Taiwo Onatolu

Biography

Taiwo Onatolu is in his fourth season as an assistant coach at Kansas and fourth on the Jayhawks’ staff in 2025. He works with the defensive ends and special teams under head coach Lance Leipold. Onatolu has tutored four players who have earned All-Big 12 recognition at Kansas, including 2023 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year Austin Booker. Booker, who was also an All-Big 12 First Team selection, ranked third in the league in sacks and sixth in tackles for loss. Jereme Robinson also received honorable mention honors in 2023 and 2024 and Lonnie Phelps Jr., was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection in 2022 before joining the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. In 2024, Onatolu coached Dean Miller to a breakout season, in which Miller led the Jayhawks with 6.0 sacks and 9.5 tackles-for-loss. Miller's 6.0 sacks were the fifth-most in the Big 12 Conference, while the Kansas defense combined for 28 sacks in 2024, which were the most in a season since the 2016 season. Kansas finished the season ranked third in the Big 12 Conference in sacks per game (2.33). The 2023 season was another step forward for Kansas Football as the Jayhawks had a two-win improvement in the regular season, finishing 8-4 to secure a winning record for the first time since 2008. The eight wins are the most by KU in the regular season since 2007 and the Jayhawks have claimed consecutive bowl berths for only the second time in program history. In his first season as an on-