Real financial commitment hasn't yet produced results
Leipold's raise to $7M+ came alongside back-to-back missed bowls — the program is now paying premium money without the on-field results that justified the deal.
BIG 12 FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 9 OF 16
KANSAS JAYHAWKS
2026 Season Snapshot • Lawrence, Kansas
5-7 (missed bowl)
BIG 12
2026 Schedule
Live schedule, lines and results for Kansas.
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HEAD COACH
HANDICAPPING PROFILEHEAD COACH
Lance Leipold — 6th season at Kansas
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
173–74 (22 seasons, multiple programs incl. D-III)
Won six D-III national titles at Wisconsin-Whitewater before three straight winning seasons at Buffalo, then took over a Kansas program that hadn't had a winning season since 2008. Delivered the Jayhawks' first bowl trip in 15 years (2022) and a 9-4 season in 2023, earning a raise to one of the Big 12's highest-paid coaches — but has now missed a bowl in back-to-back seasons since.
KANSAS ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
2025 finished 5-7 (missed bowl eligibility for a second straight year) despite a 4-2 start; Kansas lost 5 of its final 6 games, including a 3-INT performance from Jalon Daniels in the finale against Utah. A repeatable second-half fade worth tracking again in 2026.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$7.0M
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Not publicly named
Coach salary per ESPN/CBS Sports (amended deal through 2029, base raised from $5M to over $7M; assistant pool at $6M, support-staff pool at $2.9M, both with annual increases). Kansas has not disclosed a team NIL figure; Leipold has publicly acknowledged Texas Tech's roster-construction spending ($28M reported) dwarfs his own program's.
HANDICAPPING NOTES
- Real financial commitment hasn't yet produced results: Leipold's raise to $7M+ came alongside back-to-back missed bowls — the program is now paying premium money without the on-field results that justified the deal.
- Total QB reset after six years of Jalon Daniels: A genuine three-way, still-undecided competition (Cole Ballard, Isaiah Marshall, Chase Jenkins) heading into fall camp — the first true open QB battle at Kansas since Daniels' 2020 arrival.
- Leipold has publicly conceded the NIL gap: He specifically flagged Texas Tech's reported $28M roster spend as a real disadvantage — a rare, candid admission from a Big 12 coach about the financial arms race.
COORDINATORS & SCHEME
OFFENSE / DEFENSEOFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Andy Kotelnicki's successor — Multiple
Kansas must replace OC Andy Kotelnicki, who left for the same role at Penn State — part of the reason the amended Leipold contract specifically built in more staff retention money. Inherits a full QB competition and a receiving corps that returns real experience even amid the uncertainty under center.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Multiple • Returning system
Kansas returns defensive tackles D.J. Withers and Tommy Dunn Jr. as building blocks on a defense that ranked in the bottom third of the country in 2025 (26.8 ppg allowed, 35.4 in the five late-season losses) — real, specific improvement needed for Kansas to turn a fast start into a full season.
2025 SEASON RECAP
RECORD & VENUE NOTES2025 RECORD
5–7 (missed bowl)
Started 4-2 before a 1-5 finish, including a 3-INT performance from Daniels in the Utah finale. Kansas opens a renovated, $448M David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in 2026 — real, recent facility investment paired with on- field uncertainty.
HOME FIELD
David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium
Artificial turf (FieldTurf), Lawrence. A $448M renovation opens in 2026, one of the largest facility investments in program history — Leipold has been directly involved in the project's design, a real programmatic commitment regardless of the QB uncertainty on the field.
PRIMARY SKILL PLAYERS
2026 PROJECTED STARTERS| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Cole Ballard | — | ★★★★★ | Holds a slight experience edge in a genuine three-way competition with Isaiah Marshall and Chase Jenkins as of fall camp — the biggest storyline of Kansas' 2026 season by beat writers' own admission. |
| RB1 | Yasin Willis | — | ★★★★★ | Syracuse transfer; totaled 600 yds at 4.3 ypc as a true sophomore in 2025. Kansas' top two 2025 backs (Daniel Hishaw Jr., Leshon Williams) are both out of eligibility, making Willis the projected lead option for 2026. |
QB1Cole Ballard—★★★★★
Holds a slight experience edge in a genuine three-way competition with Isaiah Marshall and Chase Jenkins as of fall camp — the biggest storyline of Kansas' 2026 season by beat writers' own admission.
RB1Yasin Willis—★★★★★
Syracuse transfer; totaled 600 yds at 4.3 ypc as a true sophomore in 2025. Kansas' top two 2025 backs (Daniel Hishaw Jr., Leshon Williams) are both out of eligibility, making Willis the projected lead option for 2026.
OFFENSIVE LINE
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kobe Baynes departure leaves a gap | OL | — | ★★★★★ | Baynes (Second-Team All-Big 12, zero sacks allowed on 403 pass-block snaps in 2025) is gone to the NFL Draft; real production to replace up front for whichever QB wins the job. |
Kobe Baynes departure leaves a gapOL—★★★★★
Baynes (Second-Team All-Big 12, zero sacks allowed on 403 pass-block snaps in 2025) is gone to the NFL Draft; real production to replace up front for whichever QB wins the job.
HANDICAPPING NOTE — O-LINE
- Losing a zero-sacks-allowed All-Big 12 lineman right as the QB position is also totally unresolved is real compounding risk for the passing game specifically.
DEFENSIVE LINE
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| D.J. Withers | DT | Returning starter and one of the clearest building blocks on a defense that ranked in the bottom third of the country in 2025. |
| Tommy Dunn Jr. | DT | Returning starter alongside Withers, giving Kansas real experience at the position even as the unit looks to improve overall. |
D.J. WithersDT
Returning starter and one of the clearest building blocks on a defense that ranked in the bottom third of the country in 2025.
Tommy Dunn Jr.DT
Returning starter alongside Withers, giving Kansas real experience at the position even as the unit looks to improve overall.
LINEBACKERS
2026 PROJECTED- Kansas' linebacker corps returns real experience but must be part of a larger defensive turnaround after allowing 35.4 points per game across five late-season losses in 2025 — a specific, trackable number to watch improve or repeat.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary needs real | — | — | Part of a defense that finished in the bottom third nationally in 2025; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed closer to Week 1. |
| — | DB | ★★★★★ | |
| improvement | — | — |
Secondary needs real—
Part of a defense that finished in the bottom third nationally in 2025; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed closer to Week 1.
—DB★★★★★
improvement—
SPECIAL TEAMS
KICKING, PUNTING & RETURN GAME- Overall: No major specialist storylines flagged for 2026. Kansas opens its $448M-renovated home stadium this season — a major off-field milestone for a program whose on-field trajectory (two straight missed bowls) is the central question of 2026.
Betting profile — vs. the number
2025 ATS
5-7
41.7% cover rate — 53rd of 82
2025 Straight up
5-7
Point differential +16
Scoring environment
54.8
Combined points per game — 30th highest of 82
Home / road ATS
3-4 · 2-3
Totals 5-7 O/U (3-4 home, 2-3 road)
Points scored / allowed
28.1 per game scored (43rd) · 26.8 allowed (54th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +1.3 (47th) · Strength of schedule +3.6
- Home / road: Home 3-4 ATS, road 2-3 ATS (neutral-site games excluded).
- Home / road: Totals 5-7 O/U — 3-4 at home, 2-3 on the road.
- Trend: 2025 ATS 5-7 (41.7% cover rate) across 12 games.
- Trend: Averaged 28.1 points and allowed 26.8, a 54.8 combined per-game scoring environment.
Power ratings — strength against the field
SRS power rating
+3.4
42nd of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
+4.5
33rd of 82
Defensive SRS
-0.5
52nd of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+1.3 · 47th of 82
Against the spread
5-7 (41.7%) · 53rd of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
54.8 · 30th of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Notes
Saved Just J research for Kansas.
Quarterback
Total QB reset after six years of Jalon Daniels
A genuine three-way, still-undecided competition (Cole Ballard, Isaiah Marshall, Chase Jenkins) heading into fall camp — the first true open QB battle at Kansas since Daniels' 2020 arrival.
Program Context
Leipold has publicly conceded the NIL gap
He specifically flagged Texas Tech's reported $28M roster spend as a real disadvantage — a rare, candid admission from a Big 12 coach about the financial arms race.
Offensive Line
Offensive line outlook
Losing a zero-sacks-allowed All-Big 12 lineman right as the QB position is also totally unresolved is real compounding risk for the passing game specifically.
Notes are maintained in the Admin area — no code changes required.