MANHATTAN — Chris Klieman, the football coach at Kansas State, has added two additional coaching staff members.
Klieman declared on Thursday that he was upgrading Brian Lepak from tight ends to offensive line coach and appointing Drew Liddle as assistant offensive line coach, three days after elevating Matt Wells to offensive coordinator.
Conor Riley, the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, resigned last week to become the offensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys, which prompted the adjustments. There is still a tight ends coach position open at Klieman.
“Not only is Brian one of the top young coaches in our conference, but his background and experience with the offensive line made him the logical choice for this role,” said Klieman. “It was also important to have two coaches work in the trenches with our guys, and elevating Drew to assist Brian provides us stability and allows for a smooth transition.”
Before becoming the tight ends coach in 2022, Lepak, a former offensive lineman at Colorado State and Oklahoma, joined the K-State staff in 2021 as a senior quality control assistant. Prior to that, he coached Southern’s offensive line throughout the 2020 campaign.
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Chris Klieman, head coach of the Kansas State Wildcats, surveys his squad during a timeout versus the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium on September 28, 2024, in Manhattan, Kansas, USA. Required Credit: Imagn Images/Scott Sewell
“I am grateful that Coach Klieman and Coach Wells have the faith in me to take this next step in my career,” Lepak stated. “After learning so much from Coach Riley, I can’t wait to return to teach the offensive line.
“Kansas State gave it their all during the previous three seasons, so whoever takes over as tight ends coach will be dealing with a highly coachable group. I am really grateful to those men for everything they have done for me.
After serving as an offensive analyst the previous season, Liddle, a former offensive lineman for K-State, was elevated to assistant coach.
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