Kansas Jayhawks Head Coach Lance Leipold talks about the importance of this season's seniors ahead of Senior Day against the Kansas State Wildcats.
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00:00 What has the senior class meant to you?
00:01 Every senior class-- and I try not to get too sentimental
00:11 because it's tough.
00:12 If you let your emotions get a hold of you too much,
00:16 it distracts from them hopefully having their best opportunity
00:19 to play their best football game, their last home game.
00:24 The good thing is we've made enough progress in this program
00:27 to play a bowl game.
00:28 So it's always like we get more time together
00:30 because it's tough sometimes when you say goodbye
00:34 because it really changes after they leave
00:38 and their careers are over.
00:41 It gets more to see you later type hopefully is the way
00:43 I do it.
00:45 But to see the guys that--
00:47 each person has their own story of how they got here,
00:52 how long they've been here, what they've
00:54 added to this program as far as their attitude, their effort,
00:57 their belief to help changing of the culture, their work ethic,
01:01 and of course production on the field.
01:03 And they all in a special way have left their own mark
01:10 on this program.
01:11 You could go through some of these guys
01:13 are going through it on Saturday and some
01:16 have played a ton of football here.
01:18 Kenny Logan, of course, his first comes to mind.
01:22 Then you can go into Poonie or Mike Novitski in their realm.
01:29 I'm going to miss guys, of course,
01:30 or Craig Young that's transferred in.
01:34 And when they came, what Mike and Rich
01:38 have given us from transferring from Buffalo as far as helping
01:42 bridge the gap sooner, helping them to understand
01:45 in many ways be like a translator of what we're like
01:49 and how we do it and why.
01:50 I know here they gave me the whole list
01:56 and I didn't bring it with me.
01:58 I could-- I'm going to try to bounce.
02:01 If you got somebody else I'm missing, please let me know.
02:04 But I think of Reese Vernon, who was our starting punter
02:10 and was beaten out to a point where he doesn't travel.
02:14 And that's tough.
02:16 But Reese could have easily just left or just finished school
02:20 or do things.
02:21 And he's going to graduate.
02:23 And guys that, to me, is that hopefully that experience
02:30 through the ups and the downs that you stay with it.
02:34 And then we've got other guys who are walk-ons
02:36 and other guys that haven't played a lot of football
02:40 that you'll see go through that.
02:42 So I kind of--
02:43 Mason Fairchild, I guess, is one I haven't touched on.
02:47 You look at what he's done as far as just good blue collar
02:51 way of going about it to become a player who's made
02:55 all-conference recognition.
02:56 So each one has done a lot for this program
03:00 and for this university in a very short period of time.