Klieman and Leipold named to Dodd Trophy preseason watchlist

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas State and Kansas football both have a head coach on the 2024 Dodd Trophy preseason watch list.

K-State's Chris Klieman and KU's Lance Leipold are two of 21 coaches named to the list, which features the likes of Georgia's Kirby Smart, Clemson's Dabo Swinny and USC's Lincoln Riley. The Dodd Trophy, named after legendary coach Bobby Dodd, is one of the most prestigious coaching awards in college football, given annually to the national coach of the year.

Florida State's Mike Norvell won the award in 2023.

Klieman is coming off his fourth-straight bowl appearance at K-State, winning the inaugural Pop Tarts Bowl in 2024. His Wildcats were picked to finished second overall in the conference on the Big 12 preseason rankings, trailing newcomer Utah, who is the favorite to win the conference.

Leipold's Jayhawks were picked to finish fourth overall in the conference after back-to-back bowl appearances in 2022 and 2023. Leipold led Kansas to its first bowl game victory, the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, since the 2008 season.

An updated mid-season watch list will be released in the fall, with the winner being announced during the week of the Peach Bowl.