Staff, Recruits, and Such

Source: Mlive

Things are really starting to get exciting around the Kansas Football program. New head man Charlie Weis is signed and sealed, assistant coaches are starting to file in, and big name transfers are considering Kansas. It sure kicks the crap out of last season...

Believe it or not, Charlie Weis is officially the new Head Coach of the Jayhawks. If you are slow to believe, here is the link to his contract. I'll briefly touch on some of the figures. 

Chucky hauls in $2.5 million a year through 2016 without a buyout for early termination, so we are talking $12.5 million guaranteed barring some major catastrophe worth firing. Weis already made it clear that he wishes to stay for the entire 5 years, but should he opt out prior to December 31^st, 2014, he would owe KU $2.5 million. If he ends the contract during its final year, he would owe KU $1.5 million. 


In all honesty, after the two most recent firings, I don’t see KU cutting off this relationship hastily. The only possible way I see a premature break-up would be if Weis ditched. As far as I can tell, if he is a man ofhis word, that’s not happening.

So Weis will be receiving good remuneration, not to mention, a hefty $2.1 million will be going to fund his staff on a yearly basis. What do we fans take from this? Well, Sheahon Zenger is proving that he is willing to pay the big bucks to catapult this program to the next level... to say the least.

This is what I always find to be the fun part of breaking down a contract: the incentives. Here is just a rundown of how it looks:

·         5 Big 12 conference game wins: $50,000

·         Each additional Big 12 win after 5 wins: $10,000 per game

·         Big 12 Regular Season Championship: $100,000

·         Bowl Game participation: $50,000

·         Bowl Game win: $25,000

·         BCS Bowl Game participation: $100,000

·         BCS Bowl Game win: $50,000

·         AP National Coach of the Year: $75,000

·         Big 12 Coach of the Year: $50,000

·         National Championship Game participation: $200,000

·         National Championship Game win: $100,000

Now you'd think that I would be especially ecstatic lately, and I am, but coming off a 2-10 season, I’ve actually been pretty testy too. While listening to the Kansas basketball game, I heard a commercial start off with “Hey Jayhawk fans, this is head football coach Turner Gill” and I about keeled out of my chair. I realize that it was just a mistake by the network, but that didn’t keep my stomach from churning for a second. Please, for the love of God, spare me from a season like last year's! I pray that Turner Gill is successful in his endeavors at Liberty, but I also pray that he stays as far away from our football team as possible. As they say during this time of the year, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and it is also beginning to look like Kansas is getting this ship turned around. Simply mentioning Turner Gill’s name as head coach scares the daylights out of me.

(In place of Turner Gill is this guy. I really thought this was an excellent interview and it gives the reader a little more insight into the mind of Charlie Weis. The one quote that really stood out to me:

Obviously when (Kansas) presented this, I talked to them. I thought somebody else was getting the job that night, from what everyone had told me. When (Florida coach Will) Muschamp and I talked in the morning, he said, 'So-and-so is going to get the job tonight, but if you want to talk to them, go talk to them.' That guy was waiting for that phone call when I was on a plane flying to Lawrence, I guess. That's really how it all went down. When I sat down to talk to Kansas, you didn't know where this was headed. And five and a half hours later, it was a totally different ballgame.

So, it sounds like Gus Malzahn might have been the guy until Weis called Sheahon Zenger back. If that doesn’t tell you that there was mutual interest, then I don’t know what will.)

Reggie Mitchell, the former interim (pictured above), was kept on the staff after some of the wide-sweeping changes to the former cadre. Will he be the one and only assistant kept? Only time will tell. I would think David Beaty gets a shot because of his ties to Texas, but Weis might already have a guy in mind.

Source: KU Athletics

After serving as the head coach of the Bishop Miege Stags (Shawnee Mission, KS) and leading the Stags to 5 straight district titles and the 2009 4A state title, Tim Grunhard will join the KU program as the offensive line coach. Grunhard played in the NFL 11 seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs and in the 1990 Pro Bowl. At Kansas he will mostly recruit the Kansas, Missouri, and Chicago areas based off his background with high school coaching in the Midwest. I'll guarantee one thing about Grunny: he will bring a lot of passion to the game. The guy is a winner on and off the field.

Source: Rock Chalk Talk

The second addition to the staff was newly named quarterbacks coach Ron Powlus. Powlus spent the last 2 years at Akron, and before that stint, he coached under Weis at Notre Dame for 3 years. Powlus was best known for his work with Jimmy Clausen who, under his tutelage, became one of the most prolific passers in Notre Dame's storied history. Powlus played ball at Notre Dame himself, setting 20 school records as the Fighting Irish's quarterback. He would later play in the NFL in spurts with Houston Oilers, Detroit Lions, and Philadelphia Eagles. The man knows not only how to coach the quarterback position, but how to play it.    

These hires aren't what you would call "blockbuster", but they are still very solid additions, nevertheless. They certainly are nice little early Christmas presents for Jayhawk fans to celebrate.

Speaking of Christmas spirit, I hear Crist (read: Christ) is having a birthday coming up in the next couple of weeks. Dayne Crist, who has one year left of eligibility, wants out of Notre Dame, and with Charlie Weis at the helm, Kansas is in the thick of things for getting his services. Out of high-school, rivals rated him the 25th best player in the nation, the 4th best player in California, and the 2nd best quarterback in the country. Wouldn't Crist be a great fit to help resurrect the program? I mean if you watch his film, what can’t this guy do? I bet he can walk on water while throwing a 60 yard dart! Sorry, it was just too easy... I hope you appreciated the slap-stick humor.

As, for the second quarterback-- yes that's right, we are not only getting interest from one of the top transfer quarterbacks in the nation, but from two! The ink hasn’t even dried on his contract, but he is already pounding the recruiting trail like he had promised. The second of the two, Jake Heaps, is another interesting name because he will have 2 years of eligibility left come 2013. Heaps was the 63rd rated player in the nation, the top player in Washington, and the top quarterback in the country. It's safe to say that after watching Jordan Webb and Quinn Mecham under center for the past 2 seasons, the quarterback position at Kansas will be getting a nice lift in talent... and it could start as early as this year. Don't be fooled, this good-fortune is really a product of Weis's pedigree alone, and not because of the KU tradition, but in 5-10 years, that could very well be the case.Imagine if Crist comes in and helps steal a few games in 2012, and then Heaps comes in for the next 2 years after learning the system on the bench. That puts us in year 4 of Weis's 5, and by then he should have a high-school recruit fully developed and ingrained in his offense. 

If Kansas can land one of these players it will speed up the healing process. If Kansas can land both of these players, the Jayhawks could very well see postseason play next year. Now that is a pretty lofty statement, but it might have some truth in it. Kansas will be returning a fairly strong and experienced O-line, a stable of very talented running backs, and a bunch of unproven, but rangy, athletic wide-receivers. Insert these gun-slingers and you have the makings of a pretty good offense. 

Scouting Reports courtesy of rivals.com:   

TRANSFER NUMBER 1? 

Commitment Status: Signed LOI

DAYNE CRIST

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Pro-style quarterback

Sherman Oaks, California

·      Ht:6'5"

·         Wt:228 lbs

·         40:4.66 secs

·         Class:2008 (High School)

·   

COLLEGE CHOICES

School	Interest		Visit	Recruited by
Notre Dame	COMMITTED (04/20/2007)	Offered	12/07/2007	Brian Polian
Florida State	None	Offered	None
Iowa	None	Offered	None
Michigan	None	Offered	None
Nebraska	None	Offered	None
Oregon	None	Offered	None
Stanford	None	Offered	None
USC	None	Offered	None

TRANSFER NUMBER 2?

Commitment Status: Signed LOI

JAKE HEAPS

Bottom of Form

Bottom of Form

Pro-style quarterback
Sammamish, Washington
Skyline

·       Ht:6'2"

·         Wt:195 lbs

·         40:4.8 secs

·         Bench Max:235

·         Squat Max:350

·         Class:2010 (HS - December Grad)

·       

COLLEGE CHOICES

School	Interest		Visit	Recruited by
Brigham Young	COMMITTED (06/03/2009)	Offered	None	Brandon Doman
California	None	Offered	None
Notre Dame	None	Offered	None
Tennessee	None	Offered	None	David Reaves
Washington	None	Offered	None

On the Hoof: No one would guess looking at Heaps in street clothes that he is one of the premier quarterbacks in the country. He has average height and build with similar body structure to former Kentucky great Tim Couch. 
Needs Improvement: Heaps needs to continue to improve his overall body structure and strength. He also should look to improve his foot quickness and depth on drops. His grip on the ball makes the ball come out with serious downward action, so an adjustment may be needed in this area. 
Most Impressive: He is probably not great at any one thing right now, but he is very good in every aspect of the quarterback position. Heaps has above-average arm strength, accuracy and loves to compete as demonstrated by all the camps he attended this past year. 
Conclusion: Will most likely redshirt as he learns the new playbook. Do expect him to put up some gaudy numbers as a three-year starter at the next level. He already plays in a pass-happy offense and understands how to distribute the ball all over the field.