12/28/2023 3:09:27 PM EST
New Texas A&M football coach Mike Elko filled key staff positions on Thursday, announcing the hiring of Collin Klein as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and Jay Bateman as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.Klein, 34, was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, Kansas State, the past two seasons. Prior to that, he coached the quarterbacks there for five seasons.Klein was at the helm of one of the nation's top offenses in 2023. The Wildcats led the nation with a 78.7 percent touchdown conversion rate in the red zone, and the offense was in the top 10 in third-down conversions (No. 8, 49.4 percent) and scoring offense (37.8 points per game).As a player, he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2012.Bateman, 50, completed his 25th season in coaching in 2023. He most recently was the inside linebackers coach at Florida (2022-23) and the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at North Carolina (2019-21).He has worked as a defensive coordinator at Army, Ball State, Elon and Siena.Elko, most recently at Duke, is replacing the fired Jimbo Fisher and interim coach Elijah Robinson.--Field Level Media
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