Lance Leipold isn’t selling Kansas on flash heading into 2026. He’s betting on something a little less glamorous and maybe a lot more useful: depth.
That was the through line at Big 12 Media Days, where the Jayhawks’ coach kept circling back to the same idea after two straight 5-7 seasons. For Leipold, the next step isn’t just about adding talent at the top of the roster. It’s about building enough quality across the board that Kansas can keep playing at the end of games instead of fading in them.
“I like our depth in the offensive line. I really do, the competitiveness there. I like the depth at running back a lot... our depth at linebacker, our depth at safety,” Leipold said.
That matters because Kansas has lived through too many painful finishes the last two years. Leipold pointed to the snap totals on some of the players who were out there in those losses, saying the wear and tear showed up when it counted most.
“We've lost too many close football games,” Leipold said. “When I start looking at some of those losses and I look at the total numbers of snaps played by certain guys... they've been on the field a long time.”
The hope now is that a deeper roster gives the staff more flexibility to rotate earlier and preserve energy for the fourth quarter. Leipold said the goal is to be in better shape when games tighten up late.
“Can we be a fresher football team? Can we be a healthier football team late in the season that allow us to overcome some of these things? I think we have a chance to do that with this roster,” Leipold said.
He also credited Kansas’ roster-building approach in the first full offseason under college athletics’ new revenue-sharing model. In his view, the school used its resources in a way that should help the team across the board.
“I think we've taken our resources and we've allocated them in a good way this year to give us the most depth and opportunity to be successful this year,” Leipold said.
Another change Leipold liked: just one transfer portal window this offseason. He said it brought more stability to the locker room and made the whole process feel cleaner.
“It was so much better because you had a better feeling that players were where their feet were... it just felt different,” Leipold said. “I think we've taken the right step that with one portal window, you're going to find out where you're going.”
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Leipold acknowledged the challenge of the travel, but he also pointed to a built-in cushion that should matter to Kansas fans worried about the aftermath. The game comes in Week 3, and the Jayhawks get a bye week afterward before turning to a demanding nine-game finish, so the staff has time to manage the transition back and reset for the Oct. 3 matchup. [Read more 🡒]