Okay, let’s talk about the KU football coaches. I found myself thinking about this the other day, just kinda reflecting on the whole situation there.
Getting Started: Why Even Look?
So, I was just sitting around, you know, scrolling through some sports stuff, and it hit me how much buzz there is around KU football lately. Which, let’s be honest, wasn’t always the case. For years, it felt like… well, you know. Rough sledding. I got curious about the folks actually running the show, the coaches. Who are these guys turning things around?
Digging In: The Process
I decided to spend a bit of time actually looking into it. Didn’t do anything fancy, just started reading some articles, checking out the official athletics site, kinda piecing together the timeline in my head. It wasn’t like some deep investigation, more like refreshing my memory and connecting the dots.
First thing, obviously, is Coach Leipold. Lance Leipold. I remembered when he got hired back in ’21. Seemed like a solid hire, coming from Buffalo where he’d done a good job. But you never really know how it’s gonna translate, right? Especially at a place like KU that had struggled for so long.
So, I looked at his staff. You start seeing names, guys who came with him, guys who were added. What I noticed was the consistency. It feels like he brought in his guys, people who understood his system and what he wanted to build. That seemed important. It wasn’t just one guy; it felt like a team effort from the coaching side.
- Offensive Coordinator: Andy Kotelnicki was a big name I kept seeing, followed Leipold from Buffalo. Makes sense, the offense started clicking. (Update: Realized he moved on, but he was key to the initial turnaround I was thinking about). Okay, gotta keep track, things change fast. Jeff Grimes is the guy now, right? Came in with his own experience. Interesting to see how that continues.
- Defensive Coordinator: Brian Borland, another one from the Buffalo crew. The defense definitely showed improvement too. Stability seemed key there for a while.
- Other Staff: Didn’t dive deep into every single position coach, but you get the sense it’s a group that works together. They seem focused on development, finding players, and just grinding.
Observations and Reflections
What really struck me during this little dive wasn’t just the names, but the feeling around the program. You gotta remember the before times. Years of just… hoping for a win. Any win. Seeing packed stadiums, genuine excitement, actual expectations? That’s different. And a lot of that has to trace back to the leadership.
It seems like Leipold and his staff brought a few key things:
Stability: Like I said, keeping a core group together, especially early on, helped build a foundation.
Development: They seem pretty good at getting the most out of their players. Guys seem to get better year after year.
Belief: This might be the biggest one. They got the team, and honestly the fans, believing they could actually compete and win in the Big 12. That’s huge.
Wrapping Up
So yeah, spent maybe an hour just reading and thinking about the KU coaching situation. It’s kinda cool to see a plan come together. From the hire of Leipold to assembling the staff and then seeing the results on the field start to show up. It wasn’t instant, took a lot of work, but you can definitely see the impact they’ve had. It’s been a solid process to watch unfold, and definitely a change from what we saw for a long, long time before.
