photo by: AP Photo/Mitch Alcala

Kansas's Lance Leipold reacts on the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college football against Oklahoma State game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.

After bringing in new faces at offensive coordinator (Jeff Grimes) and co-defensive coordinator (D.K. McDonald), Kansas coach Lance Leipold looks poised to pick a past colleague to lead his offensive line.

ESPN reported Tuesday afternoon that Daryl Agpalsa, the run game coordinator and offensive line coach at Northern Illinois, is set to join the KU staff as Leipold’s new O-line coach. In this role he would replace Scott Fuchs, whose departure for the Tennessee Titans was officially announced Tuesday.

Agpalsa previously worked under Leipold at Wisconsin-Whitewater and Buffalo before joining Thomas Hammock’s staff at NIU prior to the 2019 season. Agpalsa also had a brief stint at Minnesota, even before he first worked for Leipold, that coincided with now-KU co-offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski’s time with the Golden Gophers.

NIU’s most successful recent season came in 2021, when the Huskies’ offensive line paved the way for a rushing offense that averaged 241.4 yards per game, while also allowing just 13 sacks.

The 2023 campaign concluded with a victory in the Camellia Bowl; during this past season, Agpalsa’s unit matched Fuchs’ exactly by allowing 16 sacks in 13 games played.

KU’s offensive line will look quite a bit different in 2024 following the graduations of center Mike Novitsky and left tackle Dominick Puni, as well as the departures of Ar’maj Reed-Adams and Spencer Lovell. However, the Jayhawks will look to patch together another successful unit with returnees Kobe Baynes, Logan Brown, Bryce Cabeldue, Calvin Clements and Michael Ford, together with transfers Shane Bumgardner (Tiffin) and Darrell Simmons Jr. (Iowa State).

The new offensive coordinator Grimes also has experience as an offensive line coach, but the addition of Agpalsa ensures that he will continue to work with the tight ends.

Agpalsa is a native of Waipahu, Hawaii, and a graduate of Linfield in Oregon. He spent part of the 2023 offseason working with the Green Bay Packers as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program.