Since Bill Snyder has retired as the head coach of the Kansas State football team, curiosity continues to build as to who will be his successor.
Many rumors are out there, but here are four of the top potential candidates to be the new face of K-State football.
1. Seth Littrell, North Texas head coach
Littrell has turned around the Mean Green football team. Before he was hired as head coach, the team had a record of 1-11. In his first season, they went 5-8 then 9-5, losing a bowl game both seasons. North Texas is currently 9-3 this season, including a 44-17 defeat of Arkansas. Littrell played college ball at Oklahoma and has had coaching experience at Texas Tech under Mike Leach, as well as North Carolina.
2. Jim Leavitt, Oregon defensive coordinator
A former K-State defensive assistant from 1990-1995, Leavitt has ties to the school. He is the coach who was rumored to have a deal in place to potentially replace Snyder in 2017, and part of his contract at Oregon exempts him from a buyout should he be hired as the head coach at K-State.
Leavitt was the head coach at South Florida from 1997-2009 with a 95-57 record. He has also served as a linebackers coach for San Francisco 49ers (2011-2014) and the defensive coordinator at Colorado (2015-16) before spending the last two seasons at Oregon.
3. Brent Venables, Clemson defensive coordinator
Venables is another former Wildcat — he was a player in 1991 and 1992 and was also a graduate assistant/linebackers coach from 1993-1998. After being a defensive coach at Oklahoma from 1999-2011, he has been the defensive coordinator at Clemson since 2012.
He is the highest paid assistant coach, making $2 million per year and has had the chance to become a head coach over the years, but maybe a call from his alma mater would be appealing.
4. Chris Klieman, North Dakota State head coach
Klieman has ties with K-State athletics director Gene Taylor, as Taylor promoted him to head coach of NDSU when Craig Bohl left for Wyoming. As head coach, Klieman has a record of 66-6, including a current record of 12-0 as the Bison are in the FCS Playoffs.
