Jimmy Coffman
Tuesday, September 15th, 2026
Top 3 Takes: Collin Klein’s Week 3 Presser
K-State HC Collin Klein is 2-0 in his first two games at the helm for the Wildcats. Not only has he built an energetic, efficient squad, but his defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown through two weeks of football.
After a 34-7 win against Washington State, there was much to celebrate about in Manhattan, but a lot to clean up in-house with multiple turnovers on offense. Here are the three biggest takeaways from Klein’s time with the media:
Darien Whitaker is a rising star
A surprising amount of questions were aimed at sophomore LB/DE Darien Whitaker Jr, who received a lot of playing time in his first two games. Whitaker was with the Cats last year, only playing special teams snaps in the final two games of the season in 2025. But Klein has seen something different in the Baltimore native. “I think Darien’s ceiling is really high,” said Klein. “The great part about what he’s doing is he is attacking it and getting better. That’s a great thing for him and a great thing for our program.”
Whitaker has already had incredible upside in two games as a defensive end, recording four tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. It feels like any time the pocket is collapsing, Whitaker is in on the play for the Cats.
When Klein was first hired as head coach back in December, one of his first visits was to Whitaker in Baltimore. “I could tell he just had a good spirit and bright countenance about him,” said Klein. “He really cared about Kansas State, he cared about this program, he cared about this place. That got me really excited too.”
Being a former player himself, Klein seemed to connect with Whitaker’s passion for football, especially football at K-State. With so many impact plays so early in his time with the Wildcats, I think Coach Klein said it best when concluding his thoughts on the underclassman; “Sky’s the limit for him.”
The EMAW 10 Club
When watching back the biggest plays from K-State’s win over Wazzu, the most exciting moments might not always involve the person carrying the ball. In only two games so far, the cats have showcased some of the best downfield blocking the program has seen in a long time.
According to Colin Klein, this new found effort is due in part to the all new “EMAW 10” club. “It’s a club that our guys will be able to get into and get rewarded for by what they put on tape in a game,” said Klein. “We look, we highlight, we reward those ten guys working for whatever ball carrier.”
This exclusive club creates incentive, with a reward system for players that gives them a bigger reward the more times they end up in the club. “For the first time that you make it into the club you get a t-shirt. The third time you get shorts, five times you get a hoodie. 10 times you get a dinner on the offensive staff.”
Klein’s emphasis on the little things has paid off on the field through things like the EMAW 10. Not only is it an incentive for the players, but it keeps things competitive between position groups. According to Klein, it’s only grown from week one to two and built good habits within the locker room.
Coach Klein wants revenge against Tulane
Arguably the best moment of the entire press conference came in the last question from GoPowercat’s Jon Grove. Grove asked Klein if the 2022 loss to Tulane at home stayed in his mind entering this week. Klein gave a simple response followed by a long stare; “no doubt.”
Coach Klein was the offensive coordinator for the Cats in that 2022 Big 12 Championship season. That K-State offense averaged 32.2 points per game, with dominant seasons from seniors Deuce Vaughn, Malik Knowles and junior breakout star Will Howard. Though that offense was stellar, their lowest score of the season came at home in week three on family weekend against Tulane. The best Klein’s offense could muster was 10 points in a 17-10 loss to the Green Wave.
Now, that Tulane team would become one of the best stories of that season as HC Willie Fritz led the Green Wave to their first New Years Six Bowl appearance and win against Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans. But early that season, that game looked like a massive failure on part of the Wildcats
It’s clear that Klein has taken that loss to heart. Knowing how procedurally rigid he is and how much he cares about doing things correctly, it’s no shock that a loss like that would affect him so much. When asked about Tulane initially, the mere mention of the last matchup gave Klein a reaction.
So when Klein says there’s “no doubt” that he’s been stewing over that last game against Tulane, I expect him to come out a little extra energetic. Coach Klein has made it clear that he doesn’t slow down the offense; he will let them score as much as they’d like if it means making a statement. And he most definitely has something to say this week.