KU’s Lance Leipold Ranked as Top 5 Coach in the Big 12, Top 15 in College Football

Lance Leipold has had success at every head coaching job he’s held over the course of his illustrious career. He’s a proven winner who has made his mark turning around program after program.

You could argue his best turnaround job has been in Lawrence as head coach of Kansas football, revitalizing a program that was not long ago considered the worst in all of the Power 5 (now Power 4) conferences.

And although KU still has a way to go in proving they can be a consistent threat in the Big 12, Leipold’s coaching ability is viewed as one of the best in the league (and the country).

A panel of CBS Sports and 247Sports experts recently compiled their ranking of Big 12 coaches from one through 16. Leipold came in at No. 4 behind Iowa State’s Matt Campbell (No. 1), Utah’s Kyle Wittingham (No. 2), and K-State’s Chris Klieman (No. 3).

The No. 4 ranking in the Big 12 a drop of two spots for Leipold compared to 2024 due to the team’s poor showing last season in which they went 5-7 and missed a bowl game for the first time in three years.

Nationally, Leipold is ranked as the 15th best in the country – a high honor for a coach whose team is still making a name for themselves, but also an indication of the respect he has across college football.

Here’s what the writers had to say about his ranking:

Leipold shot up the rankings after a strong 2023 season but fell back to Earth after disappointing at 5-7. However, he still belongs in the top group of coaches for his success at multiple different stops. The nine-win campaign in 2023 was the best at Kansas since Mark Mangino's 12-1 Orange Bowl season in 2007 and is tied for the fourth-best season in program history. Combine that with a miracle rebuild at  and ranking as one of the greatest Division III coaches at all time -- a top-15 ranking is well deserved.

The ranking seems like a fair spot for Leipold, all things considered. Wittingham has a long track record of success and Klieman has led the Wildcats to four straight seasons of eight or more wins and the 2022 Big 12 title.

Ironically, Leipold owns a 3-1 record against Campbell since taking over at KU in 2021, but there’s no denying that Campbell is one of the best coaches in the country.

If KU can bounce back this year and at least reach a bowl game, it’s likely Leipold’s placement in these rankings will rise when they are revealed this time next year.