THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL OFF-SEASON IN KU HISTORY?

Copying (and rewriting) a thread from JayhawkSlant found at kansas.forums.rivals.com/threads/the-mos...ports-history.97379/

TIMELINE

The LSU report comes out in early 2021, driving KU to fire Head Football Coach Les Miles (March 8, 2021) and his good buddy Jeff Long, our boob of an AD (technically he “steps down” on March 10, 2021). Wichita business man and KU alum Kurt Watson becomes the interim AD that same day.

It is an odd time to be looking for a head coach replacement. This unique situation makes KU the lone P5 Football Head Coaching position open. Because of this unique circumstance, KU has two of the best Head Coaching candidates it possibly ever has had to choose from — Lance Leipold of Buffalo and Jeff Monken of Army.

Before we do that we have an AD search and hiring action to conduct. Interim AD Kurt Watson does a great job keeping the “ship” afloat and moving forward, in the process giving our Hall of Fame Basketball Coach a much deserved “Lifetime Contract” (April 2, 2021).

In early April 2021 we hire Travis Goff as our new AD, a Kansas born and raised KU grad whom most everybody seems to agree is a good/great hire. Goff was a seasoned and highly respected deputy director of athletics and assistant vice president for Big Ten member Northwestern University, and maintains his ties to many Big Ten universities and the ACC, which since December 2020 is led by James Phillips, Goff’s old boss and mentor at Northwestern.

On the last day of April 2021 Goff announces the hiring of the best candidate of the two front runners to be Head Coach of Kansas Football. Lance Leipold is considered by many to be one of the top 20 (at least one ranking in the top ten) CFB D1 coaches in the game today.

On June 21, 2021 the Supreme Court issues a scathing 9-0 ruling against the NCAA regarding student-athletes earnings that sends the NCAA quietly back to its offices and significantly changes the landscape of college sports. Name Image Likeness (NIL) becomes the talk of college sports.

At the same time, the SCOTUS ruling weakens — potentially neuters — the NCAA, which has been stalling on making a ruling on our basketball program for allegations they have no solid proof to punish on. People may argue this statement, but the fact that the Infractions Referral Committee took the case against the Jayhawks and coach Bill Self for its new Independent Accountability Resolution Process on July 1, 2020 and has yet to announce any outcomes over a year later is telling.

Late July 2021 — Texas and Oklahoma leak reports that they will be leaving the Big 12 for the SEC, and on July 30 they accept formal offers to join effective the summit 2025.

Conference realignment is back on in full force. The future of a significantly economically weakened Big 12 is in doubt. Kansas is possibly the best “free agent” school available for the other power 4 conferences to poach.

If we end up in the Big Ten (B1G) like most Kansas Jayhawks — and quite a few others around the country — think we should, this will end up being the most positive consequential offseason in KU Sports history.