Pound for pound, no one is off to a better start to the 2022 season than Kansas. The Jayhawks are 3-0 for the first time since 2009. Their offense ranks third nationally in scoring offense (53 points per game) and ninth in yards per play (7.55). The 159 points through KU's first three games exceeds the 142 points the program scored over the entire 9-game 2020 season. Kansas is one of three FBS teams to have played three games and not allowed a sack. The over on KU's preseason win total (2.5) hit on Sept. 17. I could go on.
Kansas's start has drawn admirers both near and far -- lots of people were legitimately upset when GameDay opted for Florida-Tennessee instead of this Saturday's 3-0 Duke at 3-0 Kansas game -- which is a double-edged sword when you're not at the top of the college football food chain.
Scott Frost is already out at Nebraska, and Leipold's success in Lawrence has led many to speculate the Big Red could cross their southern border to poach their former Big 8/Big 12 bunk mate's head coach. For what it's worth, one site has Leipold as the second most likely candidate to take the Nebraska job.
Asked about that on Ryan Leaf's show The Straight Line, Leipold said,
"Just like anything, I think you have to stay in the moment, be where your feet are at," Leipold said. "You know, my wife, Kelly and I we came to Lawrence, Kansas, not to move at this stage of our career. It's flattering. Like you said, it's early, it's early in the season. But our focus is trying to build the Kansas Jayhawks into a winner and a consistent winner for the long haul."
Leipold is under contract with KU through 2027 on a deal that pays him $2.2 million in 2022 and tops out at $3.5 million. Frost signed a 7-year, $35 million contract upon hiring him away from UCF in 2017, and will presumably go higher for the next coach with a massive Big Ten TV deal coming down the pike.
Kansas hosts Duke at noon ET Saturday (FS1).