Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor still has most of the emails that accuse him of hiring a drinking buddy to be the head football coach.
North Dakota State won the national championship at the rate most people pay taxes.
In his five years as North Dakota State's head coach, he only did one thing: win four national titles. That was not the story when he became a Power 5 head coach.
What the hell are you doing? Taylor laughs.
Not only did he arrive in Manhattan, Kansas, with no experience as a full-time assistant or head coach, but he was also replacing a legendary coach.
"It only takes one guy to believe in you and say, 'He can get it done,' whether you're at North Dakota State, Kansas State or anywhere else," he said of Taylor, who had been hired a year and a half earlier. Gene wasn't concerned about winning the press conference. Many people think they have to win the press conference. I think I did not win the press conference. I am aware that I did not win the press conference.
In his fourth season, he was able to win the Big 12 title, which was only the fourth conference title won by the Cats.
"I know there were doubts, but I never doubted that our success at North Dakota State could translate to success at the Power 5 level," said the coach.
Win up to $1 million with your bowl picks. Pick your favorites.
Don't misunderstand me." I've gained a lot of knowledge. It's been crazy for the last four years, but we've been doing it the right way and there was a lot of validation with the win over the Frogs.
During the Pandemic there were growing pains. With a larger support staff and analysts, it was necessary for Klieman to delegate more. In order to sign players who could match up with Oklahoma and Texas, he changed his recruiting philosophy. The diet of his players was different as they ate at a performance-based training table as opposed to eating at the regular cafeteria with other students.
We made some changes. We made a change to our defense. We made a change to our offense. I will say what I have always said. Football is something I think of.
Maybe other Power 5 athletic directors will pay attention. The level of football does not affect the quality of coaches.
"I hope what we did this year opens the door for Matt Entz and a lot of other coaches out there," said Klieman, who has a career coaching record of 102-32, including his first head job at Division III Loras College.
Troy Taylor of Sac State and Deion Sanders of Jackson State were both hired by Power 5 schools.
Entz will show up on someone's radar eventually. He has a chance for a third title when he leads the team against South Dakota State in the Championship game.
Holy Cross' Bob Chesney and Florida A&M's Willie Simmons are two worthy coaches. John Stiegelmeier should have been given a chance a long time ago.
It's unusual that he got a Power 5 head-coaching job after spending most of his career in the Division III ranks. One of the most notable examples of a coach making the move to the NCAA was Jim Tressel, who was an assistant at Ohio State for many years before becoming the head coach at YSU. At both schools he won national titles.
Harbaugh left the University of San Diego to become the head coach of the Cardinal football team. Hal Mumme went from Division II Valdosta State to Kentucky in 1999 and Frank Beamer went from Murray State to Virginia Tech in 1987. There were a few others along the way, including Sparky Woods moving from Appalachian State to South Carolina in 1989, Bobby Johnson moving from Furman to Vanderbilt in 2002, and Paul Wulff moving from Eastern Washington to Washington State in 2008.
The group of head coaches going straight from the FCS to a Power 5 school has been small for 35 years.
If it wasn't for Taylor's knowledge of his coaching abilities, he might not have gotten a chance at Kansas State. Before moving to Iowa as deputy AD and then to K-State, Taylor was an athletic director at the lowest level of college sports. Some athletic directors who have never worked at a lower level may be less likely to take a chance on a coach from a lower level.
I have a guy that knows me and I'm lucky. "He watched me do this." Relationships with children are still the focus. It's still important to believe in children. It's still important to motivate men. Gene wanted Chris in front of the kids because he thought he and his staff could get the most out of them.
This season was the most clear example of that. Kansas State dropped a pair of close conference games to Texas and Texas A&M. Needing to win out to make the Big 12 championship game, the Cats won their last three regular-season games, then beat the Frogs in overtime to win the title.
The guys rose up when people doubted them. The Big 12 championship was a huge highlight of the season. I'm glad they're still in the playoffs because I thought they were great.
The reward is getting to play Alabama at full strength with quarterback Bryce Young and outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr., two of the top prospects in the 2023 NFL draft who decided to play in the Sugar Bowl.
They didn't make the playoffs, so they went up against a pissed off Nick Saban. Our players want to play against the best. Chris has created a culture that is only going to get better.
It's a winning culture. When Craig Bohl left for Wyoming, he took over for him at North Dakota State, and the team went on to win the national title.
The head-coaching position was discussed in Taylor's basement until 3 o'clock in the morning. He said that he was leaving.
Taylor was walked through the entire presentation by Klieman. The expectations for the first year of the program were asked by Klieman. The expectation was for North Dakota State to make a deep run in the playoffs.
There was a condition.
My expectation is that. The fans expect you to get in the playoffs and win the whole thing, according to Taylor. You are expected from the fan base to do that.
No one flinched.
He went out his first year and won a national title. He's who he is.
The only season that Klieman didn't win the title was at North Dakota State.
The entire offseason was miserable. I knew I could do the job when I stepped up to Kansas State.
When he arrived at Kansas State, he wasn't a member of the Power 5, but he had been to several schools to speak. He said that the person who was most supportive was the coach of the team.
He helped us by bouncing things off him. I would text him when they won, and he would text me after we won.
At the National Football Foundation awards dinner in Las Vegas, one of the first people to see was Swinney.
He hugged me and told me how proud he was. He was aware of what I had gone through to get where I am. It was nice to show him that moment. He was happy for me and I appreciated what he had done for me.
It's a path he hopes his peers follow.
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