Rock Chalk: Kansas Head Coach Lance Leipold on Spring Practice, QB Battle & Wembley Preparations

By Simon Carroll

Ahead of Kansas’ trip to London for the inaugural Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium this coming season, Simon Carroll caught up with Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold to discuss the offseason so far, an intriguing quarterback competition and what fans in the UK can look forward to seeing on September 19th:

It might be the offseason, but College Football never truly stops. Fresh off Spring practice, Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold headed over to London for a whistle stop tour that culminated in an Elite Series Clinic, delivering high-performance coaching and on-field development for aspiring British American football players. On reflection, Coach Leipold was happy with the Jayhawks’ 2026 thus far:

“I think we had an excellent Spring. We had 32 transfers, which in today’s world is almost standard these days. Then we had 12 early enrollees from high school and a couple of added walk-ons. So we had almost 50 new players, which is unique to us. To get them acclimated and indoctrinated into our culture was very important.”

A lot of new faces, and not much time; the urgency of Spring practices in college football have ramped up in the modern era of the transfer portal. Scheme installations may be hurried, but the influx of talent has allowed Coach Leipold and his staff to bring together a deeper level of talent than Lawrence is used to:

“I thought we were able to get schemes taught and executed the way we needed to. The thing I’m really excited about is I think we’ve been able now to assemble a roster with depth. The competition is going to be there weekly, daily, and when something happens of rotation or injury, I think our drop-off of the next man up is going to be the best it’s been in our five-plus years.”

Helping hone that talent is associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki, who heads back to Kansas after two years leading Penn State’s offense. Kotelnicki has a  long history with Leipold, and the head coach is hoping that familiarity pays dividends as he embarks on his sixth season at KU:

“Andy and I have been together for 11 years. I jokingly say that’s about three times longer than most marriages in the United States! We’ve been together a long time, and to get him back with us from Penn State, he’s been huge. Andy’s an excellent offensive coach, a very creative innovator. How our relationship works is he does a great job of stimulating thoughts and challenges. He’s always looking to make our offense better and make our program better. That’s what I truly appreciate about him. It’s been great having him back in the building.”

Coach Kotelnicki certainly seems to be enjoying being back with the Jayhawks, and has injected a new level of enthusiasm around the camp through Spring practice:

“He likes to have fun. He’s got that personality and energy. We needed that. There’s been a fair amount of roster change, but there’s still quite a few guys that know him or know of him. I think everybody from top to bottom was excited when he re-entered the program.”

Quarterback Competition

2026 is going to look a lot different in Lawrence. Kansas have been blessed with having one of the best quarterbacks in their history on their roster the past six years in Jalon Daniels. But Daniels now embarks on a career with the Buccaneers in the NFL, meaning a change under center for the Jayhawks. Coach Leipold is confident his QB room has more than enough talent to fill the void:

“I think it’s a battle. We have two guys. A lot of people think that your answers are always through the transfer portal. But I believe that Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall are two players that we can definitely win in the Big 12 with. They have the intangibles of leadership and they have the athleticism to create plays with their feet. I think their throwing skills are underrated at this time because they just haven’t had a lot of experience. But they’re going to play winning football for us and that’s exciting.”

Ballard has Big 12 experience, stepping in for Daniels when needed. And there’s an excitement on campus over Marshall, who was a highly prized recruit in the class of 2024. Despite being confident in their quarterbacks, Kansas weren’t afraid to inject some extra competition this offseason:

“We’ve added a third quarterback, Chase Jenkins from Rice. I think he’s another one that’s going to add competition to the position – he comes from sort of an option offense, and yeah, he could be sprinkled into our offense in places. Ultimately, we want defenses to have to defend all our skill players, and that includes quarterbacks that can be a threat with their feet as well as their arm. To have three guys that can do that will be paramount to our success.”

If there’s maybe a little nervousness of the unknown in Jayhawk circles right now, it’s matched by excitement for the potential of a deep, versatile and dangerous offense. When pushed on who fans in the UK should look out for in London in September, Leipold was keen to highlight a diverse range of weapons:

“I think probably our most dynamic player offensively right now would be Dylan Edwards, a transfer from Kansas State. He came over to Ireland last year, got hurt on the first punt return and never really got back to full strength all year with a foot injury. He is an explosive player that can be used in many different ways. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s got speed and quickness and is good in the return game. A lot of times guys have quickness to make people miss, but not always that extra gear to outrun them. Dylan definitely does!”

“We’ve got another big back, a transfer from Syracuse, Yasin Willis. He gives us that power runner, so it gives us a nice one-two with Edwards. And our receiving corps is pretty exciting too; Cam Pickett, he played last year for us and has started to play well. We’ve added two other receivers on the outside; Nick McMillan, a transfer from Buffalo and Nahzae Cox from Middle Tennessee, a big, tall, lanky receiver that’s really good at going up and getting the 50-50 ball. I think we’ve addressed some of the needs we needed to fill and it should be an exciting offense for the fans at Wembley.”

Wembley Preparations

The arrival of Nik McMillan in Lawrence is an interesting one. McMillan was recruited by Leipold and his staff when at Buffalo back in 2020. The receiver ultimately committed to the Bulls despite the staff leaving for Kansas, but now reunites with most of them at The Booth – the consequence of Leipold maintaining that relationship in the new era of college football:

“Recruiting is like wins and losses sometimes. When you lose out on a guy, in the past you might cut the tie there. But you just don’t know what’s going to happen with young men today and the experiences that they have. We are dealing in an era where finances play a part in it. Sometimes when you do lose out on a recruit and the experience doesn’t turn out the way they had hoped, if they’re looking to relocate, what were their previous relationships? Who were the people they really enjoyed being around and gave full consideration to? With the transfer portal the way that it is, maintaining those relationships can be very important.”

An offseason like no other the sport has seen means there’s a lot of changes in most college football outposts in 2026. Kansas is no different, and Leipold and his team are getting used to the new normal just as much as fans are. But whilst others may be taking a minute to recharge, KU have more to prepare for.

Football seasons are short, and it seems only yesterday that the Union Jack Classic announced the first ever college football game at Wembley Stadium. But there are now only 20 more Saturdays until Kansas and Arizona State face off in London, and the intrigue and anticipation of a huge Big 12 matchup in the English capital is reaching fever pitch.

Nobody is more excited for the opportunity than Lance Leipold, a refreshing change from NFL coaches who have typically seen trips across the Atlantic as an inconvenience rather than an occasion. Savouring his own first trip to the city, the KU head coach has balanced work and play in order to be ready for September 19th:

“It’s been great. We’ve been able to see a lot, we’ve been able to tour. See the hotel we’re going to stay at, the practice facility we’re going to use. A lot of it had to do with logistics and things that we want to try to do when we’re over here, and the options we have for player experiences. And of course, we’ve enjoyed taking in some of the sites ourselves along the way! The people at the Union Jack Classic are doing it right – they’re doing everything they can to make it a special experience for both teams. We’re awfully excited about it and we can’t wait to get back here in September.”

 

Tickets to watch the Sun Devils against the Jayhawks in the inaugural Union Jack Classic on Saturday September 19 can be purchased now via the Union Jack Classic website

Mock Draft

SIMON CARROLL

Lead Writer, Head of Content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST AND COVERS THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS FOR SB NATION.

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