Texas A&M football assistant on ESPN’s list of possible “next Nick Sabans”
A bright young assistant for Texas A&M football received some flowers in a recent article from the Worldwide Leader.
Texas A&M football’s Collin Klein named as a coach who could take over college football by ESPN’s Bill Connelly
When Texas A&M football made their offensive coordinator hire, bringing in Collin Klein of Kansas State, there was a lot of excitement in College Station. After all, this was a young coach with a strong recruiting reputation and a commitment to the modern era of football. What’s not to like?
I don’t think, though, that anyone was as high on him as ESPN’s Bill Connelly apparently is. In a column published today, Connelly named Klein as one of the thirty coaches in the sport poised to possibly be the “next Nick Saban”; in other words, a guy who could soon rule the college football landscape.
Saban and Harbaugh are gone. CFB coaching is kind of a younger man's (well, 50-and-under) game now. I looked at 30 coaches who could define the sport's next decade, from the obvious (hello, Kirby) to the less obvious (SOMEONE HIRE MODERN-DAY ERK RUSSELL).https://t.co/d1X4Ic2mYg
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) April 10, 2024
Now, I personally don’t think there is a “next Nick Saban.” What the GOAT accomplished stands out precisely because of its unprecedented nature. I don’t think there’s someone waiting in the wings who will stake a claim to rival Saban; you don’t always go from Jordan right to LeBron, in other words.
Even so, Connelly makes some good points about Klein in particular. His meteoric rise in Manhattan from graduate assistant to QBs coach to OC, where he oversaw a prolific unit for the Wildcats, does not go unnoticed by Connelly.
As Connelly states, “if [Klein] can give the Aggies their first top-15 offense since the Johnny Manziel years, he’ll be both coaching in the CFP and fielding lots of calls.” High expectations for the young gun, but Connelly is on target here.The Aggie defense should be stellar this year; if Klein can harness the offensive skill on campus, it will be one of the more visible turnarounds in the country, and there will be no shortage of teams ready to offer him a head job sooner rather than later.
Mike Elko himself earned an honorable mention as an established coach who could be on the list. Of course, he’s only got a total of 2 years at the head level under his belt, and last season’s Duke squad petered out with some injuries in November. Still, if he leads the Aggies to the aforementioned CFP berth, you can bet that he will be headlining lists very similar to this one soon enough.
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