Kansas Jayhawks Football

Back when it was first announced that Notre Dame QB Dayne Crist would be leaving South Bend in order to get the chance to start somewhere else for his final season, I said that the team to watch would be Florida, because of the relationship that Crist had with former Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis.

But now that Weis has left his post as offensive coordinator with the Gators to become the next head coach at Kansas, it sounds as if Crist could follow his former coach to Lawrence.

According to reports by the New York Times’ Pete Thamel, Crist will visit Kansas this weekend, and according to the Chicago Tribune, the Jayhawks are ready to put on the “full-court press” to land the Irish quarterback.

The move makes a lot of sense, considering their mutual admiration for each other, which dates all the way back to when Crist was a highly touted 5-star recruit at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Given the type of high school hype he had, Crist was expected to be a big-time quarterback under Weis at Notre Dame, but Weis was fired just before he inherited the starting quarterback job from Jimmy Clausen.

Crist never played up to his potential under new Irish coach Brian Kelly, and after a disastrous first-half performance against South Florida in this year’s season opener, he ended up losing his starting job to Tommy Rees, and never gained it back.

Obviously, Crist has great god-given talent, which is why expectations were initially so high for him, but he just never put it to good use while he was in South Bend.

If he reunites with Weis at Kansas, he may be able to finally make good on his tremendous potential.

After a disastrous 5-19 run over the last two years under Turner Gill, it’s true Kansas isn’t exactly the most desirable looking program out there right now, but no one really knows what Crist’s other options are at this point.

If he has the chance to play for a coach he’s comfortable with, it would seem to be a solid fit, at least on the surface.

The Jayhawks were extremely young and inexperienced on defense this year, and that ultimately turned out to be their downfall, as they ranked dead last in the country in both total defense and scoring defense.

With Weis’ help on the offensive end and more experience on defense, this will be a team that at the very least should be able to climb out of the basement of the Big 12 next year.

Going to Kansas seems like it would be a smart move for Crist, as it would not only allow him to work under Charlie Weis again, but it would also take off some of the pressure that had to have been weighing on him since he was a big-time recruit.

Sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes for a player to snap out of a funk.

If Crist does go to Kansas, I certainly wouldn't expect him to pull a Russell Wilson and lead his team to an 11-win season and a conference championship, but I wouldn't be surprised if he finally started to play up to his capabilities either.

It will be interesting to see where the former star recruit ultimately lands, but if it is with Weis at Kansas, that would definitely be an intriguing partnership to watch in 2012.

In late November, Kansas fired Turner Gill as its head football coach. Seeing as how the Jayhawks lost 10 games in a row to finish the 2011 season under Gill's watching, his firing did not come as much of a surprise.

Gill's replacement, however, is a surprise. Via Kansas' official Twitter feed, here's the latest:

You heard it here first, folks. Charlie Weis, the former Notre Dame head coach and current Florida Gators offensive coordinator, is going to be the new head coach of the Jayhawks. 

It's an impressive hire for Kansas. Its football program has fallen on hard times, but Weis is a guy who should be able to revive it. At the very least, he's a coach with a big name who will help attract top-flight talent.

When something big like this happens, there's only one place to go to get the best reactions.

To the Twitterverse!

As is usually the case when anything happens, there are a lot of people who are reacting negatively to Weis' move to Kansas. Many are pointing out that he failed at Notre Dame with top-flight talent, so why should he be any better at Kansas?

A guy who goes by the handle "Jayhawk Jack" put it nicely:

This fan agrees:

And one more for good measure:

There is also a negative reaction coming from Florida fans, who feel cheated that Weis is leaving after just one year on the job. It wasn't even a very good year for the Gators offense, as it finished the season 72nd in the nation in scoring with an average of 25.6 points scored per game.

This guy didn't mind pointing that out:

The hashtag says it all in this guy's tweet:

This fan sounds like she feels downright betrayed by Weis' departure:

Before you ask, the answer is yes. People are tossing fat jokes around. That was to be expected, of course, as it wasn't that long ago that Mark Mangino was roaming the Kansas sideline.

I'm only going to give you one example, and it's a particularly mean one:

Luckily, at least one guy is defending Weis, and he brings up a pretty good point:

So is anybody reacting positively to Weis' hiring? From the look of things, some people are pissed and others are just plain annoyed.

Actually, there is at least one guy who is a fan of Weis' hiring. He expressed his satisfaction very simply:

Couldn't have said it better myself. Like it or not, Weis' hiring at Kansas means that the football program has entered a new era. All Kansas can do is hope for the best.

If there is a bright side, it's that Weis hasn't yet shown his best as a head coach. After his stint at Notre Dame, things can only get better.

Hopefully.

Plenty more where these tweets came from, folks. Check back here for more whenever you get a chance.

Former Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis will be introduced as the new Kansas University football coach on Friday at a press conference, according to the school's athletics Twitter feed.

Weis has spent the last two seasons as an offensive coordinator, last season with the Florida Gators and 2010 with the Kansas City Chiefs.

He will take over for Turner Gill, who was fired as Jayhawks coach on Nov. 27.

This is a tremendous hire for the Jayhawks because they clearly needed a new coach to lead the program into the future.

After winning their first two games this season, they lost 10 straight games, including an 0-9 record in Big 12 conference play. Four times they were beaten by 40 or more points. 

Weis has an established record of success at both the pro and college ranks. His first head coaching job was with Notre Dame in 2005, and he took the Irish to a BCS bowl during his tenure. He was let go after finishing the 2009 season with a disappointing 6-6 record. 

Known for his offensive intelligence, Weis will greatly improve a Kansas passing offense that ranked 101st in the country this season, averaging 167.4 passing yards per game.

Weis was key to the development of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and was a big reason Matt Cassel and the Chiefs played well on offense last season.

Kansas last reached a bowl game in 2008 when it beat Minnesota in the Insight Bowl, and the season prior it beat Virginia Tech to win the Orange Bowl. That was Kansas' only BCS bowl game appearance.

Let's face it. Losing 10 games in a row and going 5-19 in two seasons on the job is not good for one's job security.

Just ask now-former Kansas head football coach Turner Gill. According to ESPN's Joe Schad, Gill has been let go:

In a statement, Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger stressed that new leadership is necessary for the Jayhawks to achieve their goals.

Per The University Daily Kansan:

I have concluded that new leadership is necessary to place us on the path toward competing for championships in the Big 12 Conference. I come to this conclusion reluctantly, because I have the utmost respect for Turner Gill as a quality individual who wants only the best for the young men he coaches.

The move should not come as much of a surprise. The Jayhawks have been awful in two seasons under Gill, and it didn't help matters that they won just a single conference game in his brief tenure. 

This season was particularly dreadful. The Jayhawks managed to win their first two games against McNeese State and Northern Illinois, but they then proceeded to lose each of their final 10 games. The closest Gill came to saving his job was when the Jayhawks nearly beat Baylor earlier this month, but the game went into the books as just another loss.

It would have been one thing if Gill had a bunch of new talent waiting in the wings, but he didn't. According to Rivals.com, Kansas' 2012 recruiting class is the worst in the Big 12.

All things considered, this is a move Kansas had to make. We shall see who they target to replace Gill.