{
  "id": 2335920,
  "title": "A look at every coach on Kansas State football coach Collin Klein's 2026 staff",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/a-look-at-every-coach-on-kansas-state-football-coach-collin-kleins",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-21T08:04:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/look-every-coach-kansas-state-080449560.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kansas State Wildcats football head coach Collin Klein brings in a new coaching staff for the 2026 season while retaining a few familiar faces. The team's head coach, Klein, will oversee the Wildcats' offensive strategies as he steps into his first head coaching role after two years as an offensive coordinator at Texas A&M. Klein's salary for the 2026 season is reported to be $4.1 million.\n\nAssistant head coach and wide receivers coach Thad Ward, who previously served as the wide receivers coach at Illinois, returns to Kansas State. Ward's salary for the 2026 season is $525,000.\n\nOffensive coordinator Sean Gleeson, who has been in the role for the fifth time, will now handle play-calling for the Wildcats. His most recent position was as Missouri's quarterbacks coach for the last two years. Gleeson's salary is not specified.\n\nDefensive coordinator Jordan Peterson, who secured a $900,000 salary for the 2026 season, follows Klein to Kansas State from Texas A&M, where he served as co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.\n\nStanton Weber, the special teams coordinator, enters his fourth year at Kansas State. Weber was a standout wide receiver for the Wildcats from 2011-15 and has had coaching stints at various institutions including South Carolina and Toledo. His salary for the 2026 season is reported to be $250,000.\n\nDirector of strength and conditioning Jeremy Jacobs, who joined Kansas State from Texas A&M, will oversee the team's strength and conditioning program. Jacobs' salary is $350,000.\n\nQuarterbacks coach Christian Ellsworth, who previously worked with Klein at Texas A&M, continues his coaching relationship with the Wildcats. Ellsworth's salary for the 2026 season is also $350,000.\n\nDefensive backs coach Jeremiah Johnson has had a long career as a defensive coordinator at various institutions, including Northern Iowa, Kent State, and Louisiana Tech. His salary for the 2026 season is $250,000.\n\nTight ends coach Brian Lepak, who has been with Kansas State since 2021, remains on the team's staff. Lepak's salary is $250,000.\n\nRunning backs coach Cory Patterson joins Kansas State after serving as Oklahoma State's running backs coach last year. Patterson's salary for the 2026 season is $250,000.\n\nOffensive line coach Joe Bob Clements, who returns to Kansas State after serving in the same role under Klein and Peterson, has a salary of $375,000.\n\nLinebackers coach Tim Toth has been in college sidelines since 2000 and has held various coaching positions, including safeties coach at Air Force. His salary for the 2026 season is $375,000.\n\nDefensive line coach Buddy Wyatt, who has been with Kansas State since 2019, will continue focusing on defensive ends. Wyatt's salary is not specified.\n\nCornerbacks coach Marcel Yates joins Kansas State from Texas Tech, where he has been a passing game coordinator and secondary coach since 2022. Yates' salary for the 2026 season is $325,000.\n\nInside receivers coach Josh Buford follows Klein to Kansas State after serving as an assistant quarterback coach for the last two years. Buford's salary is not specified.\n\nAssistant head coach for defense Tim DeRuyter, who was the defensive coordinator at Texas Tech from 2022-24, joins Kansas State in this role. DeRuyter's salary is not specified.\n\nDefensive tackles coach Joe Mason follows Klein and Peterson to Kansas State after serving as the Aggies' assistant linebackers coach for the last two seasons. Mason's salary is $250,000.\n\nAssistant to the head coach and forward scout for the offense Joe Bob Clements, another fan favorite, returns to Kansas State after serving as Oklahoma State's co-defensive coordinator. Clements' salary is not specified.",
  "summary": "Meet the coaches shaping Kansas State football's new era under Collin Klein. Here's a look at every assistant on the Wildcats' 2026 staff.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}