Travis Goff addresses Lance Leipold's contract at Kansas

The Kansas Jayhawks athletic program recently made men’s basketball head coach Bill Self the wealthiest coach in the sport with a lifetime contract. But is there room for another such deal at Kansas?

On Wednesday, the Jayhawks Athletic Director Travis Goff discussed Self’s emended contract and shared his thoughts on the possibility of the football program’s head coach, Lance Leipold, getting a similar contract in the near future.

“Hey, listen, I mean, same story; I want these two guys to coach until the wheels fall off,” said Goff. “And we want them, of course, to coach right here in Kansas until the wheels come off, until they decide it’s time to shut it down. So, I think the mentality is similar. There’s a 20-year track record for Bill: there are two national championships, and there are things that haven’t been achieved in basketball anywhere over his journey here.

“(For) football, the indications in year three are just incredible. We demonstrated a strong commitment a year ago, but that doesn’t mean you just sit idle; it doesn’t mean you get comfortable. Ultimately, I think we’ve got a chance to have the two best in the country when you take into account men’s basketball and football coaches. So we’ll ensure that that’s the way we go about it going forward.”

Since taking over the reins of the program in 2021, Leipold has turned The Jayhawks into one of the more competitive programs in the Big 12. He is 15-19 as the Jayhawks’ head coach but has consistently improved year after year. Currently, Kansas is 7-2 and ranked No. 19 in the AP Top 25. And if he can continue to leave The Jayhawks in the right direction on the football field, Leipold could find himself earning a contract similar to the legendary Self.

Self’s new lifetime deal with Kansas

Self reportedly signed a new amended five-year rolling contract with Kansas to make him the highest paid coach in the country, according to a release from the program.

“Naismith Hall of Fame Member Bill Self, one of just nine coaches all-time with 700-plus wins and multiple national championships, has signed an amended contract with the University of Kansas, Director of Athletics Travis Goff announced today,” the release stated.

Jeff Goodman reported it’s a five-year amended deal. USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz reported the financial figures coming to Self’s contract.

“Kansas announces new contract with men’s basketball coach Bill Self that will pay him $9.44 million in its first year,” he wrote on Twitter. “That will make Self the highest-paid basketball coach ever at a public university. He surpasses Kentucky’s John Calipari, who is set to make $8.5M this season …

“Self made $5.67 million from KU last season. This new deal — which maintains a 5-year, rolling contract term — increases the buyout he would get in case of termination w/o cause to $23.1 million (up from $5.41 million). Document shows he was repped for this deal by Bret Just.”