AD Travis Goff believes Kansas football can make national ‘statement’ in Liberty Bowl
On Sunday, the Kansas football team moved one step closer to building the program into a perennial power.
Kansas, it was announced Sunday, will play the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 28 in Memphis. The Jayhawks (6-6, 3-5 Big 12) have not been to a bowl game since the 2008 Insight Bowl in which KU defeated Minnesota 42-21.
Kansas athletic director Travis Goff feels this year’s bowl game is an essential building block for a program that hasn’t had much success in recent years.
“This is a really important step in the progression of building this program,” Goff said on Sunday. “It’s justification, in a lot of ways, that the way in which Lance (Leipold, KU football coach) and his staff are building is exactly, precisely the way in which we have to build at KU to have a chance (at) sustained success.
“It’s validation that the support of the university — the athletic department, our fan base, our donors — is achieving some of the things that we all hoped for and believed were out there in front of us. So having that validation and taking that really tangible step forward and being in position to compete in December (is a) pretty important step in that progression.”
The turnaround from a two-win team last season to bowl-eligibility this year caught Leipold somewhat by surprise. Goff shared a similar sentiment.
“When you are working in this space, you’ve got to seek optimism; you’ve got to project optimism and think about and talk about where things can go and where they could evolve too. I’d be lying, just like I think anybody would, if we were penciling in playing in December in Year 1 or 1-and-a-half,” Goff added, referencing that Leipold was hired after the spring slate in 2021, which left him short on time with players before his first year as coach.
Perhaps the biggest payoff from a bowl appearance will be in recruiting.
“I mean, we have guys coming in on official visits at this time,” said Kansas QB Jalon Daniels. “So you know, to be able to show them the culture that we’re trying to implement for the future of this program just allows us to ... let them get those baby steps before they even get on campus.”
Perhaps the truest sign of a program on the rise: Goff and Leipold are on the same page. In fact, in Leipold’s contract extension, there was a clause that noted Leipold’s buyout would be cut in half if the KU AD was no longer in office.
While Goff preaches continuity in his relationship with Leipold, he also hopes the fan base will continue to show up.
“I’m really excited about a continual reawakening of this fan base and this alumni base,” Goff said. “They’ve demonstrated that this fall. They’ve been fantastic, having sellouts and having really strong attendance all year long. But that’s got to continue to be part of this. We really absolutely, unequivocally know we can’t take those next steps If our fan base and our supporters don’t come along with us and maybe even get out in front of us, so to speak.”
So as Jayhawk fans mark their calendars for Dec. 28, Goff has issued a challenge.
“(The bowl game) is a chance for Jayhawks really across the country, this month and on December 28, to make a statement across the country, to make a statement to this program,” Goff said. “That’s going to position us in the years ahead. So, (I’m) excited to challenge, frankly, our fan base and our supporters to be there in full force in Memphis. We need to paint that city crimson and blue.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2022 at 4:00 AM with the headline "AD Travis Goff believes Kansas football can make national ‘statement’ in Liberty Bowl."
