A new way of doing things

If you’re looking for a positive sign that things have changed within the Kansas football program this offseason, look no further than the way Lance Leipold and company have structured their practice schedule for preseason camp. 

So far, the days have been shorter, the practices tighter and more focused and the schedule indicates that a stretch of three days on and one day off — instead of four on and one off like in the past — is on the horizon. 

Shorter does not always mean better, but in the case of KU football, it might. 

See, this offseason, the Jayhawks, led by Leipold, analyzed every aspect of their operation. On game day and in practice. On offense and defense. With the plays called and those that weren’t. And so on down the line. 

The goal was to find any weaknesses that held the program back or to pinpoint efficiencies they can dial in and make the necessary adjustments to improve them. 

The proof of whether these moves end up being worthwhile and productive will be sorted out this season where most things are decided — in the win/loss column. 

But even if they’re not, the changes are tangible proof that they’re trying. 

Back-to-back 5-7 seasons after back-to-back bowl seasons in Years 2 and 3 have cut into some of the momentum that Leipold and company built over their first three years in town. 

What’s worse, both of those 5-win seasons in 2024 and 2025 featured at least a couple of winnable games that the Jayhawks lost. Winning those no doubt would’ve changed the narrative and had people thinking completely differently about where this program currently sits. 

Instead, while there’s no denying that it’s still light years ahead of where it was when Leipold arrived, those on the outside have found plenty of questions to poke and prod about where things are headed. 

“I’ve stood here before and said I’ve got to be open to new ways and try to find ways that keep us fresh and give us the best chance to win,” Leipold said on Monday. “And I think our fall camp schedule is one of those ways to do it. … I feel good about our camp schedule; I like where it’s going and I think when we approach game week our players will feel different than they have in the past.” 

Whether that’s fresher then or fresher late in the season, the idea of tweaking their practice plans was designed to give the Jayhawks a better chance from start to finish. 

So much so, in fact, that Leipold hinted at similar moves still to come. 

“We had to look at a lot of different things to make ourselves a better football team,” he said. “One of those things is how we practice, the length of practice, how we can be a fresh football team, stay healthy and there are a lot of different ways that we’re looking at it. As we get into the season, I’ll probably share with you more that we’re gonna modify some ways that we practice during the week.”

Again, we’ll find out if these moves deliver the way they’re intended to when we look back on the season in December and see how things went. 

But just because judgement day is still months away, don’t overlook how significant it is that Leipold was willing to make moves of this nature in the first place. 

He shared a story on Monday about his first official preseason practice as a head coach back in 2007 at Wisconsin-Whitewater. 

“My first practice, we had 31 periods of 5 minutes apiece, OK,” he said. 

That’s nearly three hours on the field, which used to be common and today is quickly becoming a thing of the past. On Monday, the Jayhawks were on the field for 65 minutes and it was roughly the same on Tuesday. 

“So times have changed in 20 years and there’s different ways to go about it,” he added. “And the day that you’re too stubborn to want to change, you’re not gonna have a chance in this thing.”

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