Chris Klieman is targeting former Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells to fill Kansas State's vacant offensive coordinator spot, according to a report Tuesday from the Wichita Eagle.
Kansas State is looking to replace Collin Klein, who took the same job on Mike Elko's new Texas A&M staff.
Klieman elevated Conor Riley to interim offensive coordinator for K-State's win over NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, and it's expected he'll have a co-coordinator role while continuing to coach the offensive line.
The new hire will coach quarterbacks in addition to co-coordinator duties. K-State's offense will revolve around rising sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson. One of the highest-rated recruits in K-State history, Johnson went 37-of-66 for 479 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing 52 times for 296 yards and seven touchdowns as a true freshman this fall. That includes a 249-yard, 3-touchdown performance as the starter in the bowl game.
Wells spent 2019-21 as the head coach at Texas Tech; ironically, his final game in Lubbock came against Klieman and the Wildcats. Prior to that, Wells was Utah State's head coach from 2013-18. He was Utah State's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach prior to that.
Wells spent 2022-23 as a special assistant to head coach Brent Venables at Oklahoma, focusing on the offense.
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