Kansas football coach Lance Leipold has earned extensive praise and a nice pay bump for his work in his first three seasons with the Jayhawks.
Bruce Feldman of The Athletic released his rankings of the top 25 coaches in college football on Tuesday, and Leipold checked in at No. 3 behind Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney, both of whom have won multiple national championships.
“The guy is a wizard. He’s turned Kansas into a Top 25 football program after several horrific years,” Feldman wrote.
After posting a 2-10 record in his first season, Leipold improved to 6-7 in 2022 before jumping to 9-4 this past fall, Kansas’ best mark since 2007.
The season included four weeks in the AP top 25 and the Jayhawks’ first bowl victory in 15 years.
“That program was in such a deep hole,” Feldman told Paul Finebaum this afternoon. “I mean Les Miles was there and, just, it was in disarray.”
“He got them back to the Top-25. I mean they were terrific. In his first year, they get their first road win at Texas ever and they snap an 18-game, Big 12 losing streak. The next year? He gets them in the Top-25 for the first time in over 13 years. Then, last year, they win nine games and they beat Oklahoma for the first time in over a quarter century. It is amazing what this guy has done.”
Leipold was linked to other jobs this offseason, including Michigan, but ultimately, he’s sticking in Lawrence for $7 million annually.