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Kansas football: Where did Lance Leipold finish in Big 12 head coach rankings?

By Joshua Schulman

University of Kansas Head Coach Lance Leipold does an interview with ESPN during the first day of Big 12 Media Days in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, July 12, 2023.
University of Kansas Head Coach Lance Leipold does an interview with ESPN during the first day of Big 12 Media Days in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, July 12, 2023. /
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It hasn’t taken long for Kansas football head coach Lance Leipold to be considered one of the best in the conference. Find out where Athlon Sports ranked him among other Big 12 coaches.

The Kansas Jayhawks football program has gone from being the laughing stock of Power 5 conferences to an exciting and promising program in just one season. That is largely in part due to the efforts of Lance Leipold.

After a successful six-year stint at Buffalo, Leipold took the Kansas head coaching job following the departure of former national champion Les Miles. His first season in Lawrence was shaky — the team went 2-10 and statistically had the worst defense in the FBS — but his second year was one to remember.

READ: 5 worst coaching hires in Jayhawks history

In 2022, the Jayhawks finished 6-7. Although other schools might scoff at that win total, it was the most a Kansas team had won in 14 years. KU reached their first bowl game since Mark Mangino was under the helm, and College GameDay headed to Lawrence, Kansas, for the first time in school history.

Kansas football’s success can be attributed to stars such as Jalon Daniels, Devin Neal, Cobee Bryant, and Kenny Logan. However, Leipold has done a 180 for the Jayhawks’ culture. His players and staff love him alike, and he’s now receiving recognition on a national level for the job he’s done at KU.

Where was Kansas football head coach Lance Leipold ranked among other Big 12 coaches?

Athlon Sports recently released their top-to-bottom rankings of all Big 12 head coaches. Leipold finished No. 3 on their list ahead of guys like Mike Gundy and Steve Sarkisian.

This is Athlon’s full list:

  1. Chris Klieman (K-State)
  2. Sonny Dykes (TCU)
  3. Lance Leipold (Kansas)
  4. Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State)
  5. Matt Campbell (Iowa State)
  6. Steve Sarkisian (Texas)
  7. Gus Malzahn (UCF)
  8. Dave Aranda (Baylor)
  9. Kalani Sitake (BYU)
  10. Joey McGuire (Texas Tech)
  11. Brett Venables (Oklahoma)
  12. Dana Holgorsen (Houston)
  13. Scott Satterfield (Cincinnati)
  14. Neal Brown (West Virginia)

Staff writer Steven Lassan wrote this about Coach Leipold:

"“Leipold has won at every stop in his coaching career, so it’s no surprise Kansas has made drastic improvement since his arrival prior to the ’21 season. After a post-spring arrival in Lawrence, the Jayhawks went 2-10 – with a stunning win over Texas – in ’21. But Leipold’s program took a big step forward last fall, going 6-7 and earning the first bowl berth for Kansas since ’08. Leipold arrived in Lawrence after going 37-33 at Buffalo and went 109-6 with six Division III national titles at Wisconsin-Whitewater.”"

There are plenty of reasons to be excited about Kansas football in the upcoming years. Whether it be his ability to win close games or his success on the recruiting trail, Lance Leipold is unquestionably one of the best at what he does.

Kansas football has never played these FBS schools. dark. Next

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