About a month after being named Kansas State’s head football coach, Collin Klein has filled a key role on his inaugural staff, hiring Sean Gleeson from Missouri as the Wildcats’ new offensive coordinator. The move was first reported by ESPN.
Gleeson’s addition completes much of Klein’s initial coaching staff, joining defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson, who was hired shortly after Klein took the job. Gleeson arrives in Manhattan following a three-year stint at Missouri, where he served one season as an analyst and the past two as the Tigers’ quarterbacks coach.
Before his time at Missouri, Gleeson built an extensive résumé as an offensive coordinator, holding that role at Rutgers (2020–2022), Oklahoma State (2019), and Princeton (2017–2018). While his tenure at Rutgers produced mixed results, his offenses at Oklahoma State and Princeton were highly effective, including an undefeated season and Ivy League-leading offense with the Tigers, along with top-40 scoring and top-25 total offense finishes with the Cowboys.
At Missouri, Gleeson was part of two 10-win seasons and an 8–5 campaign in 2025. He played a key role in developing Brady Cook, who finished his career as the program’s third-leading passer and emerged as an NFL prospect. Gleeson also worked with quarterbacks Beau Pribula and Matt Zollers during the 2025 season.
The hire reunites Klein and Gleeson after facing off as SEC opponents in 2025, with Klein serving as offensive coordinator at Texas A&M while Gleeson coached at Missouri. Both coaches bring quarterback-driven backgrounds and share similar offensive philosophies.
Klein and Gleeson have consistently favored dual-threat quarterbacks and RPO- and option-heavy systems, a style that fits well with Avery Johnson, who is set to return for his final season at Kansas State. Klein thrived in the option offense during his playing days under Bill Snyder and later implemented similar schemes as a coach at both Kansas State and Texas A&M.
With two former quarterbacks leading the offense, Kansas State enters a new era with a system designed to maximize Johnson’s strengths and maintain continuity with the Wildcats’ offensive identity.
