KU Jayhawks athletic director Travis Goff talks realignment at football pep rally
A throng of 2,000 or so Crimson and Blue clad University of Kansas alumni and fans flocked to Prairie Village’s Corinth Square on Friday night to listen to new KU football coach Lance Leipold and athletic director Travis Goff speak about the upcoming season and 2021-22 school year.
It’s safe to say a sizable portion of the crowd has been unsettled by the recent decisions of Oklahoma and Texas to leave the Big 12 for the SEC when the grant of rights TV deal expires in 2025.
So what does first-year KU AD Goff tell those folks who are worried about KU’s future in realignment?
“I understand why they are worried. There’s a lot of talk about it. There’s a lot of unknown. We’re all living that, so I understand that perspective,” Goff told The Star on Friday night in a conversation about realignment and the upcoming KU football season.
“I would tell them just to continue to be confident in their institution. That’s why up there on the stage (speaking Friday) I talked about how great the University of Kansas is, how special it is, and I want to remind people as much as I can they should feel great confidence that we are going to be in a great place regardless how it plays out,” Goff added to The Star in his first public comments on uncertainty in the Big 12 caused by the decisions of Texas and Oklahoma.
When asked if fans should be confident KU would emerge from current conference uncertainty in a favorable situation, Goff said: “I believe wholeheartedly they should, absolutely they should. Nobody can predict exactly the road map to get there. That’s an unknown for everybody right now. But I really do believe everybody should be confident that we’re going to end up in a great place.”
Goff said he has engaged in “no formal conversations” with administrators in leagues outside the Big 12 following Oklahoma’s and Texas’ formal announcement of applying for admission to the SEC on July 26
“A lot of talks with my Big 12 brethren though,” Goff said. “Two or three calls a week with the Big 12 ADs. The commissioner (Bob Bowlsby) and the group (of ADs) is locked in and engaged and together, which is great. It’s a really great group in the Big 12,” Goff added.
Goff did acknowledge the recent decisions of Oklahoma and Texas to leave the Big 12 have resulted in him spending a lot of time on KU’s standing in possible realignment.
“Yes, always,” Goff said, asked if this has taken up a good portion of his work week. “What we are trying to do is make sure Kansas is represented everywhere. You have to be active. You have to lean on the people you know (in athletics). You have to try and read the tea leaves a little bit, and you have to be engaged in the Big 12. Being engaged in the Big 12 takes time, and there’s the other aspects of making sure we’re telling the Kansas story really well.”
He said he would recommend KU supporters exhibit patience as this plays out.
“I think patience is probably a good attitude to have,” Goff told The Star, “otherwise you are feeling something is imminent or right on the cusp and you are probably burning some energy. I would encourage that (patience),” he added.
Goff did not address the realignment issue in his five-minute speech to the fans at Corinth Square. He did however mention some of the positives KU certainly might bring to the table of conferences that might want to add the Jayhawks.
“As a fellow alum,” he said, “I can tell you we have a lot to be proud of at KU. One of my roles is to make sure we are telling that story far and wide. It’s a proud academic institution. It’s an AAU research institution. That means a lot. It means a lot in a variety of ways. We should be proud of that and tell that story,” he added.
He did not specifically mention the fact the Big Ten, for instance, is said to rank AAU status as an important factor for any school wishing to join its ranks.
“We have a rich tradition with some of the most passionate and supportive fans in all of college athletics. I’d stack us up there with anybody in the country,” Goff noted in his speech. “That will only build in years ahead. We have the most tradition-rich basketball program in the country. I think everybody realizes that.”
No crowd estimate yet for opener
KU’s football team has had eight practices thus far as the season opener nears. The Jayhawks will meet South Dakota at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 3 at Booth Memorial Stadium.
What kind of crowd will the Jayhawks have for Game One of the Leipold era?
“I really don’t have a good sense. I haven’t been asking the staff to give me projections. I’m just staying optimistic and I’m asking our team to push really hard,” Goff said. “We should do anything and everything we can to be promoting this program and this new Leipold era. I’m really excited. I think we’re going to have a nice crowd out there,” Goff added.
‘Trust’ in new coaching staff encouraged
Goff encourages fans to trust in new coach Leipold, who had great success at Wisconsin-Whitewater and Buffalo in previous stops.
“Absolutely. I know they’ve been asked to do that before,” Goff said of KU football fans. “I get that. I do understand that. I think when they come out there (to games) they are going to see those little things that indicate program building that matters so much.”
Goff is thankful he has a football coach willing to get out and attend rallies such as Friday’s in Prairie Village. A rally was held in Wichita earlier in the week.
“It’s critical. You have to remember this is a small town Wisconsin guy who grinded his way up the ladder,” Goff said. “Division II, Division III, almost ego-less and he loves being a Jayhawk. That’s exactly what we needed to help (rebuild program),” Goff added.
Leipold impressed by crowd at rally
Leipold was impressed at the turnout for the KU pep rally on an overcast Friday night in the KC area.
“We’re taking over a KU program that has gone through a lot of transitions over the last decade or so. We’re trying to bring stability here, build this program into a winning program that fans and alums in the state of Kansas and Kansas City metro area should be awfully proud of,” Leipold said. “We’re about eight practices into doing so right now.
“It’s a day-by-day process to try get better. It’s exciting to come out here and see the excitement and loyalty of this fan base. They deserve to have a winning football program. Our entire goal is to bring that to them,” Leipold added.
This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 10:56 PM with the headline "KU Jayhawks athletic director Travis Goff talks realignment at football pep rally."
