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Ranking 2021 College Football Coaching Hires: Where Kansas' Lance Leipold Stands

Among the 18 new coaches hired for the 2021 season, how has Leipold's career at Kansas stacked up to his classmates?

Rich Cirminiello

Oct 5, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Oct 5, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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Lance Leipold was hired April 30, 2021, an extremely late move that came on the heels of the unexpected Les Miles firing.

Leipold has had ups and downs in Lawrence, guiding Kansas to a No. 23 finish in 2023 but failing to maintain that success this season

All in all, Leipold has been a good hire by the Jayhawks. But where does he rank compared to the other 11 coaches from the 2021 class who were still with the same program when this season began?

The four fired coaches and three who left for other schools are not included in this ranking.

Ranking 2021 New Coaching Hires

12. Will Hall, Southern Miss

Career Record: 14-30

Hall's success D2 success never translated to Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles went 3-9 last season, and Hall was fired after a 1-6 start to 2024.

11. Butch Jones, Arkansas State

Career Record: 16-29

While Jones has made progress in Jonesboro, it may not be enough to save his job if the Red Wolves don't win the Sun Belt's West Division. ASU is a game out of first, with a huge game at division leader Louisiana this Saturday.

10. Gus Malzahn, UCF

Career Record: 27-21

Malzahn maintained the success built by Josh Heupel and Scott Frost before him in the AAC. However, as a member of the Big 12, the Knights haven't been up to the challenge, going just 10-12 and 5-10 in conference play.

9. Charles Huff, Marshall

Career Record: 27-20

Huff peaked in 2022 with a shocking Week 2 upset of Notre Dame. However, since then the Herd is just 18-14. Huff has been good, but no so good that Marshall has won a Sun Belt title, which is where the program feels the bar should be set.

8. Tim Albin, Ohio

Career Record: 29-19

Albin was promoted just weeks before the start of the 2021 season following Frank Solich's retirement. After struggling in his debut, he led the Bobcats to back-to-back 10-win seasons. Ohio is one of four MAC schools with one conference loss this season as the program looks for its first conference championship since 1968.

7. Bret Bielema, Illinois

Career Record: 24-22

While only Year 4, the potential is there for Bielema to be Illinois' best coach in years, especially on the heels of the failed Lovie Smith and Tim Beckman experiments. Even after back-to-back losses, Bielema is having his best season in Champaign, even having the Illini ranked for a few weeks.

6. Jake Dickert, Washington State

Career Record: 22-17

Dickert has been the steady hand Wazzu has needed, first after Nick Rolovich's in-season ouster and then after the program was left holding the Pac-12 bag along with Oregon State. He's a Coach of the Year candidate this season, leading the 7-1 Cougars into the CFP Rankings Top 25.

5. Shane Beamer, South Carolina

Career Record: 25-21

Beamer came in right away and elevated the Gamecocks after the disappointing Will Muschamp era. He's on his way to his third winning season in four years, and he's gaining a reputation for taking down ranked teams, such as No. 10 Texas A&M last weekend.

4. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt

Career Record: 15-30

Lea is Vandy's version of Leipold, leading a perennial dorrmat into the national discussion. It has taken three years and one terrific portal pickup, QB Diego Pavia, but the Commodores are 6-3 this season, with one seismic upset of top-ranked Alabama on Oct. 5.

3. Lance Leipold, Kansas

Career Record: 19-27

Leipold's progress in Lawrence has stalled with this year's 2-6 start, but the Jayhawks are a few breaks away from being 6-2. Last year's nine wins are more indicative of his coaching prowess, and it cannot be overlooked just how feeble Kansas was when he arrived, including 11 straight seasons of 3-9 or worse.

2. Steve Sarkisian, Texas

Career Record: 32-15

Sark has done what Tom Herman and Charlie Strong before him could not -- make the Horns national players again. He has steadily progressed in each season, reaching the playoffs in 2023 and having No. 5 Texas in contention again in this year's SEC debut.

1. Josh Heupel, Tennessee

Career Record: 34-13

Heupel has led the Volunteers to heights they haven't seen since the Phil Fulmer era more than a generation ago. Tennessee is 27-7 since the start of 2022 and is back in the chase for not only SEC titles but national championship contention as well.

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Rich Cirminiello
RICH CIRMINIELLO

I've been the VP of College Awards for the Maxwell Football Club since 2008. I oversee and manage all aspects of the Maxwell Award (CFB Player of the Year), Bednarik Award (Defensive POY) and Munger Award (CFB Coach of the Year), including creating watch lists, steering the selection committee and choosing players of the week. I appear weekly on SportsGrid TV to discuss college football, both as a guest and a co-host of various live shows. I oversee and manage two additional college awards, outside the purview of the Maxwell Football Club - former Seattle Seahawk RB Shaun Alexander's Freshman of the Year Award & the Buddy Teevens Award, which was created by Peyton Manning, Archie Manning and Omaha Productions in honor of the late Dartmouth coach. I'm contracted out each May by Phil Steele to help edit the magazine and write select articles leading up to the publication of his annual College Football Preview in June.

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