Kansas’ trip to Wembley Stadium is drawing plenty of attention, and Lance Leipold understands why.
The Jayhawks are slated to face Arizona State in the Union Jack Classic next season, giving Kansas an overseas stage for one of the biggest games in program history. The matchup will be played at the historic Wembley Stadium, and it came up as one of the main talking points around Big 12 Media Days this past week.
Leipold said he would have preferred the game land in the week zero slot, the way some other international games have been scheduled. But even with that preference, the Kansas coach made clear he sees the bigger picture.
“First of all, as giving up a home game, we're in phase two of our stadium renovation, and we're at a reduced capacity, so that was part of the formula,” started Leipold when asked about the trip.
That matters for Kansas, which is coming off a year in which fans were back at the Booth after the team spent much of the previous season playing home games in Kansas City, Missouri. With David Booth Memorial Stadium still being renovated, the loss of a home conference game is less painful than it might have been under different circumstances.
The Jayhawks will only host Baylor, UCF and BYU in Big 12 play next season, while other conference teams will have four home league games. That is a small hit from the fan side, but the stadium situation helped shape the decision.
Still, Leipold kept coming back to the experience his players will get out of it.
“But, you know, I think we're still about student-athlete experience, and I think we're providing an opportunity for our student-athletes to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience to go over there and play a football game.”
For Kansas, this will be the first college football game ever played at Wembley Stadium, and it will also be the program’s first game abroad. Leipold, though, has been there before.
“I mentioned that many moons ago, when I was a graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin, we played in Tokyo, Japan. And when I run into former players at that time, they still talk about that game and their trip and everything that went along with it.”
That Wisconsin team played Michigan State in early December 1993, near the end of Leipold’s time there.
The timing of Kansas’ trip makes it even more intriguing. Several players will be making their first overseas trip, and the chance to play in a setting like Wembley gives the program a rare spotlight.
If the Jayhawks can win, the payoff goes beyond the novelty of the trip. It would give a program still working to fully reestablish itself a major publicity boost, and it could also help halt what might become a three-year run without a bowl appearance.
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