LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas is hiring Buffalo coach Lance Leipold as its next coach, a person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press, turning over one of college football’s worst programs to a longtime Division III coach with Midwestern roots.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the school had yet to announce the hiring.
Leipold takes over for Les Miles, the former championship-winning coach at LSU, who parted with the Jayhawks after two losing seasons amid allegations of sexual harassment dating to his time with the Tigers.
Leipold has been with the Bulls for the past six years, building a downtrodden program into a perennial bowl contender. He is 37-33 with Buffalo, leading the program to its best seasons since joining the Mid-American Conference in 1999.
Before jumping to the Division I level, the 56-year-old Leipold won six national championships in eight seasons while going 109-6 as the head coach of his alma mater, Wisconsin-Whitewater.
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