Lance Leipold Shuts Down Rumors He’s Interested in Washington Job
Despite rumblings of Kansas Head Coach Lance Leipold being the focal point of the Washington Huskies coaching search, Leipold broke his silence on X and shut down rumors surrounding his departure from the program.
Leipold responded to the buzz on social media by saying, “The guys come back to campus tomorrow. Can’t wait to get back to work with them in ’24!! Rock Chalk!!”
Leipold’s name originally popped up in a list of potential Washington targets from ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Friday. Then, on Sunday afternoon, FootballScoop labeled the Kansas Head Coach as the “Epicenter” of Washington’s search.
Leipold inherited one of the worst programs in the modern college football era and instilled a complete turnaround in three short seasons. In the 10 seasons before Lance Leipold arrived in Lawrence, the Jayhawks recorded a total record of 18-99. Since hiring Leipold in 2021, the Jayhawks boast a drastically better record of 17-21. Leipold led Kansas to back-to-back bowl games since the 2007-2008 seasons.
Five other Big 12 coaches joined Leipold on Thamel’s list including the likes of Chris Klieman, Matt Campbell, Jedd Fisch, Kyle Whittingham, and Kalani Sitake. Klieman announced his intentions to stay in Manhattan on Sunday, which likely shifts the focus to Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and Arizona’s Matt Fisch.
Retaining Lance Leipold is massive for the Jayhawks as the Kansas head coach quickly rose through the Big 12 coaching ranks after being hired in 2021. Leipold was instrumental in overhauling the Kansas football program over the previous three seasons, and will hopefully continue to take steps forward on the Jayhawks sideline for years to come.
