A Very Merry CRISTmas (Heaps Joins the Fray too)

Source: NCAA

News broke earlier this morning that former Notre Dame Quarterback Dayne Crist is heading to Kansas. Expected to resurrect the floundering Kansas Football program, Crist will need to work miracles, but unlike most Kansas quarterbacks, he actually has the physical tools to do so.


We aren't sure if he can walk on water, or turn it in to wine for that matter, but we do know that Dayne Crist was once rated the 2nd best quarterback in the nation in the 2008 class, behind only Terrelle Pryor and ahead of Blaine Gabbert, Landry Jones, and Andrew Luck, and he had offers from Oregon, Stanford, Southern California, and Florida State among others. If nothing else, Crist is the mostly highly decorated player to ever commit to Kansas, and his 6'5" frame and cannon for an arm will be fun to watch next fall.

Speaking of Landry Jones, the Oklahoma signal-caller, Jones is likely going pro in April, and so is Baylor's Robert Griffin, and not to mention Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden (graduation), so Crist could very well be the best quarterback in the Big 12 this time next year. Collin Klein will be solid for Kansas State, but Crist has the pro skills that Klein lacks. Texas A&M and Missouri always have good gun-slingers, but oh yeah, they are gone too.

Crist brings an innate leadership quality to KU and a very strong throwing arm. He is athletic enough to make plays out of the pocket, but he won't tuck it and run very frequently. He was adored in South Bend by his fans, teammates, and coaches. The coaching change with Brian Kelly just didn't work out for him, but now he reunites with the coach that recruited him, Charlie Weis.

On a side note, the Wisconsin Badgers didn't fare as well this week. Their offensive coordinator, Paul Chryst, took the head coaching job at Pittsburgh, and they also lost Dayne Crist to KU. (Insert your own pun here)

The beginning of the Crist era marks the likely end of another. Jordan Webb, who is better served in a spread offense, will likely transfer with the arrival of Charlie Weis's pro-style offense and new-found quarterback sensation. By all accounts, Webb was a good kid and a hard worker, but winning is the name of the game, and Crist gives Kansas a better chance to do so.

Source: Desert News

As I peck away at the keyboard, more good news has arrived and has further encouraged Jordan Webb's transfer... Jake Heaps to KU.

Now I am beginning to find it hard to type this blog. Correct me if I am wrong, but has Kansas ever had a better day on the recruiting front? Basketball included! 2 top tier quarterbacks commit in a hour increment to a team that doesn't have its entire staff in place.

Forgive me, but I will be back with more in a little bit. I have been inundated with good news today and I don't want to leave any detail unnoticed.

Stay tuned...

UPDATE (6:00 PM):

So now that reality is starting to set in, let's try to make some sense out of all of this. Crist and Heaps were both rated 5 star quarterbacks by many online recruiting services coming out of high school, so why didn't it work out where they were in the first place? I want to iterate, they were highly rated quarterbacks in high school, and are yet to mark their mark on college football, so something didn't break right at their former college. We can't forget this. Nonetheless, after a 2-10 season, we can't complain, either. Coach Weis will have to move mountains in order to get this team to a bowl game this season, but signing two premiere quarterbacks is a good place to start. Here is a breakdown on the two newest Jayhawks.

We will start with next year's starting quarterback, Dayne Crist. I mean come on, there is absolutely no way that a straight shooter like Weis would have Crist transfer for just 1 year if he didn't have the spot open for Crist and Crist only.

A 5th year senior from Canoga Park, CA, Crist will have one year left of eligibility because of transfer rules next year. Because he graduates this winter from UND, he can take a 1 year master schedule at KU and avoid sitting out a year.

In high school, Crist played at, oddly enough, Notre Dame High School, and was privileged to play in the U.S. Army All-American Shrine Bowl. He was also 1 of 6 finalists for the 2008 U.S. Army Player of the Year award. In 2008, as a freshman at Notre Dame, Crist did not see the field with Jimmy Clausen taking all of the snaps. In '09, he played in just 4 games and went 10 for 20 for 130 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, injuring his knee against Washington State. In 2010, he started in 9 games and went 174 for 294 for 2033 yards with 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, before suffering a season-ending ruptured patella tendon against Tulsa. It was one day shy of the one-year anniversary of his torn ACL against WSU. And in 2011, Crist only played in 4 games, going 15 of 24 for 164 yards and 1 interception. The relationship he had with Brian Kelly wasn't exactly severed, but it was clear that Crist no longer had a future as the Irish quarterback.

The Notre Dame standard is tough to live up to, and it will be interesting seeing two former Damers, Weis and Crist, with a fresh crack at it at KU.

Crist will have his doubters after his disappointing tenure at Notre Dame, but that will only feed his competitive edge. Crist will likely come to KU with a chip on his shoulder. With just 1 year to prove himself to NFL scouts, expect Crist to be at the top of his game come next fall.

By the way, throws like this one just make me salivate...

UPDATE (10:30 PM):


Jake Heaps, out of Skyline High School in Issaquah, Washington, was the number 1 rated Quarterback in the 2010 class, ahead of Oklahoma's Blake "The Belldozer" Bell, and Missouri's Tyler Gabbert. It might have been a down year at the quarterback position, but Heaps was no pushover, and still isn't. Heaps has a rocket arm, he puts great spin and velocity on his ball, he is accurate, and he is a fiery competitor. Although he isn't Peyton Manning in size, Heaps is still everything you could ask for in a quarterback.

Now after some further research, Jake Heaps has actually done fairly well at the collegiate level. As a true freshman in 2010, Heaps played in all 13 games, starting in 10 of them, going 219 of 383 for 2316 yards and 15 touchdowns and just 9 interceptions. He set every BYU freshman quarterback record, including passing yards, touchdowns and wins. He was the New Mexico Bowl Offensive MVP, setting a BYU bowl record by completing 25 of 34 passes while tying a Cougar bowl record with 4 touchdowns vs. the UTEP Miners. He was actually named to the Davey O'Brien Award Watch List, given to the nation's top quarterback.

Heaps had a bit of a 'sophomore slump' in 2011. In 9 games played he went just 144 for 252 for 1452 yards with 9 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Riley Nelson, a charismatic leader sans talent, started stealing some snaps from Heaps throughout the year. Why? I'm still learning. Heaps clearly had the edge in raw talent, but there was something endearing in Nelson that was lacking in Heaps. Leadership? Toughness? Drive? Who knows. Like I said with Crist, I think the way things broke for Heaps in Provo, Utah, could play to his advantage in Lawrence, Kansas.

A guy this talented with a little bee in his bonnet could be a recipe for success. In the weight room, Heaps thinks about BYU. On the practice field, Heaps thinks about BYU. On gameday, Heaps thinks about BYU. Now I don't mean that this will consume him, but it should motivate him, instead.

No matter how you look at it, the quarterback position just got a major upgrade for the next 3 years. Does this have a sort of ripple/domino effect, bringing in highly sought after linemen or wide receivers-- like Brice Butler too? Don't get too comfortable, we are just getting started.