There’s been a lot of talk surrounding the way head coach Lance Leipold has rebuilt Kansas. Some have even compared it to Bill Snyder’s turnaround of Kansas State University. One ESPN article said Leipold’s rebuild has been more impressive, while here at Heartland College Sports, some have called that out as ridiculous and uninformed. Either way, what both of these men did and have done for their respective universities has been commendable and impressive.
It’s understandable that some Wildcat supporters would be miffed by someone saying Leipold’s done a better job at Kansas through three years than Snyder’s first three years at Kansas. Kansas State was absolutely horrific when Snyder took over. Kansas was known as one of the worst programs in America, but it didn’t have multiple decades of failure like Kansas State. Chalk one up for Snyder. Leipold has only been three years at the University of Kansas, so it’s impossible to compare full careers at this point. However, Leipold has been a proven winner as a head coach at three different stops. Here’s where some people may get up in arms. Leipold is just getting started at Kansas, and by the time he leaves Lawrence, his legacy could be even greater on the Jayhawk football program than Snyder’s was at Kansas State.
In a day and age when coaches are jumping from one job to the next, Leipold has chosen to dig in and stay with the program he’s building in Lawrence, Kansas. While basketball has always been the calling card at KU, Leipold is turning Kansas into a football school, and that’s something that no coach has been able to do in the program’s entire history. There are huge changes coming to the program, including building new locker rooms, basically an entirely new stadium, an entertainment district, and more. KU football is now bringing a swagger to Lawrence like never before.
Snyder won a few Big 12 Championships in his days at Kansas State, so that is where Leipold needs to start to get closer to Snyder’s level. However, Leipold also has the chance to do something that Snyder could never do: make it to a National Championship game. It’s true; with the expanded College Football Playoff setup, it will be easier for a school like Kansas to have the opportunity to play for a championship. Back in the 1990s or early 2000s, if the current College Football Playoff format had been around, K-State would have had a chance to get in the dance. However, not making it to a National Championship will always be something that eluded Snyder. Can that be the one thing that sets Leipold apart? That’s something that can’t be answered right now, but looking into the future, it could be a possibility.
How about winning a National Championship? Much like Kansas City Chiefs fans before Patrick Mahomes arrived, no one ever seriously thought the Chiefs had a chance to win a Super Bowl. Before Leipold, Kansas fans would have never considered the possibility of making a bowl game let alone having a chance to compete for a Big 12 title and getting into the College Football Playoff with a chance to win a National Championship.
Unfortunately for Snyder and his backers in this discussion, he never won a National Championship. He never had the opportunity to play for one, either. That’s where Leipold still has a chance to get the upper hand. If he can lead Kansas to a Big 12 championship and a run in the College Football Playoff, and (maybe unfathomably to some) winning a National Title for the Jayhawks, that would absolutely put Leipold over the top in this conversation.
While this is such a hypothetical conversation for now, it’s a fun one that Jayhawk and Wildcat fans will surely jaw back and forth with as long as Leipold is leading the Kansas football program. For Leipold, getting a win in the Sunflower Showdown would be the best place to start and this year that game will be played in Manhattan, Kansas. Both teams have high hopes and Big 12 Championship aspirations this season. It will be fun to see how it all plays out.
