1 March 2024
LAWRENCE (KSNT) – Kansas Athletics and head coach Lance Leipold announced a new contract agreement Wednesday, but the reasoning behind it goes beyond just football.
KU athletic director Travis Goff said Thursday the new contract emphasizes the department’s commitment to Coach Leipold, his staff and the program they’ve built.
“It’s a profound statement,” Goff said of the contract. “We’re not doing it because we’re puffing out our chests and say we’re spending a lot of money on football. We’re doing it because that’s what it takes to have a viable and sustainable investment and commitment to a sport and a program that has everything to say about a broader university’s health.”
Goff said the larger implications in Leipold’s new contract reach far past the football field and into areas like KU’s enrollment numbers and the Lawrence community.
KU’s football coach had a similar sentiment in return to the athletic department, saying the investment in Kansas football – in terms of trying to retain and maintain players and staff – is ‘refreshing.’
“Everybody thinks this is a stop along the way but not a destination as the football coach at Kansas,” Leipold said. “And I’ve said before, we’re going to make this an ‘and’ school. A basketball school and a football school, not an ‘or,’ that this becomes a destination for football coaches.”
Even with a raise and a few winning incentives built into his new contract, KU’s football coach says signing the new contract with KU wasn’t all about the money. He said seeing what KU is trying to do in its football program and athletics as a whole is ‘special.’
Leipold’s contract length remains the same as before, running through 2029. KU continues construction on its new football complex, the ‘Gateway District,’ which is set to be complete in 2025.