Benched by Collin Klein, Houston QB Conner Weigman now faces Kansas State

MANHATTAN — Down by 10 early in the third quarter of a 2024 game against then-No. 8 LSU, then-Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman was benched in favor of Marcel Reed. To that point, Weigman completed 6 of 18 passes for 64 yards, was sacked multiple times and struggled mightily.

Reed completed just two passes, but ran for 62 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Aggies to a comeback win. From that moment on, it was Reed’s show, as he’s now Texas A&M’s third-year starter and is coming off a College Football Playoff appearance in 2025.

Weigman saw the writing on the wall and sought a fresh start. He transferred to Houston before the 2025 season and had his best year as a starter under Willie Fritz. That upward trend has continued into this year, as he leads the nation’s 19th-ranked team and is one of college football’s most efficient quarterbacks.

Entering a Saturday, Oct. 10, showdown with Kansas State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Weigman will get the chance to face one of the coaches who had a voice in his benching, which led him to put on a Cougars uniform. Wildcats coach Collin Klein was his offensive coordinator.

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“I’m so proud of him and am so happy for his success,” Klein said. “You look at the way he’s competing and leading that football team, and it’s really impressive. You even look at last year’s tape and his ability to win close games and find ways to be on the right side of that. They’ve done that collectively for the last two years, but that doesn’t happen without great leadership and competitive nature. He’s doing a heck of a job.”

The Klein-Weigman matchup will be one of the few subplots leading up to the 2:30 p.m. kickoff.

Klein absorbed Weigman when the Mike Elko staff arrived in College Station after the program parted ways with Jimbo Fisher. Considered one of the top quarterbacks in the 2022 class, Weigman started four games as a freshman and four as a sophomore before a season-ending injury. After Fisher was fired, Weigman stayed with the Aggies to play for Elko and Klein.

Weigman started five games for Klein and completed 56.1% of his passes for 819 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions in six appearances. That led to the switch to Reed, which ultimately paid off for the Aggies.

After the season, Weigman transferred to Houston to play for Willie Fritz, and he turned in a year in which he completed 65.2% of his passes for 2,705 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

His numbers have only improved this year during Houston’s 4-1 start. Weigman ranks as the nation’s 22nd-most efficient passer, and he’s responsible for the fifth-most points in all of college football. He’s completing 67.4% of his passes for 1,186 yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception. Weigman has also rushed for six touchdowns through five outings.

“He’s been very, very efficient,” Klein said. “He threatens you with his legs and throwing the football.”

Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Benched by Collin Klein, Houston QB Conner Weigman now faces Kansas State