As Kansas State football prepares to bounce back from a rollercoaster 2025 season, it's going to need all hands on deck. The program reeled in Collin Klein to lead the way, but the staff behind him will be just as important, especially being all new to the institution.
CBS Sports analyzed every major coordinator move across the nation, spotlighting Kansas State defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson and offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson.
"Collin Klein returns to Manhattan as head coach and will serve as the primary play caller for the Wildcats' offense, while Sean Gleeson joins as offensive coordinator after stops at Missouri, Rutgers, and Oklahoma State. On the defensive side, Jordan Peterson was hired as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, returning to the Big 12 after successful stints at Texas A&M, Kansas, New Mexico, and Fresno State. He was the Aggies' co-defensive coordinator in 2024-25," the article wrote.
Peterson was Texas A&M's defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator for the past two seasons, working on the opposite end of Klein in College Station, TX. He coached in the state a few years ago, serving as Kansas's safeties coach and defensive pass game coordinator from 2020 to 2023. Peterson also served multiple positions at Fresno State (2012-16) and New Mexico (2017-19).
He will be tasked with revamping a defensive unit that was gashed for much of the season, and without several of the Wildcats former stars in the process.
Meanwhile, Gleeson was the quarterbacks' coach for Missouri over the last two seasons. He has experience at Oklahoma State, Rutgers, Princeton, and Northwestern, holding various offensive coordinator and senior offensive analyst roles. He replaces Matt Wells, whose play-calling was detested by Wildcats fans, as they started as one of the worst in the conference.
These coordinators, as well as several veteran assistants, were brought in to contribute to Klein's ambitions of becoming a conference juggernaut again.
"We’re gonna start fast and finish faster," Klein said in an interview with KCSN. "In today’s world of college football, you have one year to develop this team. We're gonna maximize every opportunity to the fullest, and we’re going to attack it right from the jump. The only way that you get better at playing football is by playing football. We’re gonna utilize every inch of capacity."
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