Chris Klieman

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What I learned today from the Chris Klieman press conference. Klieman, by the way, is scheduled to be on Dizzo’s Den tonight at 6:30 on WDAY 970-AM.

  • The reason for going from defensive coordinator at Northern Iowa to defensive backs coach at NDSU was for professional growth, the need for a new challenge and that it was simply time for a change, he said. If you’re waiting for the “he left UNI because he hated this,” you’re not going to get it.
  • The state of Iowa is having some higher education cutbacks that are apparently slated to hit UNI, if not already. Asked if finances played a part, Klieman said “they always do a little bit. It was one of the many factors that played into it.” (A bit more on that in Wednesday’s Forum story).
  • I got the feeling all was not smooth in his UNI coordinator role. He said he was coordinator, then co-coordinator. “Then I called the plays for a while, one year I didn’t call the plays,” he said.
  • He recruited the state of Iowa, Kansas City, St. Louis and Minneapolis areas. Craig Bohl said Klieman’s main focus will be Kansas City and the state of Kansas. “I feel very comfortable with Midwest recruiting,” Klieman said.
  • Klieman said UNI ran the Tampa 2 defense the last four years. He said Scott Frost, the former Nebraska player who is good friends with Bohl, brought the system to UNI. Frost is now at the University of Oregon.
  • He’s been around the Missouri Valley Football Conference a long time, both as a coach and a player at UNI, where he was an all-conference defensive back from 1986-90. “I’ve always been a big fan of the league,” he said.
  • Bohl on Northern Iowa’s defense: “Say what you want to, the’ve played the best defense in the last three years in the league. I’ve watched a whole lot of tape. They played great defense, so we’re please to hire him.”
  • NDSU will begin spring football practice April 4 with the annual spring game set for April 30. It’s a little later than usual, but Bohl said the anticipation of spring flooding issues plus Easter break played a part in the plan.

12 thoughts on “Chris Klieman”

  3. Sounds like he is a good hire. It also sounds like this might be a short stay to build his resume on the way to bigger and better jobs. I think Craig Bohl has a reputation of having a good staff and he also has a reputation of developing coaches. The coaches have to know that a job at NDSU means a good shot at moving on to bigger things. Look at all the coaches that have moved up that coached at NDSU.

  4. No doubt, plenty of ex Bison football coaches in the NFL and high major FBS programs.

  6. Love the MVFC knowledge he brings to the table, having a guy who knows how conference offenses work is huge. Welcome, Coach Klieman!

  7. I know Bohl has used in the past a Passing/Running OC/DC title.

    I would have to think that he would be primarily in charge of attaching the opponents passing game? Hazelton has just coached the DL and LB.

  8. Chancellor Robert Holub said the University of Massachusetts will announce whether its football program will make the jump to the Bowl Subdivision level “SOMETIME IN EARLY MARCH,’’ according to a report on masslive.com

    Applachian State will be heading to CUSA and NOVA went to Big East.
    NDSU needs to get to the FBS and like now, especially with omaha, vermillion, grand forks and other cesspools going into the fcs, YUCK!

  10. Villanova will not make an announcement until April, unless they get a huge donation that deserves its own announcement.

    They will not move without money to do it right.

  11. Regarding Coach Klieman, got the chance to talk to one of the DB’s around campus today and he said they’re all pumped about what the new guy brings to the table and said he’s a pretty good guy.

  12. Just another piece to our Big10 puzzle. Bohl is building something that schools much bigger than the MVFC are going to take note of and everyone wants to be a part of it.