Late last week, we shared that the Kansas State search was zeroing in on NDSU coach Chris Klieman. Tonight, Klieman got the job. He's expected to coach NDSU through their playoff run, Bruce Feldman adds.
Jake Trotter is
Done deal with Kansas State and North Dakota State head coach Chris Klieman, sources told ESPN. Six-year deal paying him $2.3 million a year with $200K annual raises. @BruceFeldmanCFB first reported K-State was nearing deal with Klieman.
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) December 11, 2018
">reporting a 6-year deal has been finalized, worth $2.3 million annually to start off with $200,000 annual raises. At NDSU Klieman made just over $300,000 per year.
This marks the second time that athletic director Gene Taylor has tabbed Klieman to lead a football program he's overseeing. The first came while the two were still at NDSU after Craig Bohl left for the head coaching job at Wyoming.
Klieman's Bison have rolled to a 67-6 record under his guidance, along with three national titles. The program's most recent win coming in a dominating fashion in the FCS quarterfinals against a Colgate defense that was one of the best units in all of college football, giving up just a touchdown per game on average. NDSU dominated from the onset to the tune of a 35-0 victory.
Klieman becomes just the third head coach of the program in nearly three decades, with Snyder overseeing the program in Manhattan for 27 of those years (during two different stints), and Ron Prince (the new head coach at FCS Howard) as the head coach for the other three.
Once K-State makes Klieman's hire official, it will mark filling of the final Power 5 job on the market, with Akron, Appalachian State, and Temple still open as early signing day quickly approaches.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
Update: The school has announced the hire.