Leipold has led the Jayhawks to a 17-21 record over his first three seasons including the program’s seventh nine-win season and first since 2007 last year.

READ: Ohio State LB Steele Chambers says Buckeyes ‘prepared me for everything’ entering NFL Combine

“We are incredibly proud of what our football program has accomplished over the first three seasons in Lawrence, and look forward to the continued challenge of bringing a consistent winner and championship home to the University of Kansas,” Leipold stated in a release. “With the alignment that exists between Chancellor (Douglas A.) Girod, (athletics director) Travis Goff and Kansas Football, it gives us great confidence in the future of the Jayhawk program, and we are thankful and humbled by the support of the University and Kansas Jayhawk fans everywhere.”

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Leipold’s amended contract “features a significant raise in his average salary to more than $7 million per year.”

READ: MAC votes unanimously, adds UMass as 13th member

That is an increase from the $5 million Leipold made in 2023. The amended contract doesn’t add any years to Leipold’s agreement which goes through 2029.

“Today’s announcement is an indicator of two absolute truths surrounding Kansas Football – Lance Leipold is among the very best coaches and leaders in the country and the University of Kansas continues to be unwavering in its commitment to building a championship-caliber football program for the long haul,” Goff stated in a release. “Since Lance and his staff arrived in Lawrence, our program has seen exponential growth in every facet both on and off the field. Winning nine games and earning a bowl trophy is an incredible accomplishment, but we are equally proud of the team for earning the highest grade point average in program history. Every aspect of our program is on an unprecedented positive trajectory, and we are eager to continue this prodigious build with Lance.”

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In the college football coaching world, Leipold is the exact opposite of Deion Sanders. Garrett Searight explains on today’s episode of The Daily Huddle.

The post Lance Leipold is the Exact Opposite of Deion Sanders appeared first on Saturday Glory.

After Kansas upset No. 6 Oklahoma 38-33 on Saturday afternoon, Bean spoke in front of his teammates in the locker room. The sixth-year quarterback said “it means everything” to earn the win “against that school in that fashion.” 

“I’ve been through so much,” Bean said. “First of all, I wanted to thank them because without them I wouldn’t be here and I think that’s the main thing is that I’m just proud to be in this situation.” 

PODCAST: Who should be on upset alert this weekend?

The win represents a point of culmination for Bean and the Jayhawks. From 2009-21, the program went 28-125 and missed the postseason. 

Under head coach Lance Leipold in his third year, Kansas is bowl eligible for the second-straight season. 

“From where I came and where this team has come, those tough days, those tough L’s are the reason that you live for days like this,” Bean said. 

Kansas knocked off Oklahoma using a valiant rushing effort, going for four touchdowns on the ground and 225 yards which were the most Oklahoma has given up in a game this season. 

The Jayhawks ran for at least 47 yards in all four quarters and had five rushes for more than 10 yards. They ran it in twice during the fourth quarter as running backs Daniel Hishaw and Devin Neal lifted Kansas to victory. 

“We got an excited locker room,” Leipold said. “For me, I’m just processing everything: the ups and downs, the emotion, how proud I am of this football team for so many reasons. So many today, but so many as we lost two of our last three against some good football teams and played an excellent team today, and to find a way to keep battling and come up with stops when we needed them and executing plays on top of that.” 

READ: Allar finds Lambert-Smith, No. 10 Penn State outlasts Indiana 33-24

Bean has done most of his work this season from the backup spot in the Kansas quarterback room. 

The Jayhawks expected Jalon Daniels to quarterback them this season, but back and shoulder injuries have kept him sidelined for some competition. Daniels has missed the past four games due to injury. 

But Bean has been the confident veteran leading the Jayhawks in Daniels’ absence. It’s something that means a lot to Bean, someone who has been part of college football for more than a half-decade and had opportunity to explore elsewhere. 

“He just kept fighting, and that’s all we can ask for him,” Leipold said. “And to see him make some plays like he did today, I thought it was really special.” 

READ: Head coaches react to sign stealing in college football

Kansas conjured something special on Saturday: their first top-10 win since 2008. 

After seven lead changes including five in the second half, Kansas clinched its first win over Oklahoma since 1997. 

“We got a lot of football to play, and now we’ve got to continue to take steps,” Leipold said. “And that’s the way I am. I’ll probably talk more about the things we didn’t do quite as clean as we want but at this moment, though, I’m so proud, so proud of them and happy for them.” 

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There are four ranked matchups on the schedule this week. Friday will get the ranked ballgames started when No. 10 Utah travels to No. 19 Oregon State, which suffered its first loss of the season to No. 16 Washington State.

PODCAST: It Was Always Going to End This Way for Mel Tucker

Cougars quarterback Cam Ward earned Pac-12 offensive player of the week honors after a 404-yard performance. Ward added four touchdowns and completed 82.4% of his passes, good for seventh-best in program history. 

Here are several games to watch this week. 

No. 22 Florida at Kentucky 

A matchup between two 4-0 programs is set to take place at Kroger Field on Saturday. 

Defense just might be the name of the game and the key to victory for either team. Neither Florida nor Kentucky rank in the upper half of the Southeastern Conference in total offense, and the Gators are No. 8 while Kentucky is No. 9. 

The Wildcats are entering their first ranked matchup of the season, and it comes two years after they upset No. 10 Florida at home 20-13. The Gators had Kentucky’s number 29-21 during the 2019 season. 

“I mentioned last week when they talked about them beating us in the year before it really doesn’t have any bearing on that game,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said. “If it does for our players, if they come in locked in early in the week then that’s the way I expect our team to be anyway. We’re playing Florida. You know it’s going to take a great effort. We’re playing that home; we should have a great sense of pride. And I think there’s that term that we use a lot in our program is that divine discontent. We know there’s more out there. We know we can play better, and that ought to be our motivation.” 

READ: Big Board: Week 5

Stoops also had positives to say about Florida quarterback Graham Mertz, who considered Kentucky when he entered the transfer portal after last season. 

“He’s been very good with the football,” Stoops said. “I think they have very few turnovers in general. I want to say he only maybe has one, and he’s been very efficient. Very smart getting rid of the football and taking care of the ball and running their offense, and he’s been very efficient. So he’s played very well.” 

No. 24 Kansas at No. 3 Texas 

A Big 12 matchup is set to take place in Austin, Texas, and the two teams between Kansas and Texas have a history. 

The Jayhawks topped Texas in 2021 during what was only their second win of the season Nov. 13, 2021. Kansas finished 2-10 that year, while Texas went 5-7 in Steve Sarkisian’s first year as head coach. 

Texas got back at Kansas last season with a 55-14 blowout at home. The loss left a bad taste in the Jayhawks’ mouths. 

“Old news, it doesn’t matter,” Kansas head coach Lance Leipold said. “Both teams are significantly better. And it doesn’t do you — it’s honestly it’s so far in the past. We got to keep moving. Yeah, it helped this program. It helped our players but we can’t, yeah, that’s about it.”

READ: Quotables: Week 4

And now, Leipold said the athleticism stands out about Texas now. 

“Yeah, and I guess I’ll add to that. I hope it’s the last time I have to answer that question this week honestly, I do,” Leipold said. “I really want to focus on our team now and where we’re going because that’s what’s important. It’s an excellent football team across the board. You can tell for coach Sarkisian, the staff he’s put on it offensively, he’s one of the best playcallers in the country. The movements and shifts and different looks that he gives, how they spread the ball about the playmakers that they have, huge up front and very athletic, well coached offensive line. And then defensively a front that, again, I think that’s a group from if you are going to keep looking at our previous meetings, I think that the defensive line continued improvement for them and consistency, maybe not improvement, but just consistent play and physical, tough kids. Linebackers who are extremely physical and run well. So yeah, it’s definitely to me a different team and a huge challenge for us and one that we’ve got to have our best week of preparation yet.” 

Kansas’ offense is No. 5 in the Big 12 averaging 37.8 points per game, and Texas is right behind at an average of 35 points per outing. 

Both the Jayhawks and Longhorns are in the top-three in their conference in total defense, as Kansas is second allowing 296.8 yards per game and Texas is third giving up 298.5 yards per game. 

No. 13 LSU at No. 20 Ole Miss 

LSU is seeking to reenter itself back into the College Football Playoff mix. 

After suffering a Week 1 upset to No. 5 Florida State, head coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers had to do a bit of soul searching to figure out what kind of team they are. 

Now they go on the road for two games, and the first will be against No. 20 Ole Miss, which lost 30-24 to No. 12 Alabama.

PODCAST: What’s the Perception of Marcus Freeman After Notre Dame’s Loss to Ohio State?

Quarterback Jayden Daniels has played steadily in 2023. He’s eclipsed 320 passing yards in each of the past two games, and he threw four touchdowns last week against Arkansas. 

One of Daniels’ targets had a breakout game against the Razorbacks, as Malik Nabers became the 13^th player in LSU history to catch over 200 yards. He finished with 239 receiving yards and two touchdowns. 

Ole Miss will bring a defense that ranks No. 61 in total defense, allowing over 351 yards per game. Linebacker Suntarine Perkins is tied for third with three sacks this season. 

Kelly thinks LSU has learned about itself through the first four weeks of the season, and this week he’s hoping to see a complete game with a distinctiveness about the team.  

“I’m seeing that starting to evolve in that identity, and look, I mean, there are times when you play in quality competition that you get a better sense and feel for your team. And especially when you’re down, right?” Kelly said. “We weren’t down against Mississippi State at anytime. We weren’t down at any time against Grambling. And we really didn’t have the right mix of mindset going into the Florida State game. So this was our first chance really to identify who we were when we got down late, and we immediately responded and we came out in the second half and played the kind of football that I expect. Never flinching, knowing that we were going to take some more shots and when we gave up a play, we forgot about it and we got to the next play.” 

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The topics ranged from expansion, NIL, depth charts, and a whole bunch more. Here are the most interesting things each of the seven head coaches who spoke on Wednesday had to say.

Dave Aranda – Baylor

On the recent passing of his father Paul: “I went and saw my dad when I first heard that he had cancer, and my dad and I have always – it’s always been a great relationship. He was never really someone that would say openly, ‘I love you.’ I always knew that he did, though.

“I remember when he called me and told me that he had pancreatic cancer and it was stage 4, I told him that I loved him and he didn’t say it back. I don’t know if he heard me. So I wanted to go and say it to him face to face. I was able to do that. He gave me a big hug. I don’t know, when you’re hugging and everything, you feel like, hey, this is a good hug, and he wouldn’t let me go, and he kept [holding] really strong and he told me that he loved me. I’m so glad that we had that moment because I know a lot of folks don’t have that.”

Kalani Sitake – BYU

On the adjustment of moving to a conference from being an Independent: “I mean, I’ve been through this before, and so have our offensive coordinator and our defensive coordinator when we were at Utah. So we went through that transition from Mountain West Conference team to the Pac-12, and I’ve also seen other teams that have made the transition. Like you look at TCU and what they’ve done.

“There’s information and things that you can see that are out there that people that have done it before, and what you try to do is you try to do what they did well and then lean on the experiences. I know we’re at BYU so it’s a little bit different and unique, but I need to find ways to turn that uniqueness into a strength for us and make sure it’s a competitive advantage when we get on the field.”

Dana Holgorsen – Houston

On the current quarterback battle between Texas Tech transfer Donovan Smith and sophomore Lucas Coley: “Yeah, it’s funny, I was talking with Case Keenum the other day, and I asked him about competition. Back when we were here in 2008, Blake Joseph and Case Keenum were battling back and forth. I asked him the importance of when you name a starter, and he goes, ‘I wouldn’t. Just let them compete, because if they compete, it makes them better, and then it should take care of itself.’

“I’m not concerned with it right now. They’ve been 50/50, and we knew they were going to be 50/50, and they’re going to continue to be 50/50 until one just makes it clear. So I think that’s going to naturally take care of itself. I’m a big proponent of letting kids compete.”

Lance Leipold – Kansas

On starting quarterback Jalon Daniels and his gradual return to full health and what he brings to the program: “He’s making all the throws, everything that we need him to be. I think the one thing we sometimes forget about Jalon and everything he brings to our program, he’s an Academic All-American. What we put on his plate and what we ask him to do and whether it be just things in our offense, retaining the information, verbalizing it back to others, getting others lined up, I think he does an outstanding job.

“As we know, everybody has had a chance to see when he’s healthy what he does as a dual-threat quarterback. I think the other thing is his leadership abilities, his charisma. He’s a guy that doesn’t get too high or too low. Again, I’ve said it from the start when he burned his redshirt our first year, he’s a special man and a special individual.”

Mike Gundy – Oklahoma State

On if he would entertain playing Oklahoma in a non-conference game when the Sooners leave the Big XII after this season: “No. We have nine conference games scheduled, and then we have, I think, through 15 years, we’re scheduled all the way up, and we’re full for the most part, and we have Power Five teams. I’m going to go back to what I said earlier. Oklahoma State is not going to change what we do because Oklahoma chose to go to the SEC. They need to change what they do because they’re the ones that made their mind up to go to the SEC.

“So with all the talk from administration and people saying that Oklahoma State needs to do this and that, all Oklahoma had to do was not go to the SEC. So it is what it is. We can cut right to the chase. For me, I want to listen to the board. I’ll listen to the president. I’ll listen to the AD if that’s something they want to do. I’m good. But I don’t think it’s going to happen based on the way the scheduling is. Everybody needs to realize, it didn’t have to happen if they didn’t change leagues.”

Sonny Dykes – TCU

On the process of hiring Kendall Briles as TCU’s offensive coordinator and the due diligence he did regarding the decision: “You know, you go back and you look at kind of what happened at Baylor. I was a young head coach when those things were happening, and so I followed it.

“I had worked with Art prior at Texas Tech as an assistant and knew him a long time as a high school coach. The thing that I always try to do is learn from situations. So when all that happened at Baylor, the thing I tried to do was, okay, let’s make sure this never happens in my program, and how can I go about doing that, how can I learn from mistakes that were made. I think that we all want to do that.

“I think that colleges across the board, whether it’s Title IX, reporting, everything has gotten better because of what occurred there. I did a lot of homework in that, and I talked to a lot of people that were directly involved in that situation to learn from it, and that was a number of years ago, and then had a chance to see guys move on from there and see how they did, if they had any issues that plagued them moving forward. Certainly all of those things were things I considered when I hired Kendall.

“I knew it was going to be an unpopular hire in some ways because of some things that had happened, but at the same time, I was very confident from knowing Kendall from the time he was 13 years old and just talking to people that were directly involved in that situation. There was a tremendous amount of due diligence. A number of years ago when I was at SMU I did a lot of due diligence, as well, talked to a lot of people that were directly involved at Baylor and saw it and tried to learn from those mistakes, and then obviously as we got down the road hiring him. I feel really good about the hire.”

Steve Sarkisian – Texas

How does this team compare to his first team now that he is in Year Three with a couple of his own recruiting classes on the roster: “Yeah, something that in my opinion we’ve got now going into year three is I think we’ve got really quality competitive depth on our roster across the board. That our players know when they go to practice every day, the guy in the same line as them, whether he’s behind them or in front of them, is probably as equally talented as him, if not better.

“So now how do I continue to work to strive to be motivated to continue to get better, because I think when you’re surrounded by like-minded people, that’s what pushes you to become even better. Then ultimately when you go to practice, that the guy lining up across from you is a quality player and a quality opponent, and so again, that’s pushing you to be the best that you can be but that you do it out of respect.

“I was talking to the team earlier today about how proud I am of the culture they’ve developed. It’s one thing for me to come in and have an idea of a culture and what I want it to look like and for them to buy into it. It’s another to not just buy into it but to elevate it. I think that’s what they’ve done. This team is different. They have a different look in their eye. They look different on the hoof.”

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