Kansas football announces assistants Kwahn Drake, Chevis Jackson won’t return to coaching staff
LAWRENCE — Not even a week has passed since the conclusion of Kansas football’s 2021 season, and head coach Lance Leipold has already made changes to his coaching staff ahead of 2022.
Leipold announced Monday both defensive line coach Kwahn Drake and cornerbacks coach Chevis Jackson won’t return to the Jayhawks’ coaching staff. A release stated, “Jordan Peterson and Taiwo Onatolu, who both served as senior analysts this past season, have been promoted to on-field coaches.” The move removes from the staff two coaches in Drake and Jackson who had been with Kansas since the 2019 campaign, under then-head coach Les Miles.
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“I want to thank Coach Drake and Coach Jackson for their contributions to our program and for their time at the University of Kansas,” said Leipold, who Monday was heading to Dallas with wide receivers coach Emmett Jones, per a tweet from Jones, likely to recruit.
Peterson will coach defensive backs, while Onatolu’s role was not specified. As of now, this leaves in tact an offensive side of the ball that includes Jones, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, running backs coach Jonathan Wallace, quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski and offensive line coach Scott Fuchs. It adjusts how the defensive side of the ball will look, with a group that includes defensive coordinator Brian Borland and linebackers coach Chris Simpson.
Jake Schoonover is the 10th on-field assistant and the special teams coordinator.
Onatolu joins Simpson, Borland, Fuchs, Zebrowski and Kotelnicki as former assistants at Buffalo under Leipold who are now assistants under Leipold at Kansas. During Leipold’s tenure with the Bulls, Onatolu coached defensive ends, cornerbacks and special teams. His career in college coaching includes stops at Missouri State and Nebraska-Omaha, too.
“Taiwo contributed greatly to our success at Buffalo and will thrive in this new role,” Leipold said.
Peterson joins Wallace, Jones and Schoonover as assistant at Kansas under Leipold who were assistants at Kansas under Miles as well, although Schoonover joined after the end of the 2020 campaign. Peterson coached the Jayhawks’ safeties in 2020. His career in college coaching includes stops at New Mexico, Fresno State and Texas A&M, with that time with the Aggies being two seasons as a graduate assistant.
“Jordan has a proven track record as a player and coach, and I am confident his experiences will elevate our secondary and our program,” Leipold said.
Thank you for 3 amazing years @BallCoachBaby @TeamGoGetta
Y’all blessed me with a scholarship, developed me as a player and a man, and taught me how to interact and lead people different than me.
College football lookout, 2 of the best d-line coaches are on the loose #TrillSquad— Sam Burt (@SamBurt75) November 29, 2021
Based on an employment agreement signed by Drake, Miles and then-athletic director Jeff Long in Dec. 2020, had Kansas Athletics elected to exercise its option to retain Drake for the next year of Drake’s contract, Drake would have received a base salary of $225,000. Drake’s personal services payment would have been $175,000.
An employment agreement signed by Jackson, Miles and Long in April 2020 had a third and final year that ended Dec. 31, 2021. Jackson’s base salary this year was slated to be $175,000.
A public records request has been submitted to determine the compensation Onatolu's and Peterson's contracts stipulate.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football announces two assistant coaches won’t return in 2022
