Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Kansas Jayhawks Football Keeps Lance Leipold Despite Washington Rumors + Latest KU Offseason News

Episode Date: January 15, 2024

Kansas Jayhawks football head coach Lance Leipold has some rumored connections to the open Washington Huskies job after Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama, but instead UW has hired former Arizona Wildcats ...HC Jedd Fisch, meaning that LL will stick around in Lawrence. More of the latest KU offseason news from running back Devin Neal officially returning, the 'Hawks adding two transfer portal additions with center Shane Bumgardner from Lane Tiffin College and defensive tackle Javier Derritt from North Dakota State. Plus, the impact of finishing 23rd in the AP Poll.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInThese days every new potential hire can feel like a high stakes wager for your small business. That’s why LinkedIn Jobs helps find the right people for your team, faster and for free. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/lockedoncollege. Terms and conditions apply.Jase MedicalEmpower yourself when you purchase a Jase Case, providing you with a personal supply of 5 antibiotics that treat 50+ infections. Get yours today at jasemedical.com and use code LOCKEDON to get $20 off your order.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.FanDuelRight now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED when you place a FIVE DOLLAR BET. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.eBay MotorsWith all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to turn your car into the MVP and bring home that win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 On today's Locked on Jayhawks, a KU football wrap-up. Lance Leipold staying at Kansas after there was maybe a little bit of flirtation with Washington. Devin Neal officially back. KU adds a couple in the transfer portal, and they finish out the year ranked in the top 25. We discuss what it all means on this episode of the show. You are Locked on Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm Derek Johnson.
Starting point is 00:00:35 You can hear me as well, Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. on KLWN in Lawrence with Rock Chalk Sports Talk. Thanks for making Locked On Jayhawks your first listen every day, free and available anywhere you get your podcasts,
Starting point is 00:00:47 including on our YouTube page where you can like and subscribe to the action. On today's edition, we're catching up to some KU football stuff we've missed over the last, I don't know, week or so with me having a new child and everything. And certainly that was, I don't know, exclaimed over the weekend because Lance Leipold, there was some talk, could he take the Washington job? Ends up coming back to KU. So we're discussing that and plenty more with KU Football Transfer Portal
Starting point is 00:01:11 editions on this episode of the show. First, though, we are brought to you by Jace Medical. Empower yourself when you purchase a Jace case, providing you with a personal supply of five antibiotics that treat 50-plus infections. Get yours today at jacemedical.com. Jace case, providing you with a personal supply of five antibiotics that treat 50 plus infections. Get yours today at JaceMedical.com. That is J-A-S-E Medical.com.
Starting point is 00:01:33 So we're going to start with Lance Leipold sticking around. The Devin Neal news with him officially coming back to KU football. And then we'll move to KU football's newest transfer portal additions. And we'll finish up with what it means for KU to finish in the top 25 here so first things first was the Washington job became open they obviously made it to the national title game lost to Michigan then Kalen DeBoer their head coach takes the Alabama job after Nick Saban retires so now it creates the ripple effect of well who does Washington hire and Washington it honestly seemed like a lot of the names that were kind of being floated out there, it seemed like it was going to have a big impact on the new Big 12 no matter what.
Starting point is 00:02:13 Jed Fish, who eventually got the job, he was the Arizona head coach, Arizona going into the Big 12 next year. You had, you know, a couple reports, maybe floating or rumors, whatever you want to call it, floating Lance Leipold in there, floating Chris Kleiman in there, Kansas State, floating Matt Campbell in there from outside, right? It felt like this was going to come down to a Big 12 name, which was certainly interesting when you're talking about a job at Washington that is a Pacific Northwest job.
Starting point is 00:02:38 Typically, you think of more regional in that scenario. Then again, you know, Kalen DeBoer goes from Washington to Alabama, whatever. You get the best coach you can and you figure out the rest later. Nonetheless, Jed Fish ends up going to Washington and there still needs more to come out. You know, was this, did Washington offer Lance Leipold the job
Starting point is 00:02:54 and he just completely turned him down? Did that even get to that point? Was Jed Fish the number one target and they were able to get him? Who knows exactly what all went about and how this went down. Certainly Lance Leipold and his wife have been very adamant that they've enjoyed their time in Lawrence and love being at KU. I know their son is going into his senior year of high school next year. It's
Starting point is 00:03:13 always tough to move for that one year. You've obviously got a really good team for next year too with Kansas. Maybe this wouldn't be the best year to leave. Then again, who knows exactly where that all went. Either way, the result of it is what matters most here. And that Lance Leipold is still your head coach for 2024. Now, I guess the ripple effects continue, right? Arizona's got to hire somebody now, but why would you leave from a Big 12 job to another Big 12 job in this situation? And also Arizona's a little having some financial issues kind of going on right now. So, you know, I don't think you worry about that, but it certainly does become interesting now that the other ripples come on, you know, I don't think you worry about that, but it certainly does become interesting now that the other ripples come on, you know, does this have any impact on recruits? Does this have any impact on transfers?
Starting point is 00:03:52 Does that have any impact on assistant coaches that could be poached for a bigger position in another school, right? Could this have a positive impact on KU in terms of, you know, what if some Washington transfers end up leaving the program with the new hire or Arizona players leave the program with the new hire of them leaving or losing Jed Fish and KU is able to scoop some of those players or those players go somewhere else that forces someone else to transfer and they end up at Kansas, right? There's a lot of ripple effects that could have an effect either positively or negatively for KU. But here is the one that's the biggest positive. I mean, we know Lance Leipold is a great coach.
Starting point is 00:04:23 That in itself, just him being at your program, is a huge positive ripple effect. But it's the idea that when you go into 2024, you look at the teams who are projected to win the Big 12. A Big 12 that is in the new era without Texas and Oklahoma going to be pretty open next season and going to be one where you could envision five, six teams, different teams at the end of the year winning the conference
Starting point is 00:04:44 and with the new updated college football playoff format, which I still don't think they've officially passed, but what's expected to be passed is a 12-team playoff. So already more teams are making it in. But the top five highest-ranked conference winners make it, which means realistically you win the Big 12, you're getting an automatic berth into college football playoff. And furthermore, the top four seeds, the teams who get the first-round buys,
Starting point is 00:05:03 are all going to be the four highest ranked conference title winners. So you're talking about a real opportunity to make a college football playoff here if you're Kansas for next year. And that's what would have been most disappointing if you lost Lance Eiffel. I trust Travis Goff. I think he's an excellent athletic director. He did such a good job in the hiring process, bringing in Lance Eiffel, right? That's worked out. But you look at some of the other candidates he was kind of in on during that process. It was like Mike Elko. He's done a great job. Duke, now Texas A&M. Jeff Munkin continues to do well at Army. He was kind of in that discussion too. You look at the candidates that he's kind of kicked the tires on, they've had a lot of success. Willie Fritz at Tulane, right? You saw what he did. Now he's
Starting point is 00:05:41 parlayed that into the Houston job. Then I think if Lance Leipold ever does leave, whether it's to another school or retiring, you know, however long down the road, you trust Travis Goff to find the right replacement. But it would have been unfortunate for that to happen headed into this next season when it was like, but this next season is going to be the year that you do have a chance to do some special things that you typically don't associate with the KU football program. Because if Lance Leipipold leaves what does that open up in the transfer portal with what you're gonna get now you don't have to worry about that now Arizona has to worry about that now their transfer portal window opens for 30 days like I said could Kansas get any players maybe who knows but with with Jed Fish leaving it's not just that's a hit to them
Starting point is 00:06:25 and retainment for KU to keep them, but the teams that are being projected to be at the top of the conference next year, you're talking Arizona, Utah, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Kansas, maybe like an Iowa State. We'll see if West Virginia builds off what they did last year. Maybe a talent-rich school puts it all together this year, like Texas Tech's been recruiting really well. UCF is a recruital or fertile recruiting
Starting point is 00:06:46 then TCU you know they were just in the national title a year before would it be crazy for them to bounce back right there's a lot of teams that could do it but Arizona honestly a lot of places I've seen them as the preseason favorite for next year now you lose your coach presumably if you lose the coach you would imagine you might lose a lot of the players to the transfer portal does that give them a big hit and further strengthen KU's ability to possibly win the Big 12, not just because you retained your coach and therefore your players, but because another one of the title contenders had that not happened. So big deal for Lance Leipold to return to Kansas.
Starting point is 00:07:19 Devin Neal is officially back for KU. That's obviously important. Now, that was something we talked a little bit about back in the bowl game because there was the Pete Thamel report that said that he was going to come back, but then we didn't really hear much confirmation after that. I think it was just kind of giving Devin the opportunity to sculpt the message in his own way. He's obviously a KU legend, Lawrence kid, somebody who wanted to kind of have that. And he had an unbelievable year for KU, and now he's going to have an opportunity to build on that even more. So you look at some of the career numbers,
Starting point is 00:07:49 he's going to have a chance to accomplish by coming back. He's at 3,077 career rushing yards. He is a little less than 800 behind June Henley. It's under that number. Who's at 3841. And what's crazy is when you look at the top four in KU's career total rushing yards, Henley's at 4.7 yards per carry, Sands at 4.9, Sims at 4.5, Neal's at 5.7. So he's done this on a pretty strong efficiency too. Then when you look at the total touchdowns, when you look at rushing plus receiving, Devin Neal has 36 of them. June Henley had 42.
Starting point is 00:08:22 So he should be able to blow by that. He's going to have an opportunity to get by the rushing touchdown record and everything. I'll be interested to see what he can do from a single-season perspective, too, because he had 203 carries this year, and you look at that, he ended up with 1,280 rushing yards. That's the fourth most individual rushing yards in a season for a KU player. Top three, John Cornish had 1,457, took him 250 carries.
Starting point is 00:08:44 1991, Tony Sands, 1,442, took him 273 carries. 1996 June Henley, 1,349 yards, took him 302 carries. Whereas Devin got the 1,280 on 203 carries. Over the back half of the season, I think Devin started to emerge more past Daniel Hyshaw to where I think for a lot of times, maybe early this season or a lot of last year when Hyshaw was healthy, you saw those guys get a lot of split carries. I think next year you go into the air and say, Devin's going to be more of a workhorse. I would expect that number to go up to maybe 220, 230, as long as he stays healthy carries. And if he does that,
Starting point is 00:09:17 you've got a real chance at getting 1300, 1400 yards. Who knows if you play in a big 12 title, if you play in a college football playoff or a bowl game on top of that, maybe it gives you a chance to surpass the individual rushing record for KU on a single season. In addition to the career rushing marks, which I mean, if, if Devin Neal leads Kansas or helps lead Kansas to a big 12 title next year, and he becomes KU's all time leading rusher. And let's say he does have a year where he's, all conference again, or he's, I don't know, like all-American level, or maybe even a Heisman candidate finishes top 10 or something like that in the voting. I know it sounds like hyperbole, and it wouldn't happen, like, right away.
Starting point is 00:09:52 Build the dude a statue. Seriously. Like, that is what is on the table here if he can accomplish some of those things. So really cool for Devin Neal to come back, and obviously it almost felt presumed after the bowl game at this point, but cool to see the message and everything and really what he means to the program, what he means to the community, and just an excellent player, man. That offense is going to be super fun to watch for next season.
Starting point is 00:10:12 Let's get to our KU's two latest transfer portal additions. A couple big ones, one on the interior of the offensive line, the other on the interior of the defensive line. Then we'll finish up with the impact of finishing in the top 25 on this episode of Locked on Jayhawks. First, we are brought to you by fan dual sports book. The NFL regular season is wrapping up,
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Starting point is 00:11:08 and make your first bet a layup. Fanduel, official partner of the NFL. KU has a couple of additions via the transfer portal and certainly they'll be looking to add even more at this point. I know school starts up on Monday, so I don't know if that's something where you can still bring players in and maybe they just start classes a few days late or a week late. Otherwise, you're looking at not being able to add anybody until at the end of spring football,
Starting point is 00:11:33 so that certainly complicates things and challenges things a little bit here because they do still have some holes that they're looking to fill. I think specifically more on the defensive line, that linebacker, maybe another offensive lineman in there. But these are two really good additions for KU, Lance Leipold and staff. Shane Bumgardner is a 6'3", 290-pound center from Lane-Tiffin College. You might not know what is Lane-Tiffin College. It's a Division II school. And he originally went to West Jefferson High School. That's in Ohio.
Starting point is 00:12:00 He was first-team All-State. He was an All-State player, maybe just didn't have the measurables to get to that level. Or, you know, sometimes there are guys who they can go and know that they're going to be a player for D2 school, or they can get a group of five offer and be like, yeah, you're going to be a preferred walk on here. And maybe you take the scholarship, whatever it is. He did not play in year one, which was the 2020 to 21 season. That was the COVID year. So technically it didn't count. Played six games in 21 to 22. That was then his second year freshman. Then played 11 games as a first team all-conference
Starting point is 00:12:30 pick in the 2022 to 23 season as a third year sophomore. And then this past season, he was first team all-conference for the second straight time. He was also second team all-American and he was the Remington Trophy winner as a fourth-year junior in the 2023-24 academic year, but 2023 season. And the Remington Trophy goes to the best center in Division II there. So he was the best center in Division II. He's going to be a fifth-year senior for KU. He'll have one year left to play. Hypothetically, he could have two, but one would have to be a red shirt. So I guess theoretically, you hope this doesn't happen, but if there was an injury, you could get a medical redshirt and then continue on with another year. But realistically, this will be his final year.
Starting point is 00:13:12 As far as what it means for the KU offense and the offensive line, I think the expectation is for him to come in right away and be a starter for you at the center position. It's hard to replace the smarts and the overall leadership and the experience of what Mike Nowitzki brought you on the interior. But if we're just basing it on what Mike Nowitzki did in the 2023 season, a year that Mike Nowitzki had to play through some injuries, you look at the pro football focus grades, had a relatively down year compared to what we've seen. In years past, we've seen him all Big 12 first team.
Starting point is 00:13:43 That wasn't the case this year. Again, I think a lot of that was because of injury. I don't think it was just he lost the talent. It's just playing through injury, and sometimes that happens on a year-to-year basis in football. But I think when you look at it, it's because of the output was limited by the injury for Nowitzki. Baumgartner, why couldn't he play just as good, if not better,
Starting point is 00:14:00 from a one-year, one-out standpoint? Certainly the jump from D2, that's a big one. Positive side is we just saw a KU offensive lineman handle that seamlessly. Dominic Pooney, he came in right away, was All-Big 12 honorable mention as guard. By year two, he was All-Conference first team as a tackle. And yes, Bumgarner is not nearly as big as what Pooney is. Maybe that makes it a little bit more difficult to transition up the size factor. But the good news is he's,
Starting point is 00:14:27 he's not playing tackle like Poonie did this last year where the size is even more imperative. Center is more a position about the mental side of things. Center is more of a position where you're going to be doing a lot of double teams. Like center is going to be doing a lot of doubles with the guard. It's, it's, it's a little bit more or a little less imperative to have that
Starting point is 00:14:46 size and ultimate strength as maybe Poonie who was playing guard and tackle. But I do think it'd be crazy to expect similar production to what Poonie did if we're making that comparison, just to be like, oh, it's a D2 transfer. It worked that well before. But I do think there is a lesson to be had that you can find talent all over college football, all over college sports, D1, D2, D3, NAI, Juco football. There's a lot of talent everywhere. There are diamonds in the rough all over the place. But again, Nowitzki had a 61.5 PFF grade this last year, to which I think he played better than that when you look at what PFF values, because they're more looking at some of the flash play stuff as it
Starting point is 00:15:21 pertains to the NFL draft. But still, that was with him being hurt and everything that would rank 11th among big 12 centers. Can bum Gardner theoretically be a 65 or so by PFF grade? Can he be the seventh best center in the big 12? Yeah, absolutely. I think so. So from that standpoint,
Starting point is 00:15:34 it could be, you know, slight upgrade just from the production you get for a myriad of different reasons, but beyond the center position, I think this move allows Michael Ford to stick guard. So you have Ford and Baines at the two guard spots where you, where you still kind of feel set and good about that position. I think this move allows Michael Ford to stick guard. So you have Ford and Baines at the two guard spots where you still kind of feel set and good about that position. You do need to add more depth though, after the losses of Armage Reed Adams and Spencer Lavelle, who has
Starting point is 00:15:55 since committed to Nevada. So you do need to add more depth and you need eight competent offensive linemen, three guys off the bench who can fill different positions. And when you look at the starting offensive line, you'll have basically one of Clements or Brown at left tackle. I think right now you can give the edge to Clements. You'd have Bryce Cable do it right tackle. You'd have Bumgarner at center, and then you'd have Ford and Baines at the two guard positions.
Starting point is 00:16:17 But that gives you six names when you add in Brown there that makes you feel like you're good with that six. Then you have, you know, Nolan Gorchika who it sounds like he's been taking some positive strides. I've heard some good things lately about James Livingston. So there gives you another option. Maybe it's a year where a guy like DK Stearns or Dre Dorian, one of the two or both can kind of step up to give you more depth. But at the very least, I feel like they have at least a good seven here. Maybe they already have eight on roster, but I still think it would make sense to add another one out there. And obviously this is a position which is critical always because the offensive line is always critical.
Starting point is 00:16:49 But when you look at Jalen Daniels' injury history, it's even more important for KU to have that good offensive line to kind of keep him upright. Now, as far as on the defense side of the football, Javier Derrett has committed to KU as well. Six foot two, 280 pound defensive tackle from North Dakota State by way of St. Thomas Aquinas. I believe he was born on the Missouri side, but St. Thomas Aquinas on the Kansas side. So point being, his family is from the local area. He'll be in year six, one year left to play after five years at North Dakota State.
Starting point is 00:17:18 A lot of games played, a lot of experience, which is always good on the offensive and defensive line because you have more experienced bodies and more physically capable and ready bodies for the grind of what a college season is going to go through. 56 career games played, and specifically over the last three seasons is when he got the bulk of that. Over the last three years, 44 games played, 1,196 snaps, so about 300 – 300 I'm sorry bad math there 400 snaps per season which like for instance Gage Keys was in the 300 KU usually gives their defense tackles 300 to 400 snaps because they're rotating guys so you know right in line with that 80 tackles 15 tackles for loss
Starting point is 00:17:59 and 10 sacks those are good numbers interior Interior defensive tackles, it's harder to be big pass rushers. Last season, he had a 65.4 PFF grade. He had grades of 66 in run defense, 65 in pass rush, between 65 to 70 each of the last three years. So he's consistently been 65, 70. Again, that PFF grading scale, 60 to 69 is basically like an average level starter. So if you're bringing in an average level starter, obviously you're bringing in an average level starter obviously there's the jump up but North Dakota State has been good enough as an FCS team that they're better than a lot of FBS teams here lately if you're bringing in you know an average level starter whether it's to start or to be a rotation player that obviously adds to the defense
Starting point is 00:18:38 and gives them more he was playing great ball though to finish the season so maybe that that even puts him on a positive trajectory to play even better this next year. He finished over the last three games with five pressures, three sacks, and grades – or over the last two games, excuse me – five pressures, three sacks, and grades of 68 and 77 in those final two games, which were both playoff games. And when you look at the defensive line, and specifically on the interior, the defensive line for KU next year, obviously you lose Gage Keyes to the transfer portal. You lose Devin Phillips, who the stats didn't pop off the page,
Starting point is 00:19:09 but he did so much for the defense and filling the hole. He was a really underrated player for KU. And so those are two big losses on the defensive line. And now I think you just feel a lot better with where your, I guess, depth is. Do they have a player, a defense tackle, who's going to be as good as what Devin Phillips gave you necessarily? I don't know, but maybe DJ Withers makes that jump because DJ Withers and Tommy Dunn both made a jump
Starting point is 00:19:33 to become rotation players and starter-level players this past year. Let's say they take another jump next year, right? Like Caleb Taylor started figuring things out over the back half of the season. Keenan Caldwell and Ronald McGee, if he comes back from his injury, can give you a little bit more depth there. Then you add Javier Derrett. I think you view it as between Javier Derrett, DJ Withers, Tommy Dunn, two of those probably end up starting. The other one becomes your first defense tackle off the bench. And then you still have, like I said, Taylor and Caldwell, and we'll see what happens with McGee. Then you still have some of the young players waiting in the wings, Blake
Starting point is 00:20:01 Harreld, Marcus Calvin, who redshirted this past year. I think you're bringing in Graydon Grimes for more of a future pick. He shouldn't get on the field this year because you're developing his body, but defensive tackle. So all of a sudden the defensive tackle room looks a little bit more complete for KU, and you have a little bit more bodies that are going to be able to get after it for the Jayhawks. So nice pickup for Derrett, especially when you look at some of the other schools that were certainly chasing him.
Starting point is 00:20:24 And both Bumgarner and Derrett, I think are going to have real nice impacts for KU in 2024. Let's continue on with the show. What the impact of finishing ranked in the AP Top 25 means for KU football on Locked on Jayhawks. First, this episode is brought to you by Jace Medical. I know we come here to talk sports and escape from some of the crazy realities of life, but can we just talk for a minute about preparing for real life? According to the FDA,
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Starting point is 00:21:29 It's never been more important to be prepared than today. Go to jacemedical.com and use offer code LOCKEDON to get $20 off your order. Finishing things up, impact of KU football being ranked in the final AP poll. KU finishes 23rd in the final eight people of the season obviously this increases your chances of you know being ranked or being ranked higher than you would have been in the preseason poll because you know a lot of times somebody who's putting together their preseason poll might view okay here's your your final poll from last year let's go through the list and be like okay this team lost all these guys. Let's drag them down.
Starting point is 00:22:06 Let's bring you up. And automatically it's a refresher and puts it on your mind that like Kansas, which typically hasn't been a football powerhouse that maybe you don't automatically think of, hey, it was really good last year, and they bring back all these starters. Let's vault them up. And, yes, does the preseason poll matter that much? Like, you know, at the end of the day, you still got to re-earn everything.
Starting point is 00:22:24 You still got to redo everything. And we see pre-season teams, you know, ranked this that don't finish that all the time. Obviously that's all true. But if you're going to have a good season, regardless, you're better off being ranked higher in the pre-season because it's just going to be a helium effect for where you're ranked. You know, for instance, KU could start the season unranked and finish 11-2, and maybe they'd end up ranked 7th. Versus if they started the season ranked 15th and went 11-2, same record, maybe they finished ranked 5th. You know what I mean? It might not be that big of a difference, but it might be. That could be the difference in some sort of seeding. Who knows
Starting point is 00:22:58 how that all works out. It does increase the notoriety to me, I would imagine, for recruiting the transfer portal, for recruiting in the offseason here that you can point to and be like, see, we were a ranked team. Look what we did. We went from being a zero-win team before we took over, and now we're already ranked after three years. But when you're looking at the transfer portal specifically, if you're a one-year guy, you probably want to transfer somewhere, if it's your final year of school, where you feel like you're going to have a great opportunity to win a lot of games and be on the national stage and win some meaningful hardware at the end of the season. And it's one thing when you're recruiting to just sit there and say, yeah, we're going to be really good next year. It's another just to be able to point to the ranking and be like, see, there's proof right there. We're not just blowing smoke.
Starting point is 00:23:40 So I think that's cool as well. And I'd imagine that that couldn't hurt in recruiting in the portal and everything beyond that. I think it's just a cool achievement for the program. This isn't a program that has had a myriad of seasons where they finished ranked in the AP poll era. Kansas has been ranked to finish the season just seven previous times. I believe that era goes back to like 1936, making this just the eighth time in program history that they've been able to do it. Anytime you're doing something where, if you're talking again, AP poll era goes back to 1936. So you're talking almost 90 years since then. And this is your eighth time doing it, meaning it's basically a once every, you know, less than 10 year thing. It's pretty special.
Starting point is 00:24:20 So you should enjoy that. Hopefully it becomes something that, you know, in a more yearly basis is more normal, and it's not as big of a celebration. It's more like, man, can they finish top 10 as opposed to? But for right now, it's awesome, and it's a huge sign of progress and movement forward as both a team and a program, and for everything Lance Leipold has done at Kansas, which will continue to be at Kansas,
Starting point is 00:24:42 seemingly after avoiding the Washington job with Jed Fish taking it. That'll do it for this episode of Locked on Jayhawks. You can find our show anywhere you get your podcasts, including on our YouTube page. Thanks for joining us today. We'll be back tomorrow for a Kansas-Oklahoma State basketball preview on LOJ.

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