Bruce Feldman explains ranking Kansas' Lance Leipold at No. 3 in list of CFB's Top-25 head coaches

Lance Leipold has earned a lot of respect for what he has accomplished over three years at Kansas. That includes the latest recognition from Bruce Feldman as the No. 3 head coach in all of college football.

Feldman explained that incredibly high ranking from a recent article at The Athletic during an appearance on ‘The Paul Finebaum Show’ on Tuesday. Feldman did note that his work in Lawrence hasn’t been the only thing that justifies that placement. He then even reminded Finebaum that Leipold was once a candidate for a job in the Southeastern Conference just a few years back.

“He got Buffalo when he was there into the Top-25. That’s a brutal job,” recalled Feldman. “Before that, he won six DIII national titles. It’s interesting because, a few years back, I know he interviewed for the Vandy job when Clark Lea got it. Obviously, Clark Lea has a lot of ties to the program, was a young up and comer. I know they were impressed with Leipold but they didn’t hire him.”

However, since his first season in 2021, Leipold has been doing yeoman’s work to build up the Jayhawks. They have increased by four wins from Year One to Year Two and three wins from Year Two to Year Three to go from 2-10 to 9-4 in his tenure. Mixed into that is the team’s first rankings in the AP Poll since 2009. This past season also featured their first-ever ranking in the College Football Playoff poll.

Those efforts have since earned Leipold a reported contract extension from Kansas that’s worth $7 million annually.

Bringing Kansas out of that cavern in that timeframe speaks volumes to Feldman about the job that Leipold has done to this point.

“That program was in such a deep hole,” Feldman said. “I mean Les Miles was there and, just, it was in disarray. He got them back to the Top-25. I mean they were terrific. In his first year, they get their first road win at Texas ever and they snap an 18-game, Big 12 losing streak. The next year he gets them in the Top-25 for the first time in over 13 years. Then, last year, they win nine games and they beat Oklahoma for the first time in over a quarter century. It is amazing what this guy has done.”

From Wisconsin-Whitewater in DIII to Buffalo and now at Kansas, Leipold has made his name and achieved a ton at ever stop. That’s why Feldman is giving him his respect as one of the best in the sport, especially in terms of program building.

“He has just been an amazing coach for a long time,” said Feldman. “I mean I get it. A lot of people don’t know what he looks like. A lot of people probably aren’t watching or paying too much attention to Kansas football. But the guy is a miracle worker by college football standards.”