Living in Physicality

Toughness. Discipline. Accountability. Commitment. Unselfishness.

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Those are just a handful of Bill Snyder's 16 Goals for Success, which he set when transforming the Kansas State football program.

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And from the moment Snyder’s Heisman finalist quarterback Collin Klein was introduced as K-State’s next head coach, Klein made it clear those standards weren’t going anywhere.

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“If you look at toughness and the mental and intentional fortitude to play this game the way it needs to be played, that has been — and will continue to be — bred into every Kansas State Wildcat,” he said. “This is a physical game. Some people like to visit physicality. We live there.”

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For those who have seen Klein up close, living in physicality is more than a slogan.

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It’s who he is.

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Stanton Weber was a special teams standout as a player and teammate of Klein’s before becoming a four-year staff member in Manhattan. Now, he in his first season as the Wildcats’ special teams coordinator in 2026.

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Weber remembers Klein’s physical indentity clearly — not in words, but in moments.

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“We’d be walking off the field during that 2011 Cotton Bowl season, and that guy just carried the ball 30 times,” Weber said. “He’d be taking his shoulder pads off, and you could literally see imprints of facemasks in his skin — bruises everywhere. He could barely walk, and he wouldn’t say a word.”

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That example, Weber said, set the tone for everyone around him.

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“That gave everybody a license to say there’s probably nothing that’s so bad that I can complain,” Weber said. “He was unselfish, tough, and going to do whatever it takes to get the job done the right way.”

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And that mindset didn’t stay in Klein’s playing days. Weber said it’s part of what now translates into his leadership.

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“Whatever he’s going to do, he’s going to be excellent,” Weber said. “People are going to be attracted to that.”

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Now, that same identity is showing up in how Klein is running the program.

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“We’re going to be very aggressive,” Klein said at the start of this spring practice season. “I think 12 of the 15 practices are going to be fully padded. That’s one thing in the spring — you’re able to really emphasize the fundamentals and be very aggressive from that standpoint.”

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“We’re going to have a lot of competitive periods and let the guys play,” he added. “That’s how you develop depth and competition that carries into the fall.”

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For players, that shift has been noticeable.

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“I love the old coaching staff,” junior safety Wesley Fair said. “This coaching staff just has so much energy, and they bring it every day. I love that. A change is going to be great for the team and our future.”

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Fair said the focus has been clear from the start.

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“This whole winter and spring has been about getting better in the weight room — getting stronger and faster,” he said. “With the new coaches, it’s about learning as much ball as you can. It’s been really good.”

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According to Klein, in his version of the “new old school,” toughness isn’t something you talk about.

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It’s something you live.