Kansas Head Coach Lance Leipold is one of 21 college football coaches named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Dodd Trophy presented by PNC Bank, the organization announced.

Managed by Peach Bowl, Inc. and presented by PNC Bank, The Dodd Trophy, college football's most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd's coaching philosophy.

The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. taking into consideration each program's Academic Progress Rate (APR), Graduation Success Rate (GSR), commitment to service and charity in the community, as well as projected success for the 2024 season.

Entering his fourth season leading the Jayhawks, Leipold has put his track record as a proven program builder on full display during his time at Kansas. He has guided the Jayhawks to back-to-back bowl games, including a 49-36 victory over UNLV in the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl, which was KU's first bowl victory since 2008. Prior to Leipold's arrival, Kansas had only made consecutive bowl game appearances once in program history (2007-08).

Kansas was picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason poll, announced on July 2, which is the Jayhawks' highest preseason ranking since the league went to a non-divisional format in 2011. Leipold is one of four coaches from the Big 12 Conference on The Dodd Trophy watch list.

A midseason watch list – adding to or narrowing the field – will be released in the fall. A panel consisting of previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2024 season. The winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Starting in September on a weekly basis, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will also honor coaches whose program embodies the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week.