LAWRENCE, Kan. (WDAF) — The University of Kansas (KU) Jayhawks football has made a surprise addition to their staff that some may consider blasphemous.

KU has hired veteran coach Sean Snyder to the staff as a special assistant to the head coach. Snyder is the son of Kansas State University football legend Bill Snyder.

Sean is one of Bill’s five children and began his career at Kansas State as a part-time assistant coach in 1994 and 1995. He then served as director of football operations from 1996 to 1998, assistant athletic director for football operations in 1999 and 2000, associate athletic director in 2001 and senior associate athletic director from 2002 to 2010.

Snyder spent more than two decades at Kansas State, where he also served as special teams coordinator/associate head coach from 2011-18 and special teams analyst in 2019 before moving to USC. 

He then spent two seasons as the special teams coordinator at USC before joining Illinois head coach Bret Bielema as the special teams coordinator/specialists coach in 2022.

The 53-year-old was a consensus All-American and All-Big Eight First Team punter under his father at Kansas State as a senior in 1992, averaging 44.7 yards per punt. He was the Big Eight Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a 1991 junior, with a 40.5-punting average.

His 43.0 career punting average was a school record. He was inducted into Kansas State’s inaugural Ring of Honor Class in 2002 and into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.