Kansas football surprisingly hires the son of former K-State head coach

The son of longtime Kansas State football head coach Bill Snyder has decided to coach for his father’s rival school.

In a rather unexpected turn of events, the Kansas Jayhawks announced that Sean Snyder would serve as a special assistant to Lance Leipold in 2023. Snyder, the son of Bill Snyder, was a part of K-State’s coaching staff from 1994 until 2019. Since then, he has coached for USC and, most recently, Illinois.

One could consider this a stab in the back to his father, who served as the Wildcats’ head coach for his entire 27-year coaching career. It is nearly the equivalent of Tyler Self joining Jerome Tang’s coaching staff once Bill retires.

The Jayhawks and Wildcats have had one of the best rivalries in the NCAA for a long time — particularly after Mizzou departed from the Big 12. It is a “gotcha” moment between the two schools.

Snyder joining the Jayhawks is surprising, but the school did not do it out of spite. He has been one of the better special teams coaches in the nation during his time in collegiate sports. Snyder was a punter for his father at K-State in the early 1990s, so he has lots of experience in his field. When he was USC’s special teams coach in 2020, the school had the top special teams unit in the country.

After spending decades coaching one unit on the field, Snyder will be in line for more obligations at KU. He will likely play a role in the recruiting process for some local high school players in the Kansas area, considering his experience in the state.

Lance Leipold’s staff is growing more potent as the Kansas football program continues to ascend. It will be a very exciting year for the Jayhawks in the upcoming season.