Kansas is usually synonymous with basketball, but it’s the Jayhawks football team that has been surprisingly in the spotlight this fall.
Off to a 5-1 start, and its only loss coming in a close 38-31 contest against ranked Big 12 rival TCU, Kansas has raised its profile thanks in part to coach Lance Leipold.
And when a coach finds success with an unsuspecting program, the coaching rumors ramp up.
Sports Illustrated asked the 58-year-old Leipold how he handles being linked to other head coaching openings in the sport, which currently include Nebraska, Wisconsin and Arizona State.
“I don’t talk to [the players] much about it because, dang, it’s early in the year to try and do that. We’re really happy here. At my age, other people might see this as a stepping stone at this time; that’s never the plan,” Leipold told SI on the evening before this past Saturday’s clash against TCU. “We’re extremely happy being focused on that, just like we want them to be focused and eliminating distractions, I think we do, as well.
“There’s nothing to [distractions], so why spend time on them at this time? And if it needs to get into a further conversation down the road, you deal with it then. It just so happens that two jobs opened where I’ve lived the majority of my life, unfortunately. Nobody’s mentioning Colorado or Arizona State, or something like that, or Georgia Tech. That’s where to me, let’s let the kids enjoy what they’re doing.”
It’s clear why Leipold is in demand. His Kansas team sports a unique offense and pushed TCU despite Jayhawks starting quarterback Jalon Daniels leaving the game with a shoulder injury late in the first half.
Given Leipold’s coaching history, he could be an attractive hire at Nebraska or Wisconsin. During his career up until 2015, he was a lifer in those two states. He’s a Wisconsin native who played at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater. He served as a Wisconsin-Whitewater assistant in two separate stints and then as head coach—when all he did was win six national titles. He also spent a decade at Nebraska-Omaha sandwiched around a three-year run as a Cornhuskers assistant.
Sources told SI that Leipold’s name has been linked strongly to Wisconsin, which is currently being led by interim coach Jim Leonhard. Mickey Joseph (Nebraska), Shaun Aguano (ASU), Brent Key (Georgia Tech) and Mike Sanford (Colorado) are under interim status with their respective programs, while Bryan Harsin is under fire at Auburn, seemingly hanging by a thread amid strong calls for his dismissal from boosters.
Leipold is in his second season with Kansas after five seasons as head coach with Buffalo. The 5-1 start is a big turnaround from the 2-10 record during Leipold’s inaugural season with the Jayhawks.
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