Kansas State coach Chris Klieman is stepping down after 7 seasons leading the Wildcats

Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman announced his retirement Wednesday after nearly 35 years in coaching and the last seven leading the Wildcats, a run that included the Big 12 championship three years ago and a bowl trip every season but one.

Klieman was planning to announce his decision later this week, but it was quickly moved up when word began to leak. The school pushed back an 11 a.m. local time news conference to discuss national signing day to 4 p.m., when Klieman and athletic director Gene Taylor were planning to discuss the future of the program.

“After many deep and thoughtful conversations with my family, we have decided that the time is right for me to retire from coaching,” Klieman said in a statement. “This decision was not taken lightly and was the culmination of many factors, including my own personal health. I absolutely love coaching the game of football and developing players into young men, but now is the time.”

Klieman said he wants to spend more time with his wife, Rhonda, and their three children.

“K-State will always be a special part of our family’s story,” he said, “and we will forever be Wildcats.”

The school is targeting Texas A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein as Klieman’s replacement, a person familiar with the plans told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because such discussions were confidential.

Klein played quarterback for Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder at Kansas State and later served a prominent role on Kleiman’s first staff in Manhattan.

It is unclear whether Klein would stay with the Aggies if they are selected for the College Football Playoff. Texas A&M was seventh in the penultimate rankings released Tuesday night, which virtually assures the school a spot in the 12-team field.

“Chris Klieman has built a program and culture that embodies what it means to be a K-Stater,” said Taylor, who hired him upon Snyder’s retirement after having worked together North Dakota State. “Following a legend was no easy task, and he quickly established himself as one of the best coaches in the Big 12 Conference and one of the most successful in our program’s history.

“He is a special person,” Taylor said, “and we have been fortunate to have him leading the young men in our program.”

The Wildcats were a popular pick to challenge for the Big 12 title this season. Instead, they lost their opener to Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland, were embarrassed by Army at home, and needed to beat Colorado this past weekend to finish 6-6 and qualify for a bowl.

They are still awaiting their destination, and Klieman is expected to coach them there one last time.

A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Klieman was almost immediately embraced by blue-collar Kansas State fans after winning four Football Championship Subdivision titles in a five-year span at North Dakota State. They saw in him a hardworking Midwesterner not unlike themselves, whose teams would play fundamentally sound football with a reputation for physicality and toughness.

Yet in the years since the 58-year-old Klieman was hired, the college football landscape fundamentally changed. The transfer portal coupled with name, image and likeness payments have dramatically altered the way that teams are built, and the recruit-and-develop style of both Snyder and Klieman has become nearly impossible to successfully sustain.

The stress seemed to boil over for Klieman after a 51-47 loss to No. 15 Utah on Nov. 22, a game that the Wildcats had dominated.

He opened with a lengthy statement in which he praised the effort of his team, which has been ransacked by injuries this season, and then Klieman addressed a segment of the Kansas State fan base that had begun calling for his job amid the disappointing year.

“I’ve heard it enough that the kids have cashed in and that we need to get new leadership over here and new players, new coaches. I’m tired of it,” Klieman said. “I’ve got to be honest with you, I’m tired of it. I’ve given my friggin’-ass life to this place for seven years — I’ve given everything for seven years. And I think I deserve something, a little respect.”

Klieman choked up several times during the news conference. At one point, Taylor approached Klieman and gave him a hug.

“You ain’t going anywhere, bud,” Taylor told him. “Understand that. We’ve got your back. We’ve got your back.”

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