On Friday, an interesting coaching change was mentioned at the University of Kansas, with Wisconsin targeting offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes for the same position in Madison.
The report did not confirm that the two parties had agreed to a deal but did note that Grimes remains the main target for Luke Fickell and his staff.
“Wisconsin is targeting Kansas OC Jeff Grimes as the school’s new offensive coordinator,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel wrote. A deal is not complete, but the sides are talking, and those talks are expected to intensify in the near future. Hiring Grimes, who has an offensive line background, would reconnect Wisconsin with its power run roots.”
Grimes arrived in Lawrence after a long tenure under Dave Aranda at Baylor. During his first year in Lawrence, Grimes received some serious flack from Kansas fans due to the team’s slow start through the first half of the season.
By the end of the year, Grimes settled in as a play-caller, leading the Jayhawks to three-straight Top 25 upset wins against Iowa State, BYU, and Colorado. In 2024, Grimes’ offense finished sixth in the Big 12 in total yards per game, second in rush yards per game, and tenth in points per game.
Wisconsin’s offense, stuck in a conference not typically known for high-flying offensive schemes, was brutal in 2024, finishing in the bottom half of the league in every metric other than rushing yards per game, where the team finished eighth at 153.7. That number trailed Kansas’ group by 58.4 yards per game and would have finished 11th out of 16 in the Big 12.
While the move has yet to be finalized, Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks now have to quickly conduct an OC search with the transfer portal opening on Monday, December 9th.
