Kansas hired Matt Lubick, the offensive coordinator from Nevada, to help lead the Jayhawks’ offense on Tuesday. This move is part of a series of changes coach Lance Leipold is making to his staff after a disappointing season that ended without a bowl game.
Lubick will serve as co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, working alongside Jim Zebrowski, who was the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach last year. The two are replacing Jeff Grimes, who left for a coordinator position at Wisconsin.
Lubick, whose father is the longtime Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick, had worked at Kansas for two years before moving to Nevada. During his time at Kansas, he was a senior offensive analyst on Leipold’s staff. In 2022, the Jayhawks made their first bowl appearance in more than a decade, winning nine games and defeating UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl the following season.
The 52-year-old Lubick was working at Kansas in 2023 when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia after a bone marrow biopsy. He underwent a stem cell transplant last December, and the cancer went into remission.
“Coach Leipold and his staff embraced me as family when I became an analyst in 2022,” Lubick said. “I am beyond grateful for their continued support and love they have given me throughout my recovery of leukemia. The turnaround of Kansas football has been awesome to follow and the best is yet to come.”
The Jayhawks started the 2023 season with a 1-5 record but then won four of their next five games, including a program-best three straight wins against teams ranked in the AP Top 25. However, they lost their regular-season finale to Baylor, finishing the season with a 5-7 record and missing out on a bowl game.
Lubick’s hiring comes just two days after defensive coordinator Brian Borland announced his retirement. Borland had worked with Leipold since 2007, when they were at Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater. Borland will be replaced by DK McDonald, who joined Kansas last year as the co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with Brian for more than 18 years. He is the ultimate professional, selfless coworker and I am grateful for his commitment and impact that he has made on so many throughout his career,” Leipold said. “Brian and I had discussions weeks prior to our last regular-season game, and we are very appreciative of all that he has done for Kansas.”
