coaching his alma mater. He was 6-6 his only season at Washington State last year.
“You’re in a new location, you have to be willing to adapt,” said Rogers, whose 53 transfers in Ames included 16 he brought with him from Washington State. “It’s just being open-minded, keeping the main thing the main thing and try to make this a player-led program. But at the same time, there’s got to be structure for it to be a player-led program.”
Oklahoma State went through its first spring practice in a quarter-century without Mike Gundy, who last September was fired three games into his 21st season as head coach at his alma mater.
Eric Morris took over the Cowboys after North Texas got in The Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time since 1959 and made the American Athletic Conference championship game, where a loss to Tulane kept the Mean Green from making the 12-team CFP field.
Brendan Sorsby is among the returning quarterbacks in the Big 12, but left Cincinnati for defending league champion and CFP team Texas Tech after Behren Morton exhausted his eligibility. Sorsby threw for 2,800 yards and 27 TDs last season.
Noah Fifita is a rarity, going into his fifth season with Arizona, and Avery Johnson will be in his fourth at Kansas State. Devon Dampier is back at Utah, and BYU’s Bear Bachmeier was the Big 12’s top freshman last season when he had 3,033 yards passing.
Drew Mestemaker, the national passing leader last season as a freshman with 4,379 yards, went with Morris from North Texas to Oklahoma State. Texas native DJ Lagway transferred to Baylor after two injury-hampered years at Florida.
Three starting QBs from the Sun Belt transferred into the Big 12: Jaylen Raynor is at Iowa State after 8,694 yards and 52 TDs passing the past three seasons at Arkansas State. New Cincinnati QB JC French had 5,760 yards and 37 TDs at Georgia Southern the past two seasons, the same span that UCF's Alonza Barnett had 5,404 yards with 49 TDs passing at James Madison. Iowa State lost Rocco Becht, who went with Campbell to Penn State, and Tayven Jackson transferred from UCF to North Texas.
Arizona had two transfers and two freshmen competing to replace Sam Leavitt, who transferred to LSU.
After a 3-9 record in Deion Sanders’ third season, Colorado has two new coordinators: Chris Marve on defense and Brennan Marion bringing in a new offense he calls the “Go-Go” system. Marion’s scheme emphasizes creativity and speed and should fit the skills of QB Julian Lewis, still classified as a freshman after starting two of his four games last season.
The Big 12 will have its second consecutive season opener in Ireland, where TCU plays North Carolina on Aug. 29.
Iowa State beat Kansas State 24-21 in the Aer Lingus Classic last August.
TCU opened last season with 48-14 win at North Carolina in a prime-time Labor Day game featuring Super Bowl champion coach Bill Belichick’s debut with the Tar Heels. The Horned Frogs no longer have QB Josh Hoover, now the expected successor to Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza at national champion Indiana.
AP College Football Writer Eric Olson, AP sports writers Pat Graham, John Marshall and Dave Skretta, and AP freelance writer John Coon contributed to this report.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
