Lance Leipold describes 2023 Kansas team

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold described the 2023 Jayhawks team the only way he knew how: in great detail.

It’s definitely a team that learned how to keep fighting, finishing 8-4 in the regular season. Kansas will play UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on December 26th.

Leipold was asked straight up how he’d describe his squad this fall and his answer did not disappoint.

“I think you’re probably watching growth,” Leipold said. “I just don’t look at some of this year, I kind of look at try to think back to the year before and the first year with some of these guys and I look back to. I think about our two corners and how well they played and how successful they’ve been and things and watching.

“You know, they come in as freshmen from everything that we were doing as far as gaining strength and gaining weight and knowing the game and system, work habits and watching them gain confidence on the field and off. Those are things that I think about.” 

It’s been a steady rise for Leipold, who’s won everywhere he’s been. Now, he’s slowly turning Kansas into a consistent winner in Year 3 and it might only get better in 2024.

“The development of the defense and those things in the new pieces that kind of come in and their contributions, not just statistically but in other ways,” Leipold said. “That’s kind of neat. And you know, it’s a special group, it’s been a fun group to be around in overcoming injuries at key positions at times and all those things have been very rewarding.

“But the most important thing is right now is I think, is that we do our best to get a chance to end this in a successful way.”

Both of these teams are having excellent seasons in their respective program’s histories. UNLV is in the middle of its first winning season in a decade, while Kansas is going to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since the 2007 and 2008 seasons

“Excited to see the next two days,” Leipold said. “I think they’re getting back in that mode of where are we gonna get ready to go and a lot of different things. Guys are getting that chance to get some work. You’ve got some seniors that are really approaching their last week of college football. All those different things.

“So, it’s exciting and emotional and all that said, ready to get out to Phoenix.”