Former Heisman Trophy finalist and starting quarterback of K-State’s 2012 Big 12 Championship team, Collin Klein returns to Manhattan as the program’s 36th head coach. He becomes just the fourth former Wildcat letterwinner to lead the program, joining Lud Fiser, Ralph Graham and Ellis Rainsberger.
Klein, who ranks as the sixth-youngest head coach in the FBS, is one of five Big 12 coaches currently leading their alma mater. He brings a high-octane offense back to Manhattan, averaging 33.4 points and 428.5 total yards per game over the last four seasons as offensive coordinator at K-State (2022-23) and Texas A&M (2024-25).
Klein’s return to Manhattan as a head coach is built on a player-first mindset.
“It’s definitely a lot for sure,” Klein said. “I remember running out that tunnel for the first time against North Texas as a true freshman, and that’s what I want for every one of our players. This is their first time at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. This is not, in any part of it, about me — it’s about our players, and that’s what gets me so excited about that moment for them.”
The 2026 roster is a significant refresh from last year, featuring 58 newcomers who make up 52.3% of the 111-man team. That group includes 26 Division I and II transfers who bring a combined 473 career games played and 176 combined starts across 23 offensive and defensive players. Wide receiver Josh Manning represents the most experienced portal addition with 37 games and 19 starts, while defensive end Wendell Gregory arrives after earning Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors at Oklahoma State.
On the field, the Wildcats seek to build on sustained success and discipline. K-State enters 2026 with a four-year streak of winning Big 12 records, sharing the active conference lead with Texas Tech. K-State leads all active Big 12 programs with 149 conference wins since 1996 and holds the top Big 12 winning percentage since non-divisional play began in 2011. K-State finished eighth nationally in fewest penalties per game (4.08) in 2025 and eighth among Power 4 teams in penalty yards per game (42.73) since 2022.
Special teams and non-offensive scoring continue to define the program. K-State leads the nation with 139 non-offensive touchdowns since 1999 — 10 clear of second-place Alabama. After recording four non-offensive touchdowns in 2025, K-State also enters 2026 having reached bowl eligibility in 14 of the last 15 non-COVID seasons. Ahead of the opener, K-State named six team captains: Jordan Allen, Travis Bates, Joe Jackson, Avery Johnson, Garrett Oakley and Gabe Powers.
Historically, K-State holds an impressive 89-36-5 record in season openers, with wins in 32 of the last 37 and has scored at least 30 points in seven straight home openers. Saturday’s game is the second-ever meeting between K-State and Nicholls, following Chris Klieman’s debut win in 2019. The Wildcats are on an 11-game winning streak against FCS opponents dating back to 2014 and hold a 3-0 record against Southland Conference programs.
QB Avery Johnson – Senior
Avery Johnson enters the season as the vocal and physical engine of K-State’s offense. Making his 27th career start in the opener against Nicholls, Johnson joins Skylar Thompson and Jesse Ertz as the only Wildcat quarterbacks since 1990 to start three consecutive season openers.
Klein said he wants to see an emphasis on execution and mindset from his quarterback in the opener.
“We need to play disciplined football,” Klein said. “We need to be very assignment sound … That cycle, that routine, that pattern, that process is going to carry over and hold in the game.”
The Maize native stands tied with Will Howard at 48 career touchdown passes, needing just one more to hold the program’s record alone. Johnson is already one of only three quarterbacks in K-State history — alongside Ell Roberson and Skylar Thompson — to surpass 5,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards, reaching the mark faster than both in just 30 games. Named a team captain for a third consecutive season, he becomes just the ninth player in program history to earn the honor three times.
WR Jaron Tibbs – Senior
Jaron Tibbs steps into 2026 as the veteran leader of an overhauled receiving corps. After earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors in 2025 with 47 receptions for 595 yards and three touchdowns, Tibbs provides crucial chemistry for Johnson on the perimeter.
Klein praised Tibbs’ role in guiding a room packed with new talent.
“It’s been good,” Klein said. “His leadership and presence amongst those guys and his rapport with Avery Johnson has helped tremendously. Watching that group compete and how they have worked through the entire process with the quarterbacks has shown we’re not a finished product by any stretch, but we’ve made some good strides, and I think we’ll continue to in the future.”
Coming into this season with 942 career receiving yards across his time at Purdue and K-State, Tibbs just needs 58 yards to reach the 1,000-yard career threshold.
RB Joe Jackson – Senior
Joe Jackson headlines K-State’s backfield following a historic surge to cap off his 2025 season.
He erupted for 435 rushing yards and six touchdowns over the final two games of last year, averaging 217.5 yards per contest. His late-season breakout featured a school-record 293-yard rushing performance at No. 13 Utah, breaking Darren Sproles’ 21-year-old single-game record by just one yard. Jackson’s explosive running style holds down a deep position group, including Monterrio Elston Jr., Rodney Fields Jr., Jay Harris, Tanner West and LJ McGhee.
Despite entering the year as the primary back, Jackson maintains a team-first mindset regarding depth in the running back room.
“I never look at it in that way,” Jackson said at the Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas. “I just look at it as us getting better each and every single week, how we’re able to complement each other. Whatever we have to do to allow the team to win — that’s what we’re going to do. We have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things that all contribute to the team being better each and every single Saturday.”
TE Garrett Oakley – Senior
Garrett Oakley continues his march toward claiming every major positional record in program history. Already K-State’s career leader in touchdown catches by a tight end with 13, Oakley enters the 2026 season ranked fourth in receptions with 71 — 35 catches shy of Jeron Mastrud’s record of 106 — and second in receiving yards with 779, needing 586 yards to eclipse Henry Childs’ program mark of 1,365 yards. Selected as a team captain, Oakley serves as a reliable option over the middle and a key weapon in K-State’s red-zone package.
Klein praised Oakley’s growth into a locker-room leader and a steadying force for the offense.
“He’s very quiet and reserved on the surface, but he’s got a lot of personality and influence and pull in that locker room,” Klein said. “The guys look to his steadiness, to his consistency, and then when he speaks, those guys listen, and then they really respect it. He’s done it in real time with live bullets. He’s earned that, and I was very, very proud to see that take place.”
CB Zashon Rich – Junior
Zashon Rich leads the Wildcats’ secondary as a rising star in the defensive backfield. Klein highlighted Rich’s physical traits and resilient work ethic throughout fall camp.
Rich enters as a proven starter who has earned his nod. After earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention following a standout 2025 campaign in which he started all 12 games and recorded 57 tackles, Rich enters his third year in Manhattan as a cornerstone on the outside. Known for his patient, physical press-coverage style and ability to lock down opponents’ top receivers, Rich provides crucial returning leadership and stability on the perimeter for K-State’s defense.
