How can Kansas Football capitalize on 2022? - BWR Roundtable: 84 Days

We start our roundtable series where all of our staff answer an important question about Kansas Football.

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For college football, the summer is a time for a lot of different things, from evaluating what happened in the previous year, to looking at what changed already in the offseason, all the way to speculating about what is still to come. All of these angles are intended to answer some important questions about the Kansas Jayhawks program.

But some of those questions have multiple answers, which require looking at it from multiple angles. So during the countdown, we will periodically pose those questions to all of the staff here at Blue Wings Rising. This is the first of those articles:

Last year saw a lot of talk about building on the previous season, and we saw that pay off in a big way. What was the biggest lesson you learned about the program under Lance Leipold in 2022 season that will affect this year?

Kyle Davis: The system is working. That’s inclusive of the game plan and play calling, conditioning, and overall buy-in from the team. Just thinking about all of the injuries and times when Kansas was either behind in the second half or the game was hanging in the balance, those games and the season could have gone downhill and it didn’t. With previous regimes, it felt like everything had to go perfectly in order for KU to have a chance, and with Leipold and his staff, the foundation is solid and there’s real belief in the stability in what is being built that I haven’t felt in a long time.

Derek Noll: That finding a guy that fits your program is essential. Not that Lance doesn’t have flaws, but he is the first guy in a while, since Mark Mangino really, to understand what it takes to make Kansas a success. Others have come and gone, with their egos (Charlie Weis), their misdirected superiority (Turner Gill), and their cluelessness (David Beaty), but Leipold is different and all in and players are here for it. The team unity is contagious, as Kyle mentioned above, and the guys he’s getting on the recruiting trail after one successful season is a testament to who he is.

Brendan Dzwierzynski: This is hard to narrow down to one answer, but I think I’ll build on what Kyle said and add that the system is working from the top down. Travis Goff has been a godsend for the entire KU athletic department, football and beyond. His leadership, his vision for the department’s success and his willingness to embrace NIL rights have already all paid dividends. Bill Self even mentioned on Monday how healthy KU Athletics is. Then you look at the overwhelmingly excellent job Lance Leipold has done, which almost doesn’t need description at this point. From recruiting to game prep to (most elements of) in-game coaching, he’s killed it. Look at what Andy Kotelnicki has done with the offense or what Matt Gildersleeve has done with the team’s strength and conditioning as examples of what the staff have done to turn things around. It’s success on the field that stands out the most, but that starts with success in practice, in the spring, in the weight room and in the offices.

Andy Mitts: Brendan was right, this really was hard to narrow down to just one answer. But I'm going to focus on some on-the-field stuff. Specifically, the flexibility that this coaching staff has displayed in finding the right way to approach problems. While they have done their best to set things up from the start for success, the most underrated trait is the ability to change things on the fly.

Through a rash of injuries last season, to second half adjustments that turned blowouts into competitive games, the ability to change plans during the game and from week to week has served the team well, and helps to build confidence in their ability to handle huge changes, from key injuries to unexpected developments with opponents.