5 candidates to replace Bill Snyder at Kansas State

With Bill Snyder reportedly set to retire on Friday, here are five candidates to be the next coach at Kansas State.

On Nov. 30, 1988, Bill Snyder was hired as the new football coach at Kansas State. By his third season the Wildcats won seven games, then they made a bowl in 11 straight years (1993-2003). He retired after the 2005 season, but came back in 2009 to reignite the program and did so with eight straight bowl appearances from 2010-2017.

Coincidentally or not, 247 Sports reported Snyder is likely to step down on Friday, 30 years to the day since he was first hired at Kansas State. In recent years, his future had become a lingering question due to advanced age and a throat cancer diagnosis. One way or the other, with the scales tipping toward retirement for weeks now, Snyder’s future as Kansas State coach will be determined on Friday.

Assuming Snyder indeed retires, here are five candidates to be the next head coach at Kansas State.

5. Sean Snyder, Kansas State Special Teams Coordinator/Associate Head Coach

It’s no secret Bill Snyder wants to hand over the Kansas State program to his son, with some idea he was holding the program hostage to pave that succession plan. Most recently Oregon defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt reportedly had a verbal agreement to take over at Kansas State this year, before Snyder nixed it and decided to stay at least one more year.

Sean Snyder has worked under his father since 1994, first as a more generic assistant and since 2011 as special teams coordinator and associate head coach. He has gotten multiple accolades for his work as a special teams coach from national outlets, and he’s still a relatively young man at 49 years old.

However unlikely it is, a formal announcement of Bill Snyder’s retirement could come in concert with the naming of his son as the new head coach. A wider search has to be coming, but the younger Snyder belongs on this list.