After talking with people and other college coaches around the industry I think this will be a complicated and quiet search. Those who have followed the program know Leipold keeps things close to the vest. He is going to talk with people and many of their names will never make it to the public. In this day and age you can set up face-to-face calls in private and conduct a lot of your searches that way.
Leipold is going to keep this very quiet. I expect very few leaks from the KU side.
Now, here's why it will get complicated. Leipold can go three ways with his OC search. The first and most common theory the last 24-48 hours was staying in house or going with someone he already has ties to. But I believe as more time passed he wants to be thorough and look at all options.
1- Will he stay inside the program
2- Will he hire someone he knows and has a prior relationship with
3- Does he talk to someone and won over by someone outside of his circle
There are a couple other key things that will play a factor. Andy Kotelnicki was a TE coach and OC. That is very rare. Usually your OC isn't the TE coach. Your staff is set with Fuchs, Zebrowski, Wallace and Samuel. There isn't a lot of wiggle room among position coaches. Most likely if you hire from the outside the position will have to be a TE/OC or co-OC.
One other thing to keep in mind is this isn't your old KU football program. There was a time when I would make calls to coaches around the country I know and ask questions. For instance I would ask someone if a certain G5 coordinator would be interested in Kansas and I would get a response... "I just don't see him leaving for a place like Kansas." Those times have changed. Now I get responses like, "I think he be would be crazy not to look at Kansas." KU's OC just left for Penn State and will be one of the top three paid OC's in the country. This job will attract calls from people who weren't in the old 2-win Kansas programs.
This is going to be about fit and it will be like a puzzle. Leipold needs to find someone with TE experience to fill the open role regardless. Here are some ways he can go:
Staying within the program or someone Leipold knows
Jim Zebrowski- KU co-OC/QB coach. Zebrowski is well liked by players and recruits. He has done a great job coaching the QBs. I have been told he has the ability to be an OC. He knows the KU system and the scheme that is in place. Zebrowski was hired at Buffalo after a 2-10 season to help stabilize things when the fan base complained about Kotelnicki.
Paul Chryst- Offensive Analyst/Special Asst to Steve Sarkisian. He and Leipold know each other and have crossed paths for year dating back to their days when they were coaching in the state of Wisconsin together. He was the OC at Wisconsin before taking the head coaching jobs at Pitt and Wisconsin. Chryst is also known as a very good tight ends coach.
Matt Lubick- Senior offensive analyst KU. Lubick may be a longshot but if he was healthy he might be the number one candidate. He is one of the best hires Lance Leipold had made at KU that you never heard about. Right now he is battling Leukemia and there is not a timetable for his return. But Lubick has quietly been a big help to the KU offense. He is the mind behind all of the option and QB run game KU put in prior to the 2022 season. He was in Lawrence and helped install it during spring football and fall camp. He has been an OC at Oregon, Washington, and Nebraska. A lot of his work has been done remotely. He helps break down KU's offense after games and sends detailed scouting reports on upcoming opponents. I have been told he is a big reason for some of the things KU has used on offense.
Looking outside the program
Jeff Grimes- former OC at Baylor and BYU. Known as one of the better OL coaches he spent the last three years coaching Baylor's TE. Was recently fired by Aranda. There are rumors BYU could look to bring him back and name him a Co-OC. He understands the wide zone scheme.
Ben Arbuckle- Washington State OC. Word is with Washington State leaving the major conferences he will be a candidate for people looking at OCs. He's young and creative at 28 years old. He is name given to me by a college coach last night. His drawback is being a QB coach and could he move to TE.
Joe Moorhead- HC at Akron. Former HC at Mississippi State and been an OC at Penn State and Oregon. Was among the final two when James Franklin hired Kotelnicki. I had his name given to me by different coaches last night. I think it would take a lot of money to get him from what I hear.
James Coley- A&M WR coach/RC. Coached TE at A&M for two years was the OC at Georgia and Miami. Only way to get him would be as an OC.
Slade Nagle- OC and Assoc HC at Tulane. Has been at Tulane for a while and was promoted to OC last season.
If Leipold hires from within and looks for a TE coach only
Joe Dailey- Offensive analyst KU. Most of his career has been with QB and WR. Former recruiting at KU in 2012. He played at Nebraska when Lance Leipold was an assistant.
Nunzio Campanile- Syracuse TE coach. Was told last night he knows Leipold and spent a lot of time in the same region. He is the interim coach at Syracuse.
Tyler Roehl- TE coach North Dakota State. A source told me he his name has been floated to Leipold. Been at NDSU the last 10 years and has recruited the midwest.
Leipold is going to keep this very quiet. I expect very few leaks from the KU side.
Now, here's why it will get complicated. Leipold can go three ways with his OC search. The first and most common theory the last 24-48 hours was staying in house or going with someone he already has ties to. But I believe as more time passed he wants to be thorough and look at all options.
1- Will he stay inside the program
2- Will he hire someone he knows and has a prior relationship with
3- Does he talk to someone and won over by someone outside of his circle
There are a couple other key things that will play a factor. Andy Kotelnicki was a TE coach and OC. That is very rare. Usually your OC isn't the TE coach. Your staff is set with Fuchs, Zebrowski, Wallace and Samuel. There isn't a lot of wiggle room among position coaches. Most likely if you hire from the outside the position will have to be a TE/OC or co-OC.
One other thing to keep in mind is this isn't your old KU football program. There was a time when I would make calls to coaches around the country I know and ask questions. For instance I would ask someone if a certain G5 coordinator would be interested in Kansas and I would get a response... "I just don't see him leaving for a place like Kansas." Those times have changed. Now I get responses like, "I think he be would be crazy not to look at Kansas." KU's OC just left for Penn State and will be one of the top three paid OC's in the country. This job will attract calls from people who weren't in the old 2-win Kansas programs.
This is going to be about fit and it will be like a puzzle. Leipold needs to find someone with TE experience to fill the open role regardless. Here are some ways he can go:
Staying within the program or someone Leipold knows
Jim Zebrowski- KU co-OC/QB coach. Zebrowski is well liked by players and recruits. He has done a great job coaching the QBs. I have been told he has the ability to be an OC. He knows the KU system and the scheme that is in place. Zebrowski was hired at Buffalo after a 2-10 season to help stabilize things when the fan base complained about Kotelnicki.
Paul Chryst- Offensive Analyst/Special Asst to Steve Sarkisian. He and Leipold know each other and have crossed paths for year dating back to their days when they were coaching in the state of Wisconsin together. He was the OC at Wisconsin before taking the head coaching jobs at Pitt and Wisconsin. Chryst is also known as a very good tight ends coach.
Matt Lubick- Senior offensive analyst KU. Lubick may be a longshot but if he was healthy he might be the number one candidate. He is one of the best hires Lance Leipold had made at KU that you never heard about. Right now he is battling Leukemia and there is not a timetable for his return. But Lubick has quietly been a big help to the KU offense. He is the mind behind all of the option and QB run game KU put in prior to the 2022 season. He was in Lawrence and helped install it during spring football and fall camp. He has been an OC at Oregon, Washington, and Nebraska. A lot of his work has been done remotely. He helps break down KU's offense after games and sends detailed scouting reports on upcoming opponents. I have been told he is a big reason for some of the things KU has used on offense.
Looking outside the program
Jeff Grimes- former OC at Baylor and BYU. Known as one of the better OL coaches he spent the last three years coaching Baylor's TE. Was recently fired by Aranda. There are rumors BYU could look to bring him back and name him a Co-OC. He understands the wide zone scheme.
Ben Arbuckle- Washington State OC. Word is with Washington State leaving the major conferences he will be a candidate for people looking at OCs. He's young and creative at 28 years old. He is name given to me by a college coach last night. His drawback is being a QB coach and could he move to TE.
Joe Moorhead- HC at Akron. Former HC at Mississippi State and been an OC at Penn State and Oregon. Was among the final two when James Franklin hired Kotelnicki. I had his name given to me by different coaches last night. I think it would take a lot of money to get him from what I hear.
James Coley- A&M WR coach/RC. Coached TE at A&M for two years was the OC at Georgia and Miami. Only way to get him would be as an OC.
Slade Nagle- OC and Assoc HC at Tulane. Has been at Tulane for a while and was promoted to OC last season.
If Leipold hires from within and looks for a TE coach only
Joe Dailey- Offensive analyst KU. Most of his career has been with QB and WR. Former recruiting at KU in 2012. He played at Nebraska when Lance Leipold was an assistant.
Nunzio Campanile- Syracuse TE coach. Was told last night he knows Leipold and spent a lot of time in the same region. He is the interim coach at Syracuse.
Tyler Roehl- TE coach North Dakota State. A source told me he his name has been floated to Leipold. Been at NDSU the last 10 years and has recruited the midwest.
