PHOENIX — As Kansas State football makes its last run-throughs of the year before the 2024 Rate Bowl on Thursday, it marks the final time head coach Chris Klieman will lead many members of his first Manhattan recruiting class.
“They’ve been with me from the start, and they’ve had my back from the start,” Klieman said with an ear-to-ear grin reflecting on the group.
Since taking the head post in Manhattan in 2019, Klieman has taken the Wildcats to bowl games in every season outside of the COVID season. Since then, Klieman’s program has been one of nine to accomplish four straight seasons of at least eight wins.
A handful of the Wildcats’ 2024 captains have been along for the ride and took a chance to reflect ahead of Thursday’s matchup against Rutgers.
Sixth-year senior Brendan Mott, voted the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, collected 8.5 sacks this season. Mott spoke about his journey from walk-on to star senior with Klieman.
“He has really changed my life,” Mott said. “I was a young, skinny kid out of Iowa City, and growing up I wanted to be a Hawkeye, and that opportunity wasn’t there, but Coach Klieman and Taylor Braet — our recruiting coordinator — they gave me a chance and opportunity to come walk-on at Kansas State, and since the day I got here, they’ve treated me as family.”
Maintaining that family connection is a legacy Klieman carried over from the legendary Bill Snyder.
“He [Klieman] means the world to everyone on our team, especially these captains,” Mott said. “He always says, it’s a player-led team. He listens to us, and he doesn’t want any of the fame or the glory. But if we have a loss, he’s the first person to take responsibility and take that blame. That just shows the man that he is. He’s so special.”
For Klieman, Mott holds a special place in his heart as the two are both Iowa natives.
“We took Mott out of the state of Iowa, where I grew up, and he was an undersized guy, and we gave him an opportunity,” Klieman said. “A lot of places didn’t give him that opportunity. He came and made himself into the best defensive lineman in the Big 12.”
Senior linebacker Austin Moore followed a similar path to Mott, working his way up from the bottom into a star.
“Austin Moore, gosh, he was the guy that wasn’t recruited very heavily. He came in and established himself as a special teams player,” Klieman said. “Put his head down and worked and worked and became the unquestioned leader of our football team. That’s pretty special. There’s a bunch of those guys like that, Keenan Garber, no different.”
A common theme appears among K-State players when considering their favorite feature of Klieman’s — his selflessness.
“He’s a great example of a leader and somebody that puts others first,” quarterback Avery Johnson said. “Even this season is a tribute to that. [Klieman] having stuff going on off the field — his leadership and coaching ability never wavered.”
Furthermore, Moore and Mott both agreed their favorite memories of Klieman are the post-win locker room celebrations.
“We’re all in the locker room waiting, we have our water bottles, and then he kind of sneaks in,” Mott said. “We’re throwing the water up in there and jumping and screaming. Those are some times that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
K-State will look for a final celebration on Thursday. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. CST from Chase Field in Phoenix.
With a win, Klieman’s program would join Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oregon as the only teams in the nation to win at least nine games in each of the last three seasons.
“When we win, it’s pretty special,” Klieman said. “You don’t ever take those for granted. … We charge in and have a pretty good celebration. You can’t replace and replicate what you have in the locker room after a win. Hopefully, we get one more chance to do it on Thursday.”
