Lance Leipold turned down the Washington job to remain at Kansas, and the Jayhawks are rewarding him for doing so.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel on Wednesday, Kansas has agreed on a new contract that will take Leipold's salary above $7 million on average.
The deal does not increase the length of the deal he signed in November 2022, which paid Leipold $5 million last season and tops out at $5.6 million in 2029, the final year of the contract.
"Today’s announcement is an indicator of two absolute truths surrounding Kansas Football – Lance Leipold is among the very best coaches and leaders in the country and the University of Kansas continues to be unwavering in its commitment to building a championship-caliber football program for the long haul," AD Travis Goff said. "Since Lance and his staff arrived in Lawrence, our program has seen exponential growth in every facet both on and off the field. Winning nine games and earning a bowl trophy is an incredible accomplishment, but we are equally proud of the team for earning the highest grade point average in program history. Every aspect of our program is on an unprecedented positive trajectory, and we are eager to continue this prodigious build with Lance."
That contract stipulated that Leipold's representatives would meet with Kansas on or around April 1, 2025 to evaluate whether Leipold, his assistants, and his staff are paid within the top half of the Big 12. With Brent Venables and Steve Sarkisian no longer part of the Big 12, a $7 million average salary places Leipold second behind only Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy among the publicly-available coaching salaries in the conference.
Leipold’s salary bump does not include new years on the deal. It’s part of a bigger investment in Kansas football by AD Travis Goff, as Kansas has invested $450 million in football stadium and facility upgrades and also a significant uptick in on-field and support staff salary. https://t.co/3iZB8TTpdY
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 28, 2024
Had he left for Washington, Leipold would've owed a $12.5 million buyout to get out of the deal. The terms of his previous contract drops that figure to $6 million on May 1 of this year.
New buyout language for Kansas HC Lance Leipold: pic.twitter.com/U5hWFzsrp4
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) February 28, 2024
Per the previous deal, Leipold also has $5.1 million to pay his assistant coaches and $2.6 million for off-field staff for 2024. The new deal takes those pools to $6 million and $2.9 million, respectively.
Leipold has brought significant win increases each successive season at Kansas. After a 2-10 debut, KU went 6-7 with a bowl trip in 2022 and 9-4 with a bowl win and a No. 23 final ranking last fall.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.