LAWRENCE (KSNT) - KU football said goodbye to three key assistant coaches after the 2023 season, but head coach Lance Leipold still believes the future is bright.
Former Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki took the same job at Penn State. Meanwhile, defensive backs coach Jordan Peterson left for Texas A&M despite recently being promoted to Co-Defensive Coordinator in Lawrence. Then, offensive line coach Scott Fuchs moved on to coach in the NFL. The program respected and valued those coaches, but Leipold says the changes can have a positive impact.
"The one thing that this program needed for so long was continuity, and we had it," Leipold said. "But in the same realm of things, bringing in new people forces us all to learn and grow. It's forced me to look at different things as a head coach. It's part of the challenges that I've talked about [with] our team. You can be confident, but can't be complacent. Having to interview and find fits and doing those things has really kind of stretched to make sure that maybe I don't get complacent from this chair."
KU already made hires to replace all three outgoing coaches. The Jayhawks hired former Baylor-OC Jeff Grimes to take over the offense. They brought in Daryl Agpalsa, from Northern Illinois, to coach the offensive line. Plus, a big-time hire brought D.K McDonald back to the Big 12 from the NFL.
"A lot more people and a lot different types of resumes starting hitting up my phone when these openings came than they did in 2021," Leipold said.
He says finding coaches who wanted to make Lawrence their new home, not just a stepping stone, was a priority.
"A lot of guys, they're barely places two years, two years, two years," Leipold said. "Those aren't the right fits."
KU alum Bryce Hoppel is a world champion
Grimes was hired to lead the offense first, in December. Leipold says the new offensive coordinator had a say in the decision at offensive line.
"I wanted Jeff to be comfortable with this," Leipold said. "The great thing is Jeff [Grimes] has coached the offensive line for over 25 years, so I know he knew what he was looking for. He also respected, and got a better feel as we went along, of what I was looking for."
The KU head coach said it was 'unanimous' that Daryl Agpalsa was the best fit for the job. Agpalsa previously worked under Coach Leipold at both Wisconsin-Whitewater and Buffalo.
Leipold's new contract, announced on Wednesday, gives his players and staff assurance that he's in Lawrence with them for the long-haul.
"Everybody thinks this is a stop along the way and not a destination when you're the head football coach at Kansas," Leipold said. "[I hope] this becomes a destination for football coaches."
McDonald, who gets the title of both defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator in Lawrence, is quickly gaining the trust of the Jayhawks' head man.
"So impressive in his interview, and he's been more impressive since he got here," Leipold said.
Coach highlighted both McDonald's experience in the Big 12 and his previously shown loyalty. McDonald was at Iowa State from 2016-2020.
Which NE Kansas high school basketball teams are state bound?
To be clear, it's not that KU won't, or doesn't already, miss Kotelnicki, Peterson and Fuchs.
"The three coaches that left are good friends, people I respect that are really good coaches," he said. "Disappointed that they left because they're not here every day."
Coach Leipold made it a point of emphasis, in Thursday's press conference, to point out that KU Athletics made a valiant effort to keep all three outgoing coaches.
"We put together packages that were equal or better than what they took," he said. "That says a lot about what we're doing... There wasn't a blink from [athletic director] Travis [Goff]."
Gearing up for his fourth season with Kansas, Leipold says Goff specifically told him last July that he'd be willing to work with him on attempting to retain staff. He points out that each coach had his own reason for leaving, none of which had to do with being discontent at KU.
"Everybody made decisions for their own personal reasons and careers, and I have to respect that."
He says Kotelnicki decided it might be best to showcase what he can do under a different head coach, after a full decade working with Leipold. Meanwhile, Jordan Peterson left for his alma mater in College Station. Fuchs, on the other hand, has always had a dream to work in the NFL, Leipold says he knew about that dream for several years.
KU will host a spring showcase at Rock Chalk Park in April. The Jayhawks will play all their 2024 home games in Kansas City due to ongoing construction at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
