Lance Leipold will be the first person to tell you that the Kansas Jayhawks have failed to meet their expectations over the last two seasons. He literally did last week during Big 12 Media Days.
But it is also those same expectations that Leipold himself set. The fact that KU fans are upset about 10 wins over two seasons is a testament to how much he and his staff have improved the feeling around this team. Combine that with the fact that Kansas will always be a basketball school, constantly overshadowing the football program, which in theory could affect recruiting, and it feels more and more reasonable to call Leipold a successful hire.Â
So it doesn’t make much sense to see Leipold be ranked as the Big 12’s 11th-best coach heading into 2026 according to a recent list done by USA Today.
Where does Leipold deserve to go?
Listen, Kansas has had its mistakes on the field. The Jayhawks have failed to close out fourth quarters, convert third downs and capitalize on red-zone opportunities over the past two seasons.Â
These faults alone push you outside the top five of a Big 12-specific coaching list, sure. And no one is strongly contesting that Leipold is a top-five coach in the Big 12. But behind the likes of Deion Sanders, Dave Aranda and Scott Satterfield. That feels a little wrong.Â
Starting with Sanders, overall, his job at Colorado has been more of a success than a failure. He has drawn national attention to the school, all while producing a Heisman winner and their first season with at least nine wins since 2019.Â
But with seven combined wins sandwiched between the 2024 run, even if Sanders finds a way to have another successful season in 2026, the consistency has been lacking.Â
Aranda rightfully had Baylor fans dreaming in 2021 in a season that finished 12-2, and after being ranked as the preseason No. 10 team by the AP, 2022 looked like the Bears would continue their ascendancy. However, what has since followed is a 6-7, 3-9, 8-5 and 5-7 stretch.Â
This up-and-down record by no means proves Aranda is a bad coach; three bowl games in six years is a good feat for a lot of teams in college football, but with Baylor it feels a little underwhelming and if the 2026 campaign starts off cold, then there is a chance Aranda’s seat will grow increasingly hot.Â
Lastly on this list lies Satterfield.Â
Satterfield looked on the rise following a 47-16 stint with Appalachian State. And following an 8-5 start at Louisville in 2019, things only looked like they would get better. However, Satterfield never truly reached those same heights. Even if you forget about the COVID year of 2020, when the Cardinals went 4-7. Satterfield finished 6-7 and 7-5 in his final two seasons before making the move to Cincinnati.Â
Satterfield has shown year-on-year progress at Cincinnati, going from three to five to seven wins in three seasons, which is notable. But the way 2025 ended almost feels like a step backwards, as the Bearcats started 7-1 but lost their next five games to end the season 7-6, making it a struggle to truly say Satterfield has been a successful hire and a coach who should be above Leipold.
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