Kansas State is in the process of working out an 8-year, $44 million contract for head coach Chris Klieman, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Sunday. The deal is expected to be announced "in the near future."
The contract would extend through the 2030 season, replacing a contract that ran through 2027. News of an impending contract was first reported by the Wichita Eagle in January.
The previous deal was set to pay him $4 million in 2023 and top out at $4.3 million. Now, he'll start at $4.5 million and average $5.5 million through the life of the contract.
Buyout details are unknown at this time.
The 55-year-old led Kansas State to a Big 12 championship in 2022, its first since sharing the conference crown in 2012. Prior to the 2022 run, Klieman piloted an 8-5 debut season in 2019, a 4-6 season in 2020, and then an 8-5 season in 2021.
Kansas State is primed to defend its conference championship: not only are the Wildcats one of the few teams to return their head coach, both coordinators and starting quarterback from 2022, the Wildcats also return all five offensive linemen.