Texas A&M fans enjoying the festivities of the early signing period, as the new Aggie class continues to roll in, were given a shock when the news broke this morning that Collin Klein is apparently in line to replace Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman in the Little Apple.
Local Manhattan, KS newspaper The Mercury is reporting that Klein is already lined up to return to his alma mater, where he was the offensive coordinator before defecting to College Station. He joined Mike Elko in his first year in Aggieland after working his way up the ranks at K-State, but now with Klieman on the way out, Klein— who has been a very hot name this cycle— is headed back home.
Aggie fans had been worried that Klein, who has coordinated one of the best Aggie offenses we've seen in recent memory this year, may head to a spot like Oklahoma State or North Texas, but both of those were filled, giving the A&M faithful what was apparently a false sense of security. Now, though, Klein is headed to the one opportunity that A&M fans feared most that he may leave for: back in Manhattan.
Texas A&M OC Collin Klein reportedly leaving College Station to head back to Kansas State as head coach
The big question now for Aggie fans, besides who the new man in the OC chair will be, is whether Klein will stay in College Station to see through this playoff run. My guess is yes, though nothing is official yet.
There is a press conference scheduled for today where Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko will discuss the early signing period, and he will no doubt be asked about those reports. Since nothing is official, I'm not sure we'll get a lot from that, but there's an opportunity for some clarity there.
Klein has been much-maligned by one section of the fanbase in his short two years here, but the results he's gotten— especially with a very injured team at the end of last year— are hard to argue with. It will be hard to replace him with an OC of the same caliber, but I have full faith in Mike Elko.
This story will be updated as it develops.