Lance Leipold’s new-look Kansas ready for London opportunity

By Jack Brentnall

Kansas entered its opener against LIU as heavy favourites. The expectation was that the Jayhawks would take care of business and they did exactly that.

A new-look Kansas team showed few signs of needing time to settle, cruising to a 51-6 victory while producing 613 yards of offense.

Kansas renews its rivalry with Missouri next weekend before turning its attention to Arizona State and the Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium. For Lance Leipold, though, the opportunity to take his team to London is about more than simply another game on the schedule.

Speaking ahead of the season, the Kansas head coach discussed the challenge of integrating a heavily reshaped roster, the return of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, his new starting quarterback and the rapidly changing landscape of college football.

A new-look Kansas takes shape

Roster turnover has become an unavoidable part of modern college football, but the scale of the change in Lawrence has still been significant. Leipold estimates that around 60% of the Kansas roster is new, whether through high school recruiting or the transfer portal.

For Leipold, finding the right players is about far more than simply assessing what they can offer on Saturdays. Kansas spends considerable time trying to understand why a player is leaving his previous program, how important football is to him and, perhaps most importantly, how he responds when things have not gone his way.

The aim is simple – “Play for Kansas, not just at Kansas.” It is a message that becomes increasingly important in a sport where player movement has never been easier.

Despite expecting some growing pains, Leipold has been encouraged by how quickly his new-look roster has come together. Nowhere is that more apparent than at quarterback.

With long-time starter Jalon Daniels now in the NFL, Isaiah Marshall and Cole Ballard were fighting for the QB1 job. Marshall ultimately won out, though Leipold makes it clear that Ballard is an important figure for the Jayhawks, symbolised in the fact he was voted as a team captain for the 2026 season.

Marshall’s development as a passer was an important part of the decision to give him the starting job, but so too was his ability on the ground.

Leipold highlighted Marshall’s speed, vision and ability to create as a runner, giving Kansas another dimension within its designed quarterback run game.

Those traits were evident in his first start. Marshall completed 14 of his 19 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns against LIU, while adding another 49 yards on the ground.

It was the sort of controlled opening performance Kansas would have hoped for from its new starter, though the real litmus tests will come over the next two weeks against Missouri and Arizona State.

Kotelnicki returns to Lawrence

Andy Kotelnicki’s return to Kansas was one of the most intriguing coaching moves of the offseason.

Kotelnicki spent 11 seasons working alongside Leipold across Wisconsin-Whitewater, Buffalo and Kansas before leaving Lawrence following the 2023 season.

His previous spell with the Jayhawks helped produce some of the most productive offenses in program history. Kansas retained many of the same principles after his departure, but Leipold admits it was never quite the same and he is clearly excited to have Kotelnicki back on staff as Assistant Head Coach.

What separates Kotelnicki, in his view, is an innate ability to assess the personnel available to him and build an offense around it. Leipold described it as looking at “what’s in the cupboard” and finding a way to put together the best possible meal.

That adaptability is particularly valuable for a team dealing with significant roster turnover.

Kotelnicki has developed a reputation for creativity, but Leipold pushed back against the idea that the offense relies on gimmicks. Instead, he sees a system built around complementary concepts, personnel usage and presenting defenses with different looks without losing its underlying structure.

The familiarity between the two meant there was little adjustment period when Kotelnicki returned and the early returns in Week 1 were certainly promising.

For a Kansas team dealing with significant change elsewhere on the roster, that familiarity could prove particularly valuable. Kotelnicki already understands what Leipold wants from his offense, while his ability to adapt that system around the players available gives the Jayhawks an element of continuity within an otherwise new-look team.

Building a roster in a changing sport

Kansas’ offseason rebuild also sits within a much broader conversation about where college football is heading.

The transfer portal has already transformed roster construction, but eligibility itself has increasingly become a point of debate.

One recent issue has been the possibility of players returning to college football after spending time in the professional game.

Leipold is keen to ensure that there is a firm line established between the two. “I just think we’re opening ourselves up to something that’s going to get more and more difficult to enforce if we allow this.” 

His concern stretches beyond any individual case. College coaches are already managing transfer windows, eligibility questions and players joining programs at different points of the year.

“We’ve been practicing for over a month. We’ve got games that have been played, and people are still trying to add players to their roster. Academic years have started. If we open this up, I think we truly then have become a professional sports organization.”

A London opportunity

Before Kansas can turn its full attention towards Wembley, Missouri awaits.

Leipold has been clear that his team cannot afford to look beyond the game immediately in front of it. The renewed Border Showdown carries more than enough significance of its own.

Once that is over, however, Kansas will be able to embrace an opportunity very few college players will ever experience.

The Jayhawks will travel to London ahead of their Big 12 matchup against Arizona State, giving many players their first opportunity to leave the United States.

Leipold admitted that preparation is a “balancing act”. He wants to maintain as much of the team’s normal routine as possible, but at the same time he does not want his players to miss what makes the trip special.

For many of the players making the trip, the experience will also represent a significant first.

“There’s still young men that have never flown before on a plane,” Leipold said. “There’s many of our players that have never been to another country.”

Kansas wants its players to understand the significance of where they will be playing, with Leipold keen for the group to learn about the history of Wembley Stadium and everything that has taken place there.

It may be an occasion whose importance only becomes clearer with time.

“Like a lot of things in life, when we’re at that age, we may not totally absorb it at the moment,” Leipold said.

He hopes that this will be an experience that lasts. “When they come back to Lawrence, Kansas, for homecoming, or when they get together at a teammate’s wedding or something of that sort, they are going to talk about this trip and the experiences that they have.”

That is ultimately the opportunity awaiting Kansas in London. There is an important Big 12 game to win, but also the chance for a new-look Jayhawks team to share an experience that could stay with them long after they leave Wembley.

Tickets can be purchased now on the Union Jack Classic website here: https://unionjackclassic.com/tickets-hospitality/

JACK BRENTNALL

HEAD OF NFL DRAFT CONTENT

Previously the founder of The Jet Sweep, Jack joined The Touchdown as head of Draft Content in 2024. A Scouting Academy alumnus, Jack has been Covering the NFL Draft since 2020. Follow him on Twitter @Jack_Brentnall.

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