Klein retains focus on Aggies, CFP

Collin Klein‘s days at Texas A&M are numbered. Everyone knows it. But that doesn’t mean he’s ready to leave town just yet.

Already named the head coach at Kansas State, Klein will remain on the Aggie staff through the College Football Playoff — something he wanted to do even after he knew K-State’s intentions.

“Coach (Mike) Elko and I were able to communicate, make sure we were able to get a plan together pretty much right from the start of how we were going to walk things out to make sure that we were staying on top of things and doing it the right way,” he said. “And then, also sending the right message to our team, that it’s about finishing and being right in the now, wherever we are.”

Klein now has to face a compressed schedule, managing an offense in the postseason while assembling a staff of his own and preparing for the opening of the transfer portal Jan. 2. While there has been significant criticism of the sport’s calendar, having the early signing period and the portal opening while some teams are still playing, Klein said he didn’t know if there was any real way to improve it.

“I don’t think there’s a perfect time or a perfect calendar that anybody could come up with,” he said. “Change is always hard, but at the same time, it’s what we preach to our players from day on — with all the distractions in their world that is in college football nowadays, that wasn’t the case even when I was playing, hey, you’ve got to be in the now. You’ve got to be where your feet are and you got to do your very, very best that you possibly can for those guys next to you because they’re counting on you.”

In the now means preparation for the Miami Hurricanes (10-2), the 10th seed in the CFP and visitor to Texas A&M (11-1) Saturday for a first round matchup (11 a.m., ESPN/ABC). Miami has one of the best defensive front lines in the nation, something Klein’s well aware of.

“Their front seven is really, really good,” he said. “They really get after the passer. They get off and shed blocks. They pursue the football and keep you on edge schematically. You can’t just fall asleep and take things for granted. So it’s a really good unit.”

Klein was also complimentary of Miami’s secondary, which will have its hands full with the combination of Aggie wide receivers KC Concepcion and Mario Craver.

“I think they have really, really good length. I think they run well. They really are tight in the quarterback’s eyes and are able to track the football. You can see that they pattern match and understand what teams are going to try to do to them in certain coverages,” he said. “They play smart and play fast and they play really hard.”

While Texas A&M has run the ball better this season in the absence of starter Le’Veon Moss, the return of the Aggies’ top back would certainly be a boost going into the CFP. While Elko was evasive about Moss’ status Monday, Klein seemed to indicate there was more than a slight chance of him playing Saturday.

“I love Lev,” he said. “Just how he’s attacked his rehab, how he’s attacked the process through it, like he always does — headfirst. Seeing him be able to move around again and feel good about where he’s at and feel comfortable, obviously really excited for him to be able to finish truly the way he wants to … It’s always good to have a sledgehammer in the bag.”

When asked about quarterback Marcel Reed, Klein said leaving Reed behind would be one of the toughest parts of the move back to Manhattan.

“Change is always bittersweet because he and I and our relationship and what we’ve gone through the last two years, and the steps of growth and progress that that he’s made and that he’s helped our offense make and our program make, is really hard to put into words, to be honest. That relationship will last a lifetime,” he said.

Next season, Reed will take play calls from Holmon Wiggins, who served as A&M’s wide receivers coach for the past two seasons before being tapped to succeed Klein as offensive coordinator. Klein said he believes Wiggins is ready for the added responsibility and will thrive.

“Coach Wiggins is awesome. He’s a dear friend and we’ve gotten extremely close these last two years. His attention to detail and his care for the kids — I mean, he’s an all-around football coach,” Klein said. “He’s not just the receivers coach. He understands all three levels, how they all fit together, limitations and structures and how that all goes. He understands quarterback play, and I respect the heck out of him in every area.”

While Klein, his wife and young family will be able to return to familiar faces at Kansas State, he made it clear that they will miss Aggieland greatly.

“Our experience has been, me and my wife Shalin and our family, it’s been over the top. We had high expectations, you never know what to expect, but this place is special. It’s blown every expectation we had out of the water,” he said. “The people are incredible. The value system is incredible. Our players and the people that that Coach Elko has brought into this program are our friends and family for life. That’s going to be really hard to leave because it’s family.”