Kansas football coach Lance Leipold agrees to new deal, raise as momentum continues
LAWRENCE — Kansas football coach Lance Leipold has agreed to another new deal, as the Jayhawks announced an amended contract Wednesday that will look to still keep him with the program through the 2029 season.
Leipold, who took over at Kansas ahead of the 2021 season, has taken the team to back-to-back bowl games — in 2022 and 2023 — for the first time in more than a decade. He’s delivered the team’s first bowl victory — in 2023 — in more than a decade. And he and his staff are being rewarded for it with new payment structures, which ESPN is reporting will make Leipold one of the highest paid coaches in the Big 12 Conference.
"Today’s announcement is an indicator of two absolute truths surrounding Kansas Football – Lance Leipold is among the very best coaches and leaders in the country and the University of Kansas continues to be unwavering in its commitment to building a championship-caliber football program for the long haul," Travis Goff, KU's director of athletics, said in a release. "Since Lance and his staff arrived in Lawrence, our program has seen exponential growth in every facet both on and off the field. Winning nine games and earning a bowl trophy is an incredible accomplishment, but we are equally proud of the team for earning the highest grade point average in program history. Every aspect of our program is on an unprecedented positive trajectory, and we are eager to continue this prodigious build with Lance."
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The 2024 season has the potential to be one of the Jayhawks’ best in recent history, with the team fully capable of competing for a Big 12 title in the new-look league. They return key pieces on offense such as quarterback Jalon Daniels, running back Devin Neal and more. They also return key pieces on defense such as cornerbacks Mello Dotson and Cobee Bryant.
Kansas’ 2024 season may not have games scheduled to be played in Lawrence, given the team’s renovations to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Instead, they’ll be playing their non-conference home games at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas and Big 12 home games at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. But given the locality of those venues, and the athletic department’s commitment to ensuring as positive a fan experience as possible, that shouldn’t affect the team’s momentum moving forward.
"We are incredibly proud of what our football program has accomplished over the first three seasons in Lawrence, and look forward to the continued challenge of bringing a consistent winner and championship home to the University of Kansas," Leipold said in the release. "With the alignment that exists between Chancellor Girod, Travis Goff and Kansas Football, it gives us great confidence in the future of the Jayhawk program, and we are thankful and humbled by the support of the University and Kansas Jayhawk fans everywhere."
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football coach Lance Leipold has a new contract with the team
