Dry Spell Ends Today

Source: UHND

After missing out on OL, Duaron Williams (Iowa State), and TE, Sean Culkin (Missouri), Kansas plans to make January 3rd a day to remember. Naturally, "Dead Period" will be one of the slower times of the year recruiting wise because coaches can only call prospects once a week with no visits to speak of from December 16th to January 4th. Expect that to change tonight. The Jayhawks have officially named Rob Ianello the new recruiting coordinator and wide-receivers coach, and look to add All-American WR Gehrig Dieter tonight at the Semper-Fidelis All-American Bowl.

I expect to add more later, but for now we will start with Ianello. It has been good and bad for Ianello, there is no way around it. We'll start with the bad and get that over with.

After serving 2 years as the head coach at Akron, Ianello was fired in December after going 2-22. His two wins as head coach came over Buffalo, 22-14 in the final game of his first year, and Virginia Military Institute. In his last game as head honcho, the Zips fell to Western Michigan, 68-19. I about relapsed into PTSD just by looking at those numbers: turnergill-like...

So, moral of the story, he's not quite ready to take a head coaching stint, but luckily that's not what Charlie Weis is asking him to do.

What Weis is asking of Ianello is to return to his former self, the Notre Dame Offensive Coordinator and recruiting machine. Sure head coaching isn't his thing, but make no bones about it, after being selected to the rivals top 25 recruiters list 5 years in a row, Ianello has recruiting figured out.

Some guys have good reps in certain areas, but Ianello has a good rep nationally. Chicago to Houston to Hoboken, New Jersey. Why? Well, not only is he well-known for how he carries himself during in-home visits with parents and recruits, Ianello is also great at organizing the entire recruiting operation. Ianello will oversee the entire staff's recruiting endeavors at Kansas and will keep it focused on specific team-needs. He will help Kansas on his own, but he will also help his staff help Kansas too. No more shots in the dark, Ianello will be a man with a plan. Paired with Reggie Mitchell, the Jayhawks will have a nice one-two punch of nationally recognized coaches.

As the recruiting coordinator for the Irish, Ianello hauled in 3 consecutive top-10 classes, and he coached some of the most prolific receivers in Notre Dame school history. Names like Golden Tate, the 2009 Biletnikoff Award winner and All-American, Michael Floyd, Jeff Samardizja, a Biletnikoff finalist and All-American, and Maurice Stovall, just to name a few.

In January 2009, Ianello was promoted to assistant head coach of the offense. He helped lead the Fighting Irish to 6th in passing offense and ninth overall.

It feels like Kansas is following the Notre Dame mold with the addition of Weis, Crist, Powlus, and now Ianello, and maybe that isn't the worst thing in the world. If Kansas can have half the athletes on the offensive side of the ball as the Irish, then we are golden.

Yes, it wouldn't be fair if I turned a blind eye to his difficulties at Akron, but at the same time, it wouldn't be fair if I beat a dead horse. What's done is done; forget and forgive. After hauling in stud wide-receivers on a yearly basis for KU, Akron will be but a distant memory for Ianello in an otherwise untarnished career.

UPDATE (6:45 PM):


Well, they say that the name of the game in recruiting is building relationships, and in Gehrig Dieter's case, he had the stronger bond with SMU. Dieter chose SMU, and while it would have been nice to land the receiver who set a national receiving record, I don't exactly blame him for his decision. After all, Dieter was offered by June Jones and the Mustangs on August 22nd, while Kansas didn't offer until after Weis was hired on December 11th. The kid has put up gaudy numbers in high school, and I expect he will do the same in Dallas. Best of luck.

On a side note, with National Signing Day less than 1 month away, I just want to throw out that I will be breaking down every signee of the 2012 class on Feb. 1st (give or take a couple days).

Source: Kansan

We also have more, happier news today: Buddy Wyatt has officially signed on to stay as the D-line coach at KU. Based on the small sample size at KU, there isn't enough to pass judgment, so we will mainly look at his earlier coaching days.

But first, we will break down his time at KU, despite its brevity. The 2012 season will mark Wyatt's 22nd season at the collegiate level and his third at Kansas. Although the defensive line has seen its better days, in his defense, Wyatt inherited a bare cupboard. The situation in 2010 was so dire that Running Back turned Defensive End, Toben Opurum, became the most reliable pass rusher. Opurum has really developed nicely under Wyatt and has at least given the Jayhawks a little bit of a push up front.

So far, Wyatt has recruited 5 players to Kansas: DT Ty McKinney, LB Collin Garrett, DE Ben Goodman, DE/DT Keba Agostinho, and DE Julius Green. Agostinho has been quite serviceable at end, and Garrett saw a little action this past year, showcasing speed and a knack for the ball. We have yet to see what the other three can do, but all have tremendous upside. Green is a guy you want walking off the bus first at nearly 6 feet 7 inches, Goodman was highly recruited out of high school, and McKinney is a big un. D-line is one position that takes a looooong time to develop, but I think we can expect marked progress as early as next year with the combination of familiarity and warm bodies.

Speaking of familiarity, Wyatt is very familiar with the Big 12 area, having coached at Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Colorado and Nebraska, so he is a household name in these parts (especially in the state of Texas). If you remember Texas A&M's running back Cyrus Gray and return man Dustin Harris, who scorched Kansas, Wyatt got them both.

He has also coached at TCU, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Alabama and several NFL players: Jamal Williams, Adam Carriker, Justin Bannon, Tyler Brayton, Johnny Jolly, Rocky Benard, Ty Warren, Ronald Edwards and Ronald Flemons. While at Alabama in particular, Wyatt was responsible for recruiting the Mississippi High School Player of the Year in two straight seasons. He also helped lead the Crimson Tide to 3 bowl games and produced one of the nation's top defensive teams.

Does this mean that Weis has a defensive coordinator all but sealed? I'm not entirely sure, but I think that day is fast approaching. While January 3rd wasn't as blockbuster as I had hoped, it was still a successful day for Kansas Football, and another great day to be a Jayhawk.

UPDATE (1/4/12 1:00 PM)

Source: Gator Country

Good news continues to roll in on this beautiful "winter" day (65 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze). A.D. Sheahon Zenger made it clear that getting a disciplined head coach was important, but almost more important, was getting an excellent strength and conditioning coach. Earlier this morning, Charlie Weis did just that, hiring Scott Holsopple to his staff.

The strength and conditioning coach is one of the most vital pieces to the puzzle. They are responsible for the players' build, stamina, and competitive drive. Holsopple, a former boxer at Penn State, is about as tough as they come. He was raised under Urban Meier's wing at Florida, one of the toughest coaches in America, and worked alongside the highly-regarded Mickey Marotti. He just completed his 5th season in Gainesville, and during his time at Florida, the Gators won the 2008 National Championship and went 50-17. He helped train 18 athletes into the NFL.

Holsopple has also spent time with the University of Kentucky and University of Marquette's basketball teams, and at his alma mater Penn State. He began his young career serving as an intern for Marotti at Notre Dame.

Great addition to the staff, especially since it follows the John Williams era...