Details of KU football head coach Lance Leipold’s new contract

Daniel Fair
·2 min read
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WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Following a 9-4 season with a Guaranteed Rate Bowl win over UNLV in 2023, the Univeristy of Kansas Jayhawks announced an amended contract for head coach Lance Leipold.

The new contract is a six-year deal that runs through April 30, 2030. Each year, Leipold will earn roughly $6.2 million, and he’s being given a total of $6 million for his assistant coaches and strength staff.

Here’s what Leipold will be paid each year of the contract.

  • Dec. 1, 2023 – April 30, 2025: $7,791,667

  • May 1, 2025 – April 30, 2026: $5,560,000

  • May 1, 2026 – April 30, 2027: $5,800,000

  • May 1, 2027 – April 30, 2028: $5,950,000

  • May 1, 2028 – April 30, 2029: $6,100,000

  • May 1, 2029 – April 30, 2030: $6,250,000

The contract also has a provision to keep Leipold’s salary in the top half of the Big 12, which is slated to introduce four new teams next year while losing Oklahoma and Texas.

Under this provision, the contract states the parties will meet in April 2026 to determine Leipold’s salary. If his total salary does not rank within the top half of the Big 12 coaches’ salaries, the contract will be amended to put him there.

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Bonuses, benefits and incentives

Leipold is getting a $500,000 retention bonus for each year he is the head coach at KU. Those payments are given if he is the head coach as of Feb. 1 of 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and following the completion of the 2029 season, which includes the Big 12 Championship Game, should the Jayhawks be participating.

That retention bonus is paid out in one lump sum on or before May 1 of the applicable year.

There are also incentive bonuses for Leipold based on season finishes. He will be given a $50,000 bonus if the Jayhawks finish ranked in one of the Top 25 of the USA Today, AP, ESPN, Coaches’ or College Football Playoff polls.

He’ll get a $50,000 bonus if the team wins seven regular season games and a $200,000 bonus if the Jayhawks win nine or more regular season games.

Additionally, Leipold gets access to a private aircraft company of his choosing at $20,000 per month for his personal use.

Buyout clause

If Leipold decides to leave Kansas, it’ll cost a pretty penny to whatever school or program decides to hire him. Under the terms of the contract, Leipold’s buyout between now and April 30, 2024, is $6 million. It decreases each year by $1 million through May 2028.

You can read the full amended contract below:

LanceLeipold.AmendmentOne.RedactedDownload

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