Kansas football: Lance Leipold says no timetable for announcing starting QB

The Kansas football team kicked off their first official practice of the fall on Thursday, and it was the first opportunity for new head coach Lance Leipold to get a look at his new team live and in person.

There is much to evaluate for Leipold and his coaching staff before the season begins on Sept. 3. Without having the luxury of spring practices and only seeing his players (that didn’t transfer from Buffalo) on film, the majority of his evaluation of what his team has to offer is coming right now in fall practices.

Despite Leipold being new to Kansas, the same old question of the past decade is being asked: Who will be the starting quarterback?

Understandably, Leipold doesn’t have a concrete answer for that this early into fall camp, and he gave no promises as to when that answer might come.

“I don’t have a timetable,” Leipold told reporters after the team’s first practice, via JayhawkSlant.com. “What time’s kickoff? 7:05? It might be 7:05 (p.m.), Friday the third (of September).”

Kansas football fans have seen this before

While that may be frustrating to some Kansas fans who have gone through this quarterback waiting game before, it is the right move on Leipold’s part to take his time in fully evaluating the quarterback talent before making a decision.

The success of every college football team is largely dependent on quarterback play and Kansas is no different. They need a signal-caller who will put this team in a position to win, show the ability to lead the offense, and most importantly, take care of the football.

It’s easily the biggest personnel decision Leipold and his staff will have to make in the coming weeks, and it’s one that he appears to be making patiently.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever pin myself on dates and things like that,” Leipold said. “If it shows itself and we go, then it’s going to go.”

Getting to evaluate your players less than a month before the first game is not ideal for any coach – much less one who is taking over a program that has been struggling for a decade.

Leipold will need time to evaluate his options, and in this case, he should wait as long as necessary to make the right decision – and fans should be patient and trust in that process.