Kansas State has officially announced Chris Klieman as its next head coach, sending the press release out on Tuesday night.
But before Klieman could be announced as the new K-State head coach, he first had to be offered and accept the job. The Wildcats did an interesting thing by recording the actual call between AD Gene Taylor and Klieman, who took the call -- and, thus, the K-State head job -- while at practice with his North Dakota State team.
Taylor: "So, I have a question for you."
Klieman: "Yeah."
Taylor: "How would you like to be the next head football coach at Kansas State University?"
Klieman: "I'd be so jacked to be the next head football coach at Kansas State. I'd be so thrilled to be that."
Go inside the call of a lifetime below.
Monday night's call comes nearly five years after Taylor gave Klieman his first Division I head coaching job, promoting him to the North Dakota State head job after Craig Bohl announced he was taking the Wyoming job.
Klieman more than rewarded that faith, racking up a 67-6 record with three national championships and perhaps one more on the way; Bison host rival South Dakota State on Friday night with a trip to the FCS National Championship on the line. That success led Klieman to take what he called Monday night an "absolute dream job."
"This is an absolute dream job," Klieman said in a statement. "I'm so happy and thrilled to follow a legend in Coach Snyder. I've followed him from afar, went to his camps while playing in Waterloo, Iowa, and played against his Kansas State team when I was at Northern Iowa. The opportunity to follow in an icon's footsteps is something I don't take for granted and don't take lightly. I know I have huge shoes to fill, and I'm excited to carry on his legacy. I have prepared my entire life for this opportunity and had great experiences at many institutions, most notably North Dakota State where we've had unmatched success over the last eight years. I can't express how pleased I am and thank President Myers, Gene Taylor and the search committee for trusting in me and handing over the keys to this great program."