Kansas Football: Lance Leipold Surfaces in Florida Head Coaching Speculation

The Kansas Jayhawks are coming off a loss to SEC opponent Missouri, but not every school in the conference is thriving.

Billy Napier and Florida are fresh off an astronomically bad home loss to South Florida in their last outing, and it is looking increasingly likely that Napier’s tenure could come to an end following his fourth year in Gainesville.

As a result, ESPN analyst Adam Rittenberg released a list of eight head coaches who could potentially succeed Napier — and KU’s Lance Leipold was included.

"Schlabach brought up Leipold, who is a fascinating candidate to examine. The 61-year-old could finish his career at Kansas, which opened its renovated stadium last month and is supporting the program unlike ever before," Rittenberg wrote.

"He also could make one big move. If he does, I see him ending up back in the Big Ten, especially if a job like Wisconsin opens. Leipold is from the state and spent three years as a Wisconsin graduate assistant early in coach Barry Alvarez's run there."

Lance Leipold Once Again Thrown Into the Coaching Carousel

We know what you’re probably thinking. We’ve all seen this movie before. Leipold has been tied to several head coaching vacancies over the years, particularly at Big Ten programs like Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Nebraska.

More recently, he was linked to Washington as a candidate to replace Kalen DeBoer before ultimately signing an amended contract with Kansas in 2024.

Leipold has established himself as one of the best culture-builders in college football, taking the Jayhawks from the abyss of irrelevance to a pair of bowl games in his first three seasons.

His 2024 squad came in with high expectations but finished with a disappointing 5–7 record. Now, KU is hoping to bounce back and compete atop the Big 12 again behind sixth-year quarterback Jalon Daniels and several big-time transfers.

MORE: Kansas vs. Missouri: Lance Leipold Is To Blame for Heartbreaking Loss

Jayhawk fans have grown accustomed to Leipold’s name surfacing in coaching carousel conversations ever since his first season in Lawrence. Many believed he would leave for Wisconsin given his ties to the state and his success at Wisconsin-Whitewater, but he turned down that opportunity.

If he didn’t leave for Wisconsin or for a more lucrative contract at Washington, it’s fair to assume Florida won’t be the job that pushes him over the edge either.

Leipold’s name will continue to pop up on these lists, and they’ll generate some national buzz. But at this point, there is no reason to believe he has any desire to leave Lawrence in the near future.