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| Source: Jayhawks Football Tickets |
Before I break the news on our newest potential coaches, I thought it would be fun to take a stroll down memory lane for a second and catch up with some of our Jayhawks in the NFL. Yes, we do have former players playing professionally, in fact, 3 of them made up our 2007-2008 Orange Bowl Champion secondary. Yes, the 12-1 team that everyone seems to dismiss as lucky and untested. I think putting players in the league and seeing them flourish is enough evidence that you had yourself some quality talent.
The link here gives a brief synopsis of “what they
have done lately”, and I will just comment on the highlights of their season’s
so far.
Jayhawks in the NFL:
Jayhawks in the NFL:
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| Source: Denver Broncos |
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| Source: Buccaneers |
What a run after catch! Briscoe sure was a diamond in the rough and he is starting to pan out in the NFL too.
Tampa
Bay Buccaneer Cornerback: Aqib Talib—Oh Aqib, you goofball.
I love him dearly, and he brought us so much joy in his time at Kansas, but
Talib can be a little childish at times. His off the field skirmishes did not
end once he got drafted in the first round by the Bucs. Coach Raheem Morris called Talib his "wild child". Talib is starting to
tidy up his act and he is dominating on the football field. He already has 2
pick sixes and for how little he has played the past 4 years, he has totaled 17
interceptions, 3 touchdowns and 160 tackles. Here is the most recent pick six aforementioned. Below is his record breaking interception at Kansas.
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| Source: Bettor |
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| Source: Replay Photos |
Remember this?
Or when stuckey chased down burner Phillip Livas to help preserve the 29-0 shutout?
But I bet most of you have not seen this side of Darrell Stuckey...
But I bet most of you have not seen this side of Darrell Stuckey...
Stuckey was overall just a very down to earth kind of guy. He is a great ambassador for this University and it is easy to tell that I have a Stuckey man-crush and I am not alone.
Atlanta
Falcon Wide Receiver: Kerry Meier—Well Kerry Meier is
having a tough go at it in the NFL. Not only are the Atlanta Falcons stocked at
wide-out, but Meier is still trying to recover from the horrific death of his
brother, Dylan. Stepping aside from football, check out this video that shows
the adversity Meier has had to overcome. No. 10 was one of my all-time
favorites. God bless you, Kerry.
I feel that since Sheahon Zenger has done a masterful job of keeping this search close to the vest, that I deserve a chance to re-evaluate the candidates.
Now I’m not here to give you horse-race coverage, but rather some actual insight. In my defense, though, nobody, and I mean nobody, outside of the athletic department has a real clue who is going to get the job.
The Revised List
There is just too much buzz about Gus Malzahn that I can no longer avoid talking about the coaching search. Malzahn is, in fact, the creator of the wildcat offense that interestingly kept Houston Nutt (a potential candidate for the KU job) as Head Coach in Arkansas for another two years. While some of you may be rolling your eyes after the failed “Jayhawk Formation”, hopefully these links will help cool your jets. Well that is except for the last one…
The profile-
The offense-
You have got to be put at ease if one of the very few downsides is just that his Malzahn's wife is a little nutty--as we all know too well, it could be much, much worse.
He won a National Championship at Auburn and he faces an SEC caliber defense 8-10 times a year. The Big 12 defenses certainly would be a notch below what he faced at AU, and if worse comes to worst, KU's offense would be par for the course in the Big 12.
Tell me how you don't get excited when you see these recruiting results (courtesy of rivals.com) at BOTH Auburn, Arkansas and Tulsa!
Recruiting Breakdown:
Position, rating, height, weight, 40 time, commitment date, hometown.
5*: Considered a franchise-player or all-american type candidate. Excellent pro potential.
4*: A highly talented player that is just a cut below the elite. Solid pro potential.
3*: Among the region's top prospects. Decent pro potential.
2*: More of the mid-major type player. A "program" guy.
Offensive Coordinator at Arkansas:
2006: Signed Player(s)
Offensive Coordinator at Tulsa:
2007: Signed Player(s)
2008: Signed Player(s)
Offensive Coordinator at Auburn:
2009: Signed Player(s)
2010: Signed Player(s)
2011: Signed Player(s)
2012: Verbal Commitments
Being able to say you recruited Cam Newton to Auburn is a pretty big accomplishment, despite Newton's controversy. When Malzahn steps into a recruits home and plops down his resume, it will be hard to argue with the man.
No head coaching experience may be irrelevant to some and a red flag to others. It all really depends on what Zenger thinks. Only time will tell.
And then there is Charlie Weis...
Okay. Resume speaking, there is not a name on the list that compares to Weis. Fedora? No. Dykes? No. Koetter? No. Even Malzahn? No. Sure he has been in a bit of a slump since winning 3 Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots, but Weis still has them beat in overall pedigree.
Even though he was basically burned at the stake in South Bend, Indiana, Weis still piloted a pretty efficient offense with Brady Quinn as his signal-caller. 2 of the top passers in Notre Dame history played under Weis.
He is a no nonsense kind of guy, he is disciplined, he knows how to run a BCS program, and he can recruit with the best of them.
Is he the best hire for this program? I'm really not convinced yet, but it is still crazy to think that a name like his could represent the University of Kansas. I'm surprised that he is giving Sheahon Zenger a second look, but I will also be surprised if he takes the job.
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| Source: Falcons |
The Coaching Search Continued:
Ok so now that I have got you all sidetracked, I am going to try to reel you all back in. We are in the midst of a coaching search, folks, and from what little has been leaked, we could have ourselves a new ball coach in a matter of hours.
At times it has felt like this search has dragged on and on and it has started to wear on me. Lately, though, it has picked up steam and caused some more commotion.
Take these names with a grain of salt, but with some help from Jayhawkslant.com, it looks like Kansas has made a move after Auburn Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, and after the big big big fish: Charlie Weis.
Immediately below is my initial hot board list, but that has been run through the paper shredder...
The Old List.
1. Mike
Leach (Washington State)
2. Larry
Fedora (North Carolina)
3. Sonny
Dykes (Not the front-runner, could resign with LA Tech)
4. Mark
Stoops (Don't think he has a lot of interest in the job)
5. Kevin
Sumlin (Gone somewhere other than KU)
6. Dave
Doeren (local guy, but not enough to steal an interview)
7. Dave
Christensen (slim chance, but likely resigning with Wyoming)
8. Troy
Calhoun (Still in the hunt)
9. Dirk
Koetter (Moving up the list fast)
10. Brent
Venables (Unlikely to interview)
11. June
Jones (Too much moolah $ and risk)
12. Jim
Leavitt (Not happening)
I feel that since Sheahon Zenger has done a masterful job of keeping this search close to the vest, that I deserve a chance to re-evaluate the candidates.
Now I’m not here to give you horse-race coverage, but rather some actual insight. In my defense, though, nobody, and I mean nobody, outside of the athletic department has a real clue who is going to get the job.
The Revised List
1. Dirk
Koetter
2. Gus
Malzahn
3. Sonny
Dykes
4. June
Jones
5. Troy
Calhoun
6. Dave
Christensen
7. Dave
Doeren
8. Charlie Weis
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| Source: The Gold Mine |
There is just too much buzz about Gus Malzahn that I can no longer avoid talking about the coaching search. Malzahn is, in fact, the creator of the wildcat offense that interestingly kept Houston Nutt (a potential candidate for the KU job) as Head Coach in Arkansas for another two years. While some of you may be rolling your eyes after the failed “Jayhawk Formation”, hopefully these links will help cool your jets. Well that is except for the last one…
The profile-
The offense-
And the infamous wife…
You have got to be put at ease if one of the very few downsides is just that his Malzahn's wife is a little nutty--as we all know too well, it could be much, much worse.
He won a National Championship at Auburn and he faces an SEC caliber defense 8-10 times a year. The Big 12 defenses certainly would be a notch below what he faced at AU, and if worse comes to worst, KU's offense would be par for the course in the Big 12.
Tell me how you don't get excited when you see these recruiting results (courtesy of rivals.com) at BOTH Auburn, Arkansas and Tulsa!
Recruiting Breakdown:
Position, rating, height, weight, 40 time, commitment date, hometown.
5*: Considered a franchise-player or all-american type candidate. Excellent pro potential.
4*: A highly talented player that is just a cut below the elite. Solid pro potential.
3*: Among the region's top prospects. Decent pro potential.
2*: More of the mid-major type player. A "program" guy.
Offensive Coordinator at Arkansas:
2006: Signed Player(s)
| London Crawford | WR |  | 6-3 | 200 | 4.5 | 1/20/2006 |  | Mobile, AL |
| Mitch Mustain | QB | | 6-3 | 208 | 4.6 | | Springdale, AR |
Offensive Coordinator at Tulsa:
2007: Signed Player(s)
| Mike Johnson | QB | | 6-1 | 208 | 2/2/2007 | | Durham, NC | |
| A.J. Whitmore | ATH | | 5-9 | 170 | 4.5 | 1/19/2007 | Nashville, AR |
2008: Signed Player(s)
| Jacob Bower | QB | | 6-4 | 240 | 4.75 | 1/11/2008 | Bakersfield, CA | |
| Jared Grigg | OL | | 6-6 | 240 | 1/18/2008 | Springdale, AR | ||
| Damaris Johnson | ATH | | 5-8 | 170 | 4.41 | 1/30/2008 | | Norco, LA |
| Cody Lambert | DB | | 6-0 | 179 | 1/11/2008 | Warren, AR | ||
| Dee Williams | WR | | 6-3 | 205 | 4.4 | 12/14/2007 | Miami, OK |
Offensive Coordinator at Auburn:
2009: Signed Player(s)
| Emory Blake | WR | | 6-1 | 194 | 4.6 | 1/16/2009 | | Austin, TX |
| Robert Cooper | QB | | 6-4 | 204 | 4.52 | 1/23/2009 | | Mobile, AL |
| Anthony Gulley | RB | | 5-11 | 185 | 4.4 | 1/16/2009 | | Brantley, AL |
2010: Signed Player(s)
| Michael Dyer | RB | | 5-8 | 201 | 4.4 | 11/26/2009 | Little Rock, AR | |
| Brandon Mosley | TE | | 6-6 | 285 | 4.9 | 11/26/2009 | Coffeyville, KS | |
| Dakota Mosley | TE | | 6-4 | 252 | 4.82 | 11/26/2009 | Little Rock, AR | |
| Cameron Newton | QB | | 6-6 | 247 | 4.53 | 12/18/2009 | Brenham, TX | |
| Ladarious Phillips | RB | | 6-1 | 275 | 4.8 | Roanoke, AL |
2011: Signed Player(s)
| Kiehl Frazier | QB | | 6-3 | 212 | 4.57 | 1/21/2011 | Springdale, AR |
2012: Verbal Commitments
| Ricky Parks | TE | | 6-3 | 230 | Hogansville, GA | |||
| Zeke Pike | QB | | 6-5 | 220 | 4.7 | 11/18/2011 | Edgewood, KY |
Being able to say you recruited Cam Newton to Auburn is a pretty big accomplishment, despite Newton's controversy. When Malzahn steps into a recruits home and plops down his resume, it will be hard to argue with the man.
No head coaching experience may be irrelevant to some and a red flag to others. It all really depends on what Zenger thinks. Only time will tell.
And then there is Charlie Weis...
 |
| Source: Sports Crunch |
Even though he was basically burned at the stake in South Bend, Indiana, Weis still piloted a pretty efficient offense with Brady Quinn as his signal-caller. 2 of the top passers in Notre Dame history played under Weis.
He is a no nonsense kind of guy, he is disciplined, he knows how to run a BCS program, and he can recruit with the best of them.
Is he the best hire for this program? I'm really not convinced yet, but it is still crazy to think that a name like his could represent the University of Kansas. I'm surprised that he is giving Sheahon Zenger a second look, but I will also be surprised if he takes the job.
Now that recruiting coordinator Reggie Mitchell is for sure going to be retained, could you imagine a recruiting team of Charlie Weis, Reggie Mitchell and David Beaty, just to name a few!
Kansas Football is at a major crossroads right now. This hire doesn't have to shock the world, but it needs to get this program back on its feet and running.
Kansas Football is at a major crossroads right now. This hire doesn't have to shock the world, but it needs to get this program back on its feet and running.
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