WRITER: Benton Smith

Rob Ianello joins Lance Leipold's KU football staff as general manager

Formerly a Kansas football assistant under another coaching regime, Rob Ianello has in fact returned to Lawrence and joined Lance Leipold’s new staff, just not in an on-field role. Leipold announced Tuesday that Ianello was hired to become what the head coach is describing as the program’s general manager. “Rob’s going to work closely day in and day out with me on a lot of things — really our whole ...

Lance Leipold expects coordinators to play key roles in KU football rebuilding project

Before the Kansas football team’s new offensive and defensive coordinators fielded questions from reporters for the first time since joining the staff, their boss, Lance Leipold, reiterated how important he thought it was to bring them and several of his longtime coaches aboard. “I don’t stand before you without them,” Leipold said Tuesday during a press conference. “I don’t know any other way to do ...

A look at KU football QBs coach Jim Zebrowski's résumé

An assistant for head coach Lance Leipold at both Buffalo and Wisconsin-Whitewater, Jim Zebrowski is the latest man in charge of the Kansas football program’s quarterbacks room. Zebrowski, who also has Power Five experience from his days as an assistant at Minnesota, spent the past four years as Buffalo’s QBs coach and co-offensive coordinator, working closely with KU’s new O.C., Andy Kotelnicki. Though ...

KU football's new assistants sign 3-year contracts

The Kansas football team’s newest assistant coaches all signed three-year contracts when they followed their boss Lance Leipold from Buffalo to Lawrence. According to the contracts obtained by the Journal-World, four of the five former UB assistants had only the first two years guaranteed, while offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s deal is guaranteed in all three years. Kansas Athletics Inc., holds an ...

Lance Leipold signed recruits who were 'diamonds in the rough' at UB, wants to do the same at KU

At no point during Lance Leipold’s run at the University of Buffalo did the football team sign a hyped or touted recruiting class. Nevertheless, the unheralded players the Bulls landed year after year helped Leipold and his staff turn around the UB program. In recent years, the Bulls’ signing classes routinely ranked in the bottom half of the MAC, but Leipold and his staff guided those players to four ...

A look at KU football OC Andy Kotelnicki’s résumé

As Lance Leipold began leading the Buffalo football program to new heights in recent seasons, he had one of his longtime coordinators, Andy Kotelnicki, to thank for the Bulls’ offensive breakthrough. After putting up impressive numbers together at both Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater and Buffalo, the hope for Leipold and Kotelnicki is that continuity will help them replicate their success with the long ...