Kansas football coach Lance Leipold has agreed to a contract extension through the 2029 season after leading KU to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2008, according to multiple reports. Leipold guided the Jayhawks to a 5-0 start and a No. 19 ranking in October during just his second season in Lawrence, Kansas, after six years at Buffalo.
The extension for Leipold, 58, comes amid a coaching carousel that has seen his name bandied about as a potential candidate for vacancies at Nebraska and Wisconsin, among others. Leipold has deep personal and professional ties in both those states but has quickly become a revered figure in Kansas for his quick turnaround of the long-suffering KU program.
Though the Jayhawks have lost five of their last six in a stretch that has corresponded with an injury to star quarterback Jalon Daniels, their on-field improvement has been impressive after the program failed to win more than three games in a season for 12 consecutive years. For Leipold, it's merely the latest example of his coaching acumen. He led Buffalo to three straight bowls and a 24-10 mark over his tenure there, and coached Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater to six national championships in eight years from 2007-14.
With Kansas sporting a 5-0 record in October, athletic director Travis Goff announced a "transformational development project" including major upgrades to KU's football stadium. Leipold is directly involved in the project, to the extent that he met with the project's architecture and design partners. The Jayhawks close the regular season Saturday at rival Kansas State as they seek their first victory in the rivalry game since 2008.
