​After back-to-back five- to seven-win seasons, Lance Leipold says one of the biggest differences for Kansas in 2026 won’t be star power so much as depth. Speaking at Big 12 Media Days, the Jayhawks’ head coach repeatedly highlighted the roster’s added depth as a source of optimism as the season approaches. “I like our depth on the offensive line. I really do, the competitiveness there. I like the depth at running back a lot… our depth at linebacker, our depth at safety,” Leipold stated. For him, depth isn’t merely about surviving injuries; it’s about finishing football games strong.
Kansas endured several heartbreaking losses over the past two seasons, often fading late after key players logged heavy snap counts. Leipold believes that by having more quality contributors, the coaching staff can rotate players earlier and keep the team fresher in the fourth quarter. “We’ve lost too many close football games,” he noted. “When I start looking at some of those losses and I look at the total numbers of snaps played by certain guys… they’ve been on the field a long time.” He hopes that fresh legs will prove decisive when games are decided in the final moments. “Can we be a fresher football team? Can we be a healthier football team late in the season that allow us to overcome some of these things? I think we have a chance to do that with this roster,” Leipold said.
Leipold also praised Kansas’ approach to roster construction during the first full offseason under the new revenue-sharing model in college athletics. “I think we’ve taken our resources and allocated them in a good way this year to give us the most depth and opportunity to be successful this year,” he remarked. Kansas benefited from having just one transfer portal window this offseason, a change Leipold believes fostered more stability inside the locker room. “It was so much better because you had a better feeling that players were where their feet were… it just felt different,” he said. “I think we’ve taken the right step that with one portal window, you’re going to find out where you’re going.”
With a deeper roster and renewed stability, Leipold contends Kansas is better prepared to avoid the late-game collapses that have kept the Jayhawks out of bowl games in recent seasons. The program’s emphasis on depth, resilience, and consistency appears central to the plan for 2026, as Leipold looks to convert potential into sustained success on the field.