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Report: Baylor finalizing deal to hire Kansas State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman for same role

by: Alex Byington1 hour ago_AlexByington

Baylor is reportedly finalizing a deal to hire Kansas State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman to the same role in Waco, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Klanderman spent the past seven seasons in Manhattan, Kan., including the last six as the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator.

Klanderman’s Kansas State defense has been annually ranked among the Big 12’s top units, including as high as third in the league in 2021 and 2023. Meanwhile, Baylor has been routinely ranked in the back-half of the Big 12 in total defense each of the past three seasons, including ranking 12th in the conference, allowing 392.1 yards per game in 2025.

Klanderman started his tenure in Manhattan in 2019 as the Wildcats’ safeties coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator/safeties coach in 2020. Klanderman would replace former Baylor DC Matt Powledge, who was hired as North Texas‘ defensive coordinator under new Mean Green head coach Neal Brown earlier this week.

In his second season as Kansas State’s DC, Klanderman implemented a three-man defensive front for the first time in his career, a move that led the Wildcats to finish third in the Big 12 in total defense, allowing an average of 344.9 total yards that season. Klanderman’s K-State defenses have also been stingy on the scoreboard, allowing an average of 21.8 points per game between 2021-24.

Neal Brown hires Baylor DC Matt Powledge for same role at North Texas

Brown was hired earlier this month to replace Eric Morris, who was recently hired as the head coach at Oklahoma State beginning in 2026. Brown and Powledge’s paths crossed for one season at Kentucky in 2013. Brown was the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the time, while Powledge was brought on to Mark Stoops’ staff as a graduate assistant.

The two went their separate ways as Brown went on to become the head coach at Troy and eventually West Virginia. Powledge continued to move on up the coaching ranks as well, eventually becoming the co-defensive coordinator at Oregon in 2022. He joined Baylor for a second stint in 2023 as defensive coordinator and safeties coach.

— On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report.