We look at another coaching debate as we compare Lance Leipold at Kansas vs. Chris Klieman at Kansas State.
The Case for Leipold:
All the man does is win. He was incredibly successful at Wisconsin-Whitewater, going 109-6 with six national championships in eight seasons before taking the job at Buffalo. He was the most successful coach in the program’s history and the first with a winning record since the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. Now at Kansas, he’s made the Jayhawks not only competitive but potentially dangerous in a wide-open Big 12.
The case against Leipold:
After the hot start last season, the Jayhawks showed their warts down the stretch. And while the injury to Jalon Daniels played a big part, it was also clear that the team became more and more undisciplined through the course of the season. Finally, although the Jayhawks have done a solid job so far in the portal, Leipold’s recruiting has left a lot to be desired.
The case for Klieman:
Another former lower-level coach who was incredibly successful at his last stop, Klieman was 69-6 with four FCS national championships in five years at North Dakota State before moving to the Little Apple. He’s embodied the same no-nonsense, tough, dependable football that made Bill Snyder’s teams great and has the program set up for the long-term future on top of being the reigning conference champions.
More Sports News
The case against Klieman:
It will be very interesting to see how much offense the Wildcats will be able to create without Deuce Vaughn, who did everything for them the past few seasons. Additionally, while K-State has done better on the trail than their in-state counterparts, they’re still not great by any stretch.
The Verdict:
This might actually be the toughest one yet because they’re both so similar and have both done a ton of good already in their careers. I’ll take last year’s conference title as the vote to break the tie, so I’ll take Klieman by a hair.
