Here's a breakdown of the potential advantages and disadvantages of UCLA hiring Lance Leipold as their next football coach.
The potential advantages of UCLA hiring Lance Leipold.
Proven winner at the FBS level at places not use to winning: Leipold boasts a 54-54 record as a head coach at the FBS level, winning the Mid-American conference twice when he was the head coach at Buffalo and leading Kansas to a bowl game in his second season and a bowl win and nine win season last season. He has a knack for building successful programs, even in challenging environments.
Offensive mind: Leipold's teams are known for their innovative and efficient offenses, averaging over 40 points per game in his past two seasons at Kansas. This could be a welcome change for UCLA fans who haven't seen consistently high-scoring offenses in recent years under coach Kelly.
Player development: Leipold has a reputation for developing players to their full potential, regardless of their recruiting ranking. This could be especially beneficial for UCLA, which needs to find ways to compete with Big Ten schools that often have higher-rated recruits.
Builder of a strong Power Five program: Leipold is known for creating a positive and inclusive culture within his programs. His ability to make Buffalo a MAC powerhouse football program when he coached there and his ability to get Kansas to nine wins in his third season as the head coach of the Jayhawks is impressive.
The possible disadvantages of hiring Leipold as the next coach at UCLA.
Lack of being a head coach at multiple Power Five programs: Similar to Klieman, Leipold has never coached at another Power Five program besides Kansas. The jump in competition from the Big 12 to the Big Ten next season could be significant, and it's unclear how quickly he could adapt to the Big Ten style of play at at new school such as UCLA.
Recruiting challenges in California: While Leipold has proven successful in recruiting at the Group of Five level at Buffalo and has recruited fairly well at Kansas which many consider a basketball school, it's uncertain how he would fare recruiting in the talent-rich state of California, where he would face stiff competition from other schools with more connections to high school coaches in the state.
High expectations from UCLA fans: Like Klieman, Leipold would face immense pressure to succeed at UCLA, a program wanting a coach 100% dedicated to making UCLA a top tier Big Ten program. He would need to deliver results quickly to win over fans and justify his hiring.