What is Chris Klieman’s Buyout at Kansas State?

The 2025 season hasn’t exactly gone the way Kansas State fans had hoped. A few bad breaks, some missed opportunities, and now the Wildcats are sitting in the middle of the pack with more questions than answers. While nobody’s starting a full-blown coaching revolt in Manhattan just yet, it’s fair to ask: if things continue to spiral, what would it take for K-State to make a move on head coach Chris Klieman?

Well, the answer isn’t pretty, at least not from a financial standpoint.

Klieman signed an eight-year contract extension back in May 2023 that runs through the 2030 season. That deal came with a hefty raise and some major job security. According to reports from the Topeka Capital-Journal and Yahoo Sports, if Kansas State were to fire Klieman without cause while seven or more full years remain on the deal, the school would owe him a whopping $29.625 million. That’s not a typo. Nearly thirty million dollars to make a change.

His annual salary now hovers around $5.25 million and climbs with each passing season. So if the university wanted to move on early, they’d be staring at a payout that rivals most entire athletic department budgets.

To be clear, there haven’t been any real signs that K-State is actively considering a change. Klieman is just two years removed from leading the Wildcats to a Big 12 title, and he’s built a strong foundation with solid recruiting and consistent development. But in the world of college football, especially in a new-look Big 12, the pressure to win doesn’t exactly take years off when the offense sputters or the defense starts giving up big plays.

The buyout figure isn’t just big, it’s intentional. It’s there to protect the program from knee-jerk decisions and to give Klieman the runway to keep building. Kansas State doesn’t want to get caught in the coaching carousel chaos that’s swallowed up plenty of other Power Four schools.

Still, if the 2025 campaign keeps trending in the wrong direction, fans will keep asking questions. And while those conversations may not go anywhere soon, one thing’s for sure: if Kansas State wanted to fire Chris Klieman tomorrow, they’d have to pay dearly for it.