KEARNEY, Neb. — College football fans will recognize the last name of UNK’s newest commit.

Landon Leipold announced on Wednesday that he will play football at Nebraska-Kearney. Landon is the son of Lance Leipold, the current head coach at the University of Kansas. 

“To my family, teammates, friends and coaches that have been here with me along the way, you all have pushed me towards greatness and shown so much love towards me along the way, I can’t thank you all enough,” Leipold wrote on X. “I am blessed and proud to announce my commitment to the University of Nebraska-Kearney.”

The Leipold family has ties to Nebraska. Lance was an assistant coach at Nebraska-Omaha for 10 years. He also spent 2001-2003 working under Frank Solich at Nebraska. While at UNO, Leipold’s Mavericks played against UNK every season in a rivalry game.

Landon is 6-foot-1, 180 lbs. and plays wide receiver. He caught 26 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns as a senior at Lawrence Free State High School. Leipold picked UNK over offers from MIAA opponents Fort Hays (KS) St. and Northwest Missouri St.

The Lopers have also added a quarterback through the transfer portal. Daron Bryden announced Monday that he plans to enroll at UNK. Bryden spent three seasons (one redshirt year) at Div. l FCS Stony Brook before transferring to Emporia St. He entered the transfer portal this fall without playing in a game for the Hornets. While at Stony Brook, Bryden threw for 1,340 yards and nine touchdowns over 14 games. 

UNK is looking for a new starting QB as senior Reagan Jones is out of eligibility. Abram Scholting of Pierce started one game in 2024 and served as the primary backup in his redshirt freshman season.

A Nebraska native also announced his plans to transfer to UNK this week. Carsten Bluhm is a Lincoln Southeast graduate who was previously at Div. l FCS Northern Iowa.

UNK finished the season 5-6 in the second year under head coach Ryan Held.