MANHATTAN — When Chris Klieman walked into Gene Taylor’s office earlier in the week to inform him that he intended to retire after seven seasons as Kansas State’s football coach, he told the athletic director who he needed to hire to replace him.”He told me that, ‘Gene, I think you need to call Collin Klein, because I think he’s the next person that needs to lead our football program,'” Taylor said. Klein worked under Klieman for several years before the legendary K-State quarterback left to take the offensive coordinator job at Texas A&M. During his two years in College Station, Klein made his name known as one of the best play-callers in the nation, and someone who was worthy of becoming a head coach.A few days after Klieman advised Taylor to make the call, Klein stood on a stage in front of a Manhattan crowd on Friday, Dec. 5, being introduced as the Wildcats’ next head coach.”I’m not standing here today if it’s not for Coach Klieman,” Klein said. “That relationship is special, treasured, and I’m just so grateful for him and his stewardship of a program that means the world to me and the K-State values and traditions that he fostered so well.”The celebration of Klein’s hiring didn’t go without a nod to Klieman, who announced his retirement two days before. The now-former coach wasn’t in attendance, saying upon his departure that he would visit family this week and return to Manhattan next to meet with players.Klein said he communicated with Klieman throughout the week as he went through the process of accepting the job. While working under Klieman, Klein said he learned how to look at the game “upside down” from a defensive standpoint.”Being an offensive guy, he really helped grow my understanding of the game and have a 360-degree view of what was going on in every level, every scheme and how that all fits together,” Klein said.Taylor said he had a friendship with Klein from his time as an assistant at Kansas State, and he was the only person he contacted for the job.Klieman made it even easier for him by suggesting his former assistant. Taylor continued to praise his former coach’s character, as he did following Klieman’s farewell press conference.”It just solidified who he is as a person,” Taylor said. “Knowing he was giving up something that he loved, and then saying, ‘Gene, this is the guy,’ when a lot of coaches would be jealous and would want you to go figure it out. But the fact that he stepped away, probably knowing this would be a good opportunity, just tells you about who he is, and it says a lot about their relationship, and I think that’s pretty cool, too.”Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.comThis article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Collin Klein hired by Kansas State after Chris Klieman suggestion