LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas hired Nevada offensive coordinator Matt Lubick to help direct the Jayhawks' offense Tuesday, the latest in a series of moves that have reshaped coach Lance Leipold's staff after a disappointing season that ended without a bowl berth.
Lubick will be co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach and work alongside Jim Zebrowski, who spent last year as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The duo is replacing Jeff Grimes, who left for a coordinator job at Wisconsin.
Lubick, the son of longtime Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick, spent two years at Kansas prior to leaving for the Wolf Pack, serving as a senior offensive analyst on Leipold's staff. The Jayhawks made their first bowl appearance in more than a decade in 2022 and won nine games and beat UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl the following season.
The 52-year-old Lubick was working for Kansas in 2023 when a bone marrow biopsy revealed he had acute myeloid leukemia. Lubick had 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 got off to a 1-5 start this past season, then won four of the next five, including a program-best three straight wins over teams ranked in the AP Top 25. But they lost their regular-season finale to Baylor to finish 5-7 and miss a bowl game.
The hiring of Lubick comes two days after defensive coordinator Brian Borland announced his retirement. Borland had worked alongside 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."