🏈 The State of the Program

• 🏈 The State of the Program: 2024 fan survey (Part 2)

• 📝 Quick Links: The Week 1 Football Hype Tape is here

• 🔒 UConn and Beyond: Big 12 Realignment Hearings

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EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

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The State of the Program: KU Football

Note: I’m putting all of the survey results (Parts 1 & 2) together. It’ll be a standing article you can go back to on the website. I’ll share that next week. You can read Part 1 here.

Here’s the theme for Part 2 of the survey 😆

The football program is reaching toward a new reality that fans can already see, feel, and be proud of.

And that reality is reflected in your answer. Here’s Part 2:

1) Satisfaction at a Previously Unthinkable Level

The first question set the tone for the survey: "What's your current satisfaction level with the Kansas football program?" The results show just how far we’ve come:

• A staggering 90.3% of you rated your satisfaction at 8 or higher.

• The most common response was 9/10, with nearly 34% of you choosing this option. It’s hard to beat that.

• Only 1.4% of fans rated their satisfaction below a 6/10.

I asked this same question last year. You can see the difference below:

• 55.8% of you rated your satisfaction at 8 or higher last year (vs. 90.3% this year).

• The most common responses were 8 and 7 last year (vs. 9 and 10 this year).

• 10.2% voted for 6/10 last year (vs. .9%) this year. 

My thoughts: To quote Turner Gill: We Believe. (Sorry, couldn’t resist).

KU fans are clearly energized by both the success and trajectory of the program.

I voted this a 10/10. I don’t think we could’ve asked for a realistically better first three years of the Leipold Era. In three years:

• KU has gone to back-to-back bowl games.

• Took down Texas and Oklahoma.

• Broke ground and beyond on a new stadium.

Now… it hasn’t been perfect, so I understand rating it an 8 or a 9. But it’s been pretty damn close. And that’s about as much as you can ask.

2) What’s your excitement level for the new stadium?

I was curious how fans are feeling about the stadium now that we can see literal progress being made.

• More than half of you voted for maximum excitement, giving it a perfect 10/10 rating.

• Only 2.2% of you rated it below a 5, which shows minimal skepticism or indifference.

• And more than 90% of you rated your excitement as an 8 or higher.

My Thoughts: I’d give it a 9, and I’ll hold off on giving a 10 until we get a timeline for the final 30% of the stadium. Though, I do Hear there’s growing confidence in Phase Two getting done in a reasonable timeframe (more Hearings to come).

Your excitement (OK, our excitement) reflects not just approval of the project but a genuine eagerness to see the finished product. We’re not that far away.

I can’t stress enough how vital fan engagement is this season and beyond for KU. It will help keep Leipold happy. It will help with realignment. It will help with recruiting. And it will help financially, with athletic departments soon footing the bill for NIL.

Our widespread excitement could and should translate into the fan support we expect from ourselves. The challenge is both on us — and on KU. Expectations are high.

Everyone needs to do their part in helping land this program in the top tier of the Big 12 and beyond. It can’t be Leipold alone. The fanbase needs to push.

3) Stadium Renderings Trending Up

I asked the same question about the stadium renderings this year and last year. The results show a clear uptick in excitement:

• 32.6% of you gave the renderings a 10/10 vs. 15.4% last year.

• 84.4% answered 8 or higher, compared to 73.3% last year.

• This is the biggest one to me. Last year, around 25% of you rated the renderings a 7 or lower. This year, the mark is around 15%.

The Big Take: Excitement, trust, and optimism are all trending up right now with the program.

The renderings haven’t changed, but our understanding of the project has improved. We’ve seen more images, real construction taking place, and even the new stadium in a very popular video game.

4) Playing in KC: Mixed Feelings

• 38.1% of you are "pumped for the new stadium and don't care at all" about the temporary relocation.

• 31% "get why they're doing it,” showing understanding of why KU needs to do it.

• 20.4% are "bummed such a promising team won't have true home games."

• 9.4% "don't mind where they play as long as they win."

• Only 1.1% think "it's a mistake to play away from Lawrence."

Quick Take: Your answers here highlight the challenge of balancing progress with tradition in modern college football.

In order to move into a ‘New Era,’ the Jayhawks needed to take the risk and play away from Lawrence for a year. There’s a notable gap of you understandably bummed about the decision.

When looking at the big picture, the response here is fair. You’re clearly excited about the program and understand the change, even if it’s not ideal.

And that’s about all KU could ask for. That and ticket sales LOL.

5) Trust in Coaching…

Losing Andy Kotelnicki isn’t a huge concern to most of you. Keeping Leipold was a bit different.

• 70.9% rated your concern about Kotelnicki's departure at 5 or lower on a 10-point scale.

• Responses for keeping Leipold long-term, however, were uniquely even across the scale of 1-10.

• The most common response was 3/10 (17.8% of respondents), indicating low concern.

• However, 25.2% rated your concern at 7 or higher.

The Take: There’s clear trust built in with Leipold’s ability to coach the team. That trust is reflected in the general shrug with Kotelnicki leaving.

At the same time, the spread of voting with the Leipold question tells me that many of you trust Leipold's commitment to KU, but there's still an underlying anxiety about losing him to a bigger program.

It makes sense considering Leipold’s name in the last two coaching cycles. If KU continues to win, Leipold will remain one of the hottest coaches in the country.

6) The Leipold Effect: A Resounding Vote of Confidence

• 67.7% gave Leipold an A+ grade for his work over three seasons

• 26.7% awarded him an A

• Less than 1% graded him below an A-

The Take: This near-unanimous approval is a testament to Leipold's ability to transform the program in a short time. It also sets a high bar for expectations in the future.

You and I both agree that it’s most important that KU keeps momentum going forward (46.8%).

It’ll be a challenge to manage expectations while also helping build the program, as a fanbase.

KUHearings Takeaways

For now, KU football fans are riding a wave of optimism not seen in nearly two decades. The survey results reveal a community that’s energized, confident, and supportive for their team with a breakout season on the table.

The insights also show a level of sobriety cutting through the intoxicating expectations. You are aware of the challenges ahead and the stakes that come with college athletics.

Your focus on long-term program building over immediate results suggests a mature fanbase ready to support the team through its next development phase.

I can’t understate how important this mentality is for KU fans. We need to show up and keep investing, however we can individually. If we do it, good things will come.

I can’t wait to keep Hearing from you as the season progresses. Your responses will continue to guide the coverage that lands in your email inbox.

We could have an all-time season ahead.

And we all understand that.

As always, I’ll keep you posted on what promises to be an unforgettable season of Kansas Jayhawks football.

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🏈 WE HAVE A GAME 1 HYPE TAPE. Click the link below to watch it. KU did a good job with this one. 👇👇👇

🏈 KU’s field is ready at Sporting KC’s Children’s Mercy Park. Check it out, block letter end zones and all.

🏈 I’m sorry to say Jason Bean didn’t make the Colts roster... but they did sign him to their practice squad. You can see his agent’s message here.

VIP: UConn and Big 12 Realignment Hearings

We’ve got realignment action — and I have Hearings.

Join VIP to get the latest I’m Hearing on potential Big 12 expansion by adding UConn. I think there’s been a substantial change in the last ~month.

I’m also Hearing new info about an ACC school (not named Florida State) to keep an eye on.

Today is the LAST DAY for the kickoff special offer of $49 for one year of VIP Hearings. It’s essentially the cost of one cup of coffee a month.

After joining, a new section will appear in place of this with the realignment Hearings