So if I slide way back, I definitely feel more comfortable in that I don't feel like I'm going to fall off. I definitely cannot pedal as I am way too far from the pedals now, and my knee is probably a good 20-30mm from the pedal spindle.
Should I just throw away KOPS?
Yes, it's just a starting point anyway.
Like the guy in the pic, you want as much as your body mass as possible, to be centered directly over that pedal / bottom bracket as you begin to push down. That way, your are putting your center of gravity right above pedals, at the moment when you start applying power.
I would keep sliding the saddle fore and aft until you can get your weight directly above the bottom bracket like this guy. This is how you want to be positioned to apply maximum power on the downstroke. THEN start worrying about stem length, saddle height, etc.
This ought to be the starting point of any fitting.