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Pete ThamelESPN
Kansas has extended the contract of football coach Lance Leipold by a year, sources told ESPN.
Leipold’s first season was highlighted by a win at Texas, as the Jayhawks went 2-10 and showed tangible signs of progress.
Leipold was hired in late April 2021, taking over one of the most challenging situations in college football last season in the wake of a winless 2020 campaign and the turmoil left behind from the departure of Les Miles.
The extension brings Leipold through the 2027 football season, and he’ll make $3.5 million in the final year of that deal.
Leipold signed a six-year contract upon his arrival, and Kansas officials considered it Year 0 because he didn’t coach spring practice and wasn’t really around his players a significant amount until summer camp. This extension brings him back to a six-year deal.
For the Kansas administration, the decision to extend Leipold out a year shows the comfort with the trajectory the Jayhawks are on. Along with the win on the road at Texas, Kansas also led No. 3 Oklahoma 17-7 late in the third quarter of their October game, and played competitively with Kansas State and TCU at the end of the season.
The extension is a tangible sign of both stability and commitment in Kansas football, as Leipold has injected a shot of optimism after the tenures of Miles, David Beaty, Charlie Weis and Turner Gill.
Kansas has added 31 transfers since Leipold’s arrival, and the roster looks completely different than it did during Miles’ tenure. Since June of 2021, 45% of the scholarship players have changed.
Along with investing in Leipold, Kansas is looking at ways to invest more in the program’s infrastructure. Kansas is in the exploration phase of a significant facilities overhaul, which includes the football stadium and plans for a renovated day-to-day operations center for the program.
Leipold arrived at Kansas after a strong stint at Buffalo, where he led the Bulls to three consecutive bowl games and the only two bowl wins in school history. Leipold is one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of Division III football, as he led Wisconsin-Whitewater to six national titles and went 109-6 in his eight seasons there.