ESPN's CFB Rankings Snub K-State Chris Klieman For Big 12 Rivals

Kansas State coach Chris Klieman has had his fair share of recognition among college football's top coaches.

Sadly, you can't win them all, though. One ESPN list ranked the top 10 coaches nationwide, with Utah's Kyle Whittingham and Iowa State's Matt Campbell rounding out the list at No. 9 and 10, respectively.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg praised Whittingham for his consistent winning and division titles in the final Pac-12 seasons.

"Whittingham's consistency in generating wins and producing NFL players despite unremarkable recruiting classes points to his talent as a coach," Rittenberg wrote.

Meanwhile, Campbell was lauded for developing NFL-level talent and turning the program around since arriving in 2016.

"In his nine years on the job, he has won three bowls, had 12 players drafted in the first four rounds and had two nine-win seasons, including an 11-3 mark last year," ESPN's David Hale wrote.

Klieman received just one bid to make the rankings, much to the surprise of college analyst Chris Low.

"Chris Klieman with only one vote? The guy was promoted at North Dakota State and just kept on winning FCS national championships," Lowe wrote. "He then got his FBS shot at Kansas State when he took over for the legendary Bill Snyder and has won nine or more games each of the past three years, including the Big 12 championship in 2022."

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Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.