LAWRENCE — If the departure of Jeff Grimes after the 2024 Kansas football season caught any fans by surprise, they weren’t alone.
Grimes joined the Jayhawks before last season as assistant head coach/offensive coordinator. After an 5-7 overall season, with a 4-5 mark in Big 12 Conference play, the opportunity existed for a path toward improvement in Lawrence. But in December, Grimes joined Wisconsin as its offensive coordinator.
Kansas head coach Lance Leipold acknowledged last week he was surprised that Grimes left. It became one of multiple coordinator position to fill, given defensive coordinator Brian Borland’s retirement after last season.
“I respect his decision and could see some of the factors that might be part of it, and it’s one of those things,” Leipold said about Grimes. “I appreciate everything Jeff and his family gave our program and — but at the same time, like I said, once it was trending that direction I was full speed in getting Jim on board and … making sure that I was taking care of our program.”
Jim, as Leipold is outlining, refers to Jim Zebrowski. Zebrowski, who’s worked with the team’s quarterbacks, was the Jayhawks’ co-offensive coordinator last season and has been elevated to offensive coordinator. Kansas also saw D.K. McDonald, a co-defensive coordinator/cornerbacks coach last season, elevated to defensive coordinator.
Zebrowski’s promotion comes with quarterback Jalon Daniels limited during spring ball due to injury.
Kansas’ 2025 season opens at home game Aug. 23 against Fresno State. The Jayhawks’ first Big 12 game is Sept. 20 at home against West Virginia.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football coach Lance Leipold was surprised Jeff Grimes left
