Where Kansas Coach Lance Leipold Finished in CBS Sports’ Big 12 Rankings

Over the past few years, Kansas head coach Lance Leipold has caught plenty of scrutiny for the Jayhawks' struggles. While he is the sole reason the program was able to climb out of the abyss of the Big 12, the Jayhawks have squandered countless games in late moments since 2024.

In a recent article by CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli, the analyst ranked all Power 4 football coaches in Division I. Where did the sixth-year head coach land in this list?

Where Lance Leipold Landed in CBS Sports HC Rankings

Of the 16 coaches in the Big 12, Leipold ranked sixth in the conference and No. 34 in the country out of 68, positioning him comfortably in the middle of the pack. Here's what Fornelli had to say about Leipold going into the 2026 campaign:

"Last year, Lance Leipold was coming off a 5-7 mark but still received plenty of love from our voters for what he'd accomplished in his career, and for turning Kansas around," he wrote. "After a second straight losing record, he did not receive nearly as much love. He didn't finish higher than 30th on anybody's ballot and fell 19 spots from 15th to 34th. That said, we all know that if he wins nine games or more at Kansas again, he's going to jump right back into the top 25."

It was a 19-spot drop from last season when Fornelli and other voters placed Leipold at No. 15 in the country. But given that he has failed to take the Jayhawks to the postseason in consecutive years, this is quite the vote of confidence from the CBS Sports panel.

Many Jayhawk fans are convinced that the team is not far away from where it was in 2023 when it finished 9-4 with a victory in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. However, others feel that Leipold has plateaued and will be unable to turn the program into a serious Big 12 contender.

Things won't get easier for Leipold and Co. at the start of this upcoming season, either. KU will host cross-state rival Missouri in its second game of the season for a rematch of the renewed Border Showdown game before heading overseas to London to take on Arizona State in the Union Jack Classic.

It feels like a make-or-break season for Leipold at this point, especially with Andy Kotelnicki back in the mix, threatening to be the next head coach. Another disappointing year could force AD Travis Goff to dip into the coaching carousel next offseason, assuming better alternatives are on the market.

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