Lance Leipold credits Kansas coaching staff for building strong relationships with recruits

If you want to get better on the field in the fall, the easiest way to do it is by signing killer recruiting classes come winter. And Kansas is beginning to see more success on that front under coach Lance Leipold.

The Jayhawks currently boast the nation’s No. 42 recruiting class in 2024, a big step up from the 2023 group that finished ranked No. 70 nationally.

Leipold explained some of the things that went into making that possible.

“I think the relationship from the time it went to continue conversations, the understanding, the transparency, the genuineness, all the things that we’ve talked about that we’ve been about,” Leipold said. “There was nothing different even though the game’s changed with guys. Again, I think we’ve mentioned some of these guys, but all our guys in different areas that have worked hard within our evaluation times to get out and see guys when it was the right time. Our constant communication, and I don’t want to say weekly because it can be daily at times. All those little things.”

Kansas’ class is anchored by a pair of four-star edge rushers and a four-star safety signee. But the class includes a nice blend of talent overall.

And as Leipold’s success on the field with the Jayhwaks has proven to be more consistent and less a flash in the pan, Leipold is reaping the rewards on the recruiting trail.

He continued to praise those around him for the uptick in Kansas recruiting, though.

“Again, I think through even last spring the evaluation part of fit for us and not just ability,” Leipold said. “Sometimes you kind of get a sense of that as well. I don’t think we did that as well the year before, and some things happened down the stretch that I had a feeling on. It played out a certain way, and it played out for the better, but I think we did a better job this time of not just taking the ability but taking the fit as well.”

If Kansas’ recruiting for 2024 took a big step forward, 2025 could take an even more significant leap.

As things currently stand, the Jayhawks feature the nation’s No. 28 recruiting class in 2025. And while there’s a long way to go to get to the finish line in that class, Kansas is proving it’s here to stay under Leipold.