As has become customary, Bill Snyder has added familiar faces to his Kansas State staff.
K-State announced late Tuesday morning that Snyder has hired former Wildcats football players Zach Hanson and Eric Hickson. The former will serve as tight ends coach as well as help with the offensive line, while the latter will coach running backs.
In its release, the football program noted that K-State now has seven full-time coaches who played for the Wildcats, the most former players coaching at their alma mater among all FBS staffs.
“I am pleased to have Zach and Eric back with us,” Snyder said in a statement. “Both have proven their capabilities not only as very successful position coaches and teachers, but also in the development of quality and valued young men. They both have a genuine interest in the life skills enhancement of those they work with. Having also been highly successful student-athletes in our program, they believe in and understand our program.”
Hickson spent the past three seasons as the running backs coach at Akron. That was Hickson’s first coaching job at the FBS level.
A running back at K-State, he left the program in 1998 as the school’s all-time leading rusher; he now stands fifth on that list.
After Hanson finished up his playing career at K-State in 2011, he spent four years at his alma mater (2012-15) as a graduate assistant and quality control coach. The past two seasons, he was a graduate assistant working with special teams and tight ends at North Carolina.
This will also be Hanson’s first full-time job at the FBS level.