Lance Leipold is a God Damn Gangster.

[holidaysmore]

IMO, with the transfer portal and whatever other foolishness is going in CFB go with the hot hand because who knows what tomorrow holds. Go with the sure thing right now. I would want to try and keep up whatever positive momentum you can heading into the offseason.

[CrimsonNBlue]

After this last weekend, I am in "you play to win the game" mode.

[holidaysmore]

After this last weekend, I am in "you play to win the game" mode.

I don't remember who it was that said it but you play whoever gives you the best chance of winning regardless of 'shirting opportunities.

[NewtonHawk11]

I mean, Todd Reesing had his shirt thrown off of him with 3 games to go. Rest is history. Not doing any comparisons like that, but it's something similar. Mangino said screw it and ran with Reesing as QB 1. And even then, Reesing barely played in the final 3 games. 2nd half of Colorado and then barely for the remaining 2 games. Go with what you think is best.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Ridiculous that we lost another season of Reesing for that one game. Glad the rules are changed.

Mangino was trying to save his job by putting Reesing in.

Burning Jalon's shirt is about building momentum and changing culture, and makes more sense with better rules now in place to help build rosters down the road.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Before his team outlasted Texas in overtime on Saturday, Lance Leipold didn't know Kansas had not won a Big 12 road game since 2008. The Jayhawks coach had been part of only this KU season and saw no value in looking back further.

What Leipold knew is a team that had accepted more than its share of change had been overdue for a win like Saturday's. Leipold said the result can carry Kansas through the rest of the season and into 2022, when the team can realistically expect more.

"We made strides, we felt like we had, but it wasn't showing up on the scoreboard," Leipold told ESPN on Sunday. "We're a long ways away from it right now, but if we ever want to play games in December, we have to play well in November. We've been selling that since the K-State game, and are going to keep emphasizing that."

Kansas' historic win featured plenty of surprising performances, none bigger than quarterback Jalon Daniels. The sophomore completed 70% of his passes for 202 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, while adding 45 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Daniels started six games as a true freshman in a hopeless situation last fall -- he was only 17 years old for his first three starts. He got the nod against Texas only because of injuries to primary starter Jason Bean and reserve Miles Kendrick.

"He's been through a lot, took a lot of hits last year, but he doesn't flinch and he plays with extreme energy and confidence," Leipold said. "That really sparked us. He can flush a bad play, but he didn't have many, and statistically he did a lot of really good things for us."

Leipold is the best coach to call Kansas home in quite some time. Those in coaching circles celebrated the hire Kansas made on the last day of April. Leipold understands player development and program development.

Kansas beat Texas with a third-string quarterback throwing to Jared Casey, a walk-on listed as a fullback who is actually Kansas' fifth-string tight end ("because you don't have many 5-9 tight ends in Power 5 football," Leipold said). There are finally genuine reasons for KU fans to be excited.

"This group's really accepted the change in the structure and the process that we're expecting," Leipold said. "We've been able to see a lot of differences in the small things that we've been doing, but it hasn't correlated completely onto the field. To see them get this and complete a game and find a way to win it late, I'm really happy and proud.

"It also will help continue to build confidence within the program of what needs to be done on a daily and weekly basis."

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... -takeaways

[NewtonHawk11]

I feel like the team is truly buying in. A big overblown thing that many think is that 20 year old kids want coaches that are their buddies. Quite far from that actually. They want ones that will bust their ass and then turn around and give them praise when deserved. It was repeated a ton by the players early in the year, but Leipold and staff was key on "get 1% better every day" Almost every interview a player had, an instagram comment, a twitter reply, etc they mentioned 1%. Sure, it's a bit corny, but sometimes corny works man. This staff is hard on the players, but they also have great energy and seem to have fun when coaching.

That is HUGE.

[UnholyLivingDead]

How many times did we read after Leipold was hired that when he was doing his individual meetings with every player and he asked each one "what does this program need?" they answered discipline and accountability. Perfectly underscores the point.

[PhDhawk]

Start Bean, red shirt Daniels and develop someone behind him.

That's my preference from the outside looking in.

[Sparko]

I like playing him. And reserving the shirt in case he has an injury going forward.

[hartjack8]

lol there is a medical redshirt if that were to happen but that is for you getting hurt early in a season and basically out for the year. Pretty sure that has nada to do with a regular redshirt and you can take both.

Our number one problem has been recruiting. Typical year you can sign 25 players. A ton of football players redshirt so you end up with a ton of 5th year Seniors. This is where you build depth. Our problem was taking 10 plus juco kids in a class. Fat boy Charlie and Beaty both had classes with 10 plus juco kids. It just doesn't work. Now we have the transfer portal. Can you imagine fat boy Charlie with todays transfer portal. Probably have like 5 HS kids. Last year did not count so you have teams like Arkansas with like half their starters are 6th year seniors. How many you think we got?

So we have 5 commits for this year. The team that wears purple has 12, Texas Tech who fired their head coach has 12, Baylor 19. Uwv 18, ISU 20, Dec 15th is early signing day. You would prefer 20-22 done in December. Save some for transfer portal. This year they are allowing you to do 7 extra on top of the 25 for transfer portal. Many teams are using that transfer portal to fill in one or two spots. Alabama has two starters that are transfers a lb from Tenn and a WR from OSU

I said all this cause I think we do not RS Daniels. Gives us the best shot at winning and winning can bring some mo bring some heat to the trail.

[nu_bronco]

After the Texas game I could drink the kool-aid and believe there was a chance for two more wins to close the season.

I hope the last two games are as entertaining as the Texas game was.

[Sparko]

Sunshine Jack: a red shirt is a red shirt. I don't see a kid staying Morningstar numbers of years in KU football. The other fact is if you recruit a great QB, he will play. Best to go with your best this season. Two beatable teams.

[hartjack8]

Sunshine Jack: a red shirt is a red shirt. I don't see a kid staying Morningstar numbers of years in KU football. The other fact is if you recruit a great QB, he will play. Best to go with your best this season. Two beatable teams.

My man!!

A player who has already had a redshirt season and then qualifies for a medical redshirt in a subsequent season can be approved for a sixth year of eligibility. There are two redshirts and a blue shirt and a grey shirt hell even a green shirt in football,

Besides that you are 100% correct.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Mellinger on Daniels’s redshirt:

I’m not sure I wouldn’t stick with the kid. He’s obviously good enough, and I think messages are important, especially early in rebuilds. If you stick with him the message is that the best players play, and that the coaches are committed not just to the future but to giving this specific group the best experience possible.

We all understand the temptation and reasons for saving a year, but there are two counterarguments here.

First, won’t he be a better quarterback next year and as a senior with more experience? Won’t his development benefit from riding this specific moment and building him up mentally as much as possible?

And second — this is just the reality of college sports — in a world in which everybody is replaceable it’s up to the coaching staff to recruit and/or develop another quarterback who will be as good or better in 2024 as Daniels would be with an extra year.

Lance Leipold appears to be doing everything right, at least at this very early stage. He’s credible in a way that no KU coach has been since Mark Mangino. And one of his strongest traits has been a commitment to the long-term, and to consistency. Getting through the last two games with other quarterbacks to save Daniels a year would be entirely in line with that philosophy.

But I think the world can see that Daniels is KU’s best quarterback right now, and if the best way to develop and get better is to compete, then we don’t need to decide between whether KU wants to win or develop, because Daniels would be the answer to both questions.

[holidaysmore]

Daniels gives KU the best chance to win. That is the goal. Lance has emphasized that from Day 1. You play Daniels on Saturday.

[UnholyLivingDead]

From Leipold's press conference today:

Talked with Daniels and his parents yesterday, told them he would respect whatever their wishes were. Daniels preference is to play and it sounds like Leipold is leaving the decision up to him as to whether or not he redshirts. Daniels will probably the QB these last 2 games.

https://twitter.com/BentonASmith/status ... 3677507597

[twocoach]

From Leipold's press conference today:

Talked with Daniels and his parents yesterday, told them he would respect whatever their wishes were. Daniels preference is to play and it sounds like Leipold is leaving the decision up to him as to whether or not he redshirts. Daniels will probably the QB these last 2 games.

https://twitter.com/BentonASmith/status ... 3677507597

Sounds good. The future is never guaranteed especially in this sport so might as well play while you are healthy and have the opportunity.

[UnholyLivingDead]

https://twitter.com/jessenewell/status/ ... 3429220354

[CrimsonNBlue]

From an article on the Athletic. Keon Stowers comments, whoa.


The tailgate and ceremony is a collective team effort between athletics, the alumni association and the university. (Before Goff arrived, each entity held its own tailgate; he suggested they all team together.) He’s greeted by former KU defensive lineman Keon Stowers, who now works for the university in endowment.

“It’s night and day,” Stowers says. “I tell you one of the biggest things is the alignment with the rest of the university. Athletics used to kind of be this little bubble, this little silo of their own on campus. Now you see strategic meetings with the chancellor, with the alumni association, with the endowment association. You see the name of this tailgate one: One Team Tailgate.

“Bringing us all together to understand the vision for the university. And that started with Travis. We’ve had athletic directors in here before that have kind of went off and did their own thing. Jeff Long. You never want to talk bad on anyone, but he just shunned what KU athletics meant to the university. It’s been amazing, just as a former player, to see the change that these guys have done.

https://theathletic.com/2957792/2021/11 ... ing-backs/