Mississippi State football: 5 coaches primed for a rebuild

Keep an eye on Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold

In just a handful of seasons in Lawrence, Lance Leipold already has the Kansas Jayhawks on a fascinating upward trajectory. The Jayhawks are going to their second bowl in a row after failing to make it to a postseason game from 2009 to 2021.

And, under Leipold’s leadership, the Jayhawks have already secured some impressive victories. Since 2021, Kansas has beaten Texas, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Houston, and West Virginia (among other teams). In Leipold’s first year, KU went 2-10. Last season, the Jayhawks went 6-7. Now Kansas is currently 7-3 and looks really, really solid.

Leipold has a ton of experience and at 58, he’s won a number of games all throughout his career. There’s no doubt that he’s capable of handling the pressure and stress that comes with coaching in the Southeastern Conference.

Rebuilding Kansas is an enormous, Herculean feat and in less than three seasons, Leipold has the Jayhawks producing some incredible results.

Now let’s imagine what he could do in Starkville.

Leipold did sign an extension with Kansas, so there’s a potential financial hurdle that will need to be hopped over, but maybe the intrigue of coaching in the SEC is enough to entice Leipold to leave Lawrence.

• Kansas’ record before Leipold: 0-9
• Record since: 15-20
• Notable achievements: Secured a 2022 bowl bid (first bowl bid since 2008), beat No. 18 Oklahoma State, beat No. 6 Oklahoma

If that happened, the Bulldogs would get a transformative leader who could help them overachieve.