Kansas football’s slow start has already put the conversation back where nobody at KU wants it: what would it take to part ways with Lance Leipold?
The Jayhawks are 1-2 overall and 0-1 in Big 12 play after opening with a home win over LIU, then dropping back-to-back games against now-No. 22 Missouri at home and Arizona State in London on Saturday. There’s still plenty of season left, but Kansas is already staring at a stretch where it needs to find some momentum fast.
If the season were to end and Kansas decided to move on from Leipold without cause on Dec. 1, 2026, the price tag would be about $17.9 million. That buyout would be paid monthly over 12 months. The contract also leaves room for an offset if Leipold lands another job in college, the NFL or a sports-related field such as media, and it says he agrees to look for employment in good faith at a fair market value as soon as possible.
Leipold’s run at Kansas has included the kind of high points that made the rebuild feel real. After taking over for the 2021 season, he guided the Jayhawks to bowl games in 2022 and 2023, with Kansas winning the bowl game in 2023 as well. The last two seasons, though, were a step back, as KU finished 5-7 in both 2024 and 2025.
Kansas now gets a breather before returning to action Oct. 3 at home against Middle Tennessee. Big 12 play picks back up Oct. 10 at No.
17 Utah. Middle Tennessee looks like the game Kansas should win, but the schedule tightens quickly after that.
In Other News...
Lance Leipold Is Facing A Kansas Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Arizona State left Kansas with another loss to sort through, and this one had the familiar feel of a game the Jayhawks let slip away. The offense never found a steady rhythm, quarterback Isaiah Marshall dealt with inconsistency around him, and the special teams phase added to the mess as center Kasen Carpenter and others were part of a unit that struggled to keep Kansas on script.
For Lance Leipold, the frustration is starting to pile up because the results keep looking too much alike. The Jayhawks have been close in enough of these games to make the margin feel especially costly, and the latest setback only sharpened the sense that small mistakes are carrying outsized consequences at the worst possible time. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Had A Few Bright Spots In An Ugly London Loss
Kansas came away from Wembley Stadium with an ugly 24-17 loss to Arizona State in the Union Jack Classic, and the score line only told part of the story. The Jayhawks had a few individual bright spots in a game where the offense sputtered and special teams hurt them, but the overall performance never found much rhythm as mistakes piled up on both sides of the ball.
Tate Nagy provided one of the few positive plays on offense with a touchdown and 61 receiving yards, while the defense got steady work from Leroy Harris III, who was around the ball often. Even so, Kansas could not overcome the combination of poor punting, multiple fumbles and a general lack of consistency, leaving plenty for the Jayhawks to sort through after a disappointing trip overseas. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Turned A Winnable Trip Into A Bowl Pressure Problem
Kansas turned a long trip to London into a missed opportunity Saturday, falling 24-17 to Arizona State at Wembley Stadium and slipping to 1-2 on the season. The Jayhawks had their share of momentum swings in the Union Jack Classic, including a 72-yard punt return touchdown by Tate Nagy, but they also gave away too many chances in a game that could have helped steady an early-season push.
Instead, the loss leaves Lance Leipolds team looking at a tougher road to bowl eligibility than it had before kickoff. With turnovers and decision-making under scrutiny and a challenging schedule ahead, Kansas now has little margin left to turn promising moments into the kind of wins it needs to stack fast. [Read more 🡒]