With Lance Leipold’s Kansas Jayhawks off to a rough 1-2 start in 2024, many fans have discussed changes coming to combat ongoing playcalling issues.
With turnovers at an all-time high and things continuing to spiral, on Tuesday, Kansas’ offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes discussed the possibility of switching places with quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski and where they coach on game day.
“There’s a better chance we do that than not,” said Grimes.
Since joining Kansas’ staff in 2024, Grimes decided to do something different than most of Leipold’s offensive coordinators. Leipold prefers to keep his offensive coordinators in the booth above the field rather than patrolling the sidelines below. This statement rang true with Zebrowski, Steve Dinkel, and Andy Kotelnicki, but with Grimes’ experience, Leipold allowed the former Baylor OC to occupy the sideline.
Through the first three games of the 2024 season, Grimes had been calling plays from the sideline while QB coach Jim Zebrowski watched from above in the booth. Now, with things approaching a standstill on offense at Kansas, Grimes and Zebrowski plan to trade locations, with Grimes in the booth and Zebrowski on the sidelines with his quarterback.
In 2023, with Kotelnicki calling the shots, Kansas’ offense ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 446 yards per game and fourth in the league with 349 points per contest. Under Grimes this fall, Kansas averages 403 yards per game, good for 11th in the league and 13th with 28.3 points per game.
Grimes and the Jayhawks will be tested yet again to kick off Big 12 play against Neal Brown and the West Virginia Mountaineers, who are also looking to bounce back in a big way in Week 4. The matchup kicks off on Saturday, September 21st, at 11:00 a.m. CT from Lawrence, Kansas, on ESPN2.
