Kansas football coach Lance Leipold appears to turn down Washington Huskies job
Kansas football coach Lance Leipold emerged as a serious candidate for the University of Washington head football coach opening, according to multiple reports, but he appears to have turned down that interest.
Several reports surfaced over the weekend linking Leipold to the Washington opening after Kalen DeBoer departed for Alabama. A Washington beat reporter for the Seattle Times tweeted Leipold was among “two names I’m hearing consistently for Washington,” along with Arizona’s Jedd Fisch.
FootballScoop reported Sunday that Leipold had “emerged as a leading candidate.” The report added that “multiple sources throughout the weekend and on Sunday strongly indicated ... Leipold is at the epicenter of the search” and specifically noted Leipold was “the focus” ahead of Fisch.
Leipold, however, appears to be happy staying in Lawrence.
Shortly after the reports surfaced, Leipold quieted concerns over a potential departure on social media.
“The guys come back to campus tomorrow,” Leipold tweeted. “Can’t wait to get back to work with them in ‘24!! Rock Chalk!!”
FootballScoop updated its earlier report to say “Leipold has turned down the opportunity.” The Athletic also reported Leipold “is expected to remain at Kansas, despite Washington interest.”
Washington officially announced the hiring of Fisch as its next head coach on Sunday evening.
For Jayhawk fans, it’s a sigh of relief.
Leipold has helped turn KU’s program around, from winning two games in his first season to having back-to-back bowl appearances in the last two years. KU finished (9-4, 5-4 Big 12) this past season — its best record since 2007.
The Jayhawks also won their first bowl game since 2008 when KU defeated UNLV 49-36 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
Currently, KU is positioned for a Big 12 title run in 2024. Kansas returns most of its skill players on offense and has been busy in the transfer portal to fill in gaps left in the offensive line and defensive line.
It’s a goal of Leipold’s to win a Big 12 championship at KU.
“We’ve talked about putting ourselves in a position with the amount of players that we have returning that ... we can be in a conversation to compete for a conference championship,” Leipold said in December. “And I don’t think I ever would have thought I would be saying that this quick into this time here at Kansas.”
This story was originally published January 14, 2024 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Kansas football coach Lance Leipold appears to turn down Washington Huskies job."
