Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman has signed a lucrative new deal that will keep him under contract with the Wildcats until the end of the decade.
The Wildcats and Klieman have finalized a deal that will pay him an average salary of $5.5 million over the next eight seasons and extend his contract through 2030.
K-State formally announced the contract for Klieman on Monday.
The school rewarded him after he led the Wildcats to 10 wins and a Big 12 championship last season. Overall, Klieman has gone 30-20 during his four years in Manhattan.
“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 athletic director Gene Taylor said in a statement. “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.”
Taylor and Klieman have been working on an extension for several months and they reached the finish line in the middle of May.
Though K-State did not have a copy of Klieman’s contract ready to share with media on Monday morning, the deal has been signed by both parties. A copy of the contract is expected to be released in the near future, according to a university spokesperson.
“I am extremely appreciative of Dr. Richard Linton and Gene Taylor for their phenomenal support of our football program,” Klieman said in a statement. “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.”
A new contract became a major priority for the Wildcats after Klieman led them to impressive heights last season. Though Klieman has shown no interest in other jobs, this deal should make it harder than ever for any other school to lure him away from Manhattan.
This is yet another sign of the commitment that K-State is showing to Klieman and his coaching staff. Last month, the Wildcats rewarded all of Klieman’s assistant coaches with new contracts that raised their collective salaries nearly $1 million. Coordinators Collin Klein and Joe Klanderman are both making $825,000 per year.
Klieman was set to make $3.6 million in salary during the 2023 season. That number will increase to $4.5 million under his new deal and escalate from there, according to sources. His salary will climb to $6.5 million over the course of eight years and it will eventually average out at $5.5 million.
A salary of $4.5 million will rank in the top half of the Big 12, behind Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State), Steve Sarkisian (Texas), Brent Venables (Oklahoma) and Lance Leipold (Kansas). Gundy is the Big 12’s highest paid coach at $7.5 million.
But Klieman’s salary will rank near the top of the Big 12 as his salary increases with time.
Klieman is entering his fifth season with K-State since making the jump from North Dakota State, where he helped the Bison win four FCS championships. He is off to a 30-20 start with the Wildcats. He has posted three winning seasons in Manhattan and led K-State to three bowl games, including an appearance in the Sugar Bowl last season.
