Kansas State finalizing lucrative new contract for football coach Chris Klieman

Kansas State is ready to announce a lucrative new contract for football coach Chris Klieman.

The Wildcats and Klieman are finalizing a deal that will pay him an average salary of $5.5 million over the next eight seasons and extend his contract through 2030, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations. A formal announcement is expected in the near future, possibly as early as this week.

ESPN first reported the news on Sunday night.

K-State athletic director Gene Taylor and Klieman have been working on an extension for several months. The new contract is expected to go into effect on July 1.

A new contract became a major priority for the Wildcats after Klieman led them to 10 wins and a Big 12 championship last season. Though Klieman has shown no interest in other jobs, this deal should make it harder than ever for any other school to lure him away from Manhattan.

This is yet another sign of the commitment that K-State is showing to Klieman and his coaching staff. Last month, the Wildcats rewarded all of Klieman’s assistant coaches with new contracts that raised their collective salaries nearly $1 million. Coordinators Collin Klein and Joe Klanderman are both making $825,000 per year.

Klieman was set to make $3.6 million in salary during the 2023 season. That number will increase to $4.5 million under his new deal and escalate from there, according to ESPN. His salary will climb enough over the course of eight years that it eventually averages out at $5.5 million.

A salary of $4.5 million will rank in the top half of the Big 12, behind Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State), Steve Sarkisian (Texas), Brent Venables (Oklahoma) and Lance Leipold (Kansas). Gundy is the Big 12’s highest paid coach at $7.5 million.

But Klieman’s salary will rank near the top of the Big 12 as his salary increases with time.

Klieman is entering his fifth season with K-State since making the jump from North Dakota State, where he helped the Bison win four FCS championships. He is off to a 30-20 start with the Wildcats. He has posted three winning seasons in Manhattan and led K-State to three bowl games, including an appearance in the Sugar Bowl last season.

K-State and Klieman will look to build off that success moving forward with a new contract that makes it clear how valuable he is to the university.