Anonymous Big 12 coaches show love to Kansas football heading into 2024 season

The Kansas football program has been on an upward trajectory ever since it hired Lance Leipold as head coach three years ago. Coming off a 9-4 season with a Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory, fans have high hopes for the Jayhawks in what should be one of the team's best seasons in over a decade.

While KU was widely recognized as one of the worst teams in Power 5 Football for many years, Leipold and his group are slowly removing that stigma by building the program from the ground up. In Athlon Sports' anonymous Big 12 coaches survey, some coaches spoke about the upcoming season. Jayhawk supporters will be glad to know they acknowledge Kansas as a strong contender for the Big 12 championship.

Big 12 coaches speak highly of Kansas football for 2024 campaign

"The school locking down Lance [Leipold] is the biggest move of their entire offseason. He is going to be rumored for everything that opens, but they’re aiming to win the league and go to the playoff. At that program, from where it started, that is nothing short of amazing. This coaching staff has created one of the greatest turnaround stories in college football. Replacing Andy [Kotelnicki] with [Jeff ] Grimes [as offensive coordinator] is more about how Grimes will acclimate to the KU system. [Jalon] Daniels is a proven talent at quarterback, and they have some great running backs. This is a season where they should be considered a Big 12 title contender. They have depth, experience and talent."

- Anonymous Big 12 Coach

Despite losing several key pieces on the coaching staff, the anonymous Big 12 coaches still expect Kansas to compete for a conference title. We couldn't agree more.

The team returns several stars from last year, including QB Jalon Daniels, RB Devin Neal, CB Cobee Bryant, and its top three wideouts. It is an experienced group that has played together for several years and avoided many losses to the transfer portal. If they stay healthy, there are very few squads in the Big 12 that can beat the Jayhawks.

After turning down several job offers more lucrative than KU's, Leipold proved to the people of Lawrence that he was here to stay. Ever since he took over at the helm in 2021, there has been a completely different culture for Kansas football. It has been a long time coming for Jayhawk fans.