Kansas Jayhawks Football

When I look through the CBS Sportsline list of 2011 defensive tackle prospects (seniors only) and don't see Jamal Greene's name listed at all, I get a little disappointed.

I'm not disappointed in CBS Sportsline as much as in Jamal Greene. (Thanks for your lovely partnership with Bleacher Report, CBS.)

To give you an idea of how otherwise-inclusive this list normally is, the 103 total senior prospects shown include Rene Perry , Austin Alburtis , and Justin Willis .

Not that these guys are bad, I just think Greene should be among them.

In KU terms, if Quintin Woods is the No. 42 defensive end prospect for 2011 based on potential, shouldn't Greene's ceiling scratch the triple-digit senior tackles?

A New Beginning

Greene fell in the doghouse during his sophomore year—before the 2009 spring game—due to suspension, and might have disappeared permanently if Mangino had remained the head coach. 

Still, he had a relatively promising sophomore season, and his brand new opportunity and coaching staff has him motivated .

I don't want to get too overly optimistic here, but a little positive attitude and hard work go a long way.  Greene looked pretty disruptive in the spring game, too.

If he starts to live up to his potential, good things will be in store for him.

Greene as a Draft Prospect

It's not wise to predict that Greene will be drafted in 2011.  Next years defensive tackle class isn't quite as top-heavy as 2010's, but is nearly as deep.

Still, Greene's measurables match up very nicely with the tackles taken in the 2010 . 

• At 6'4" and 328 pounds, he's not talented enough to anchor a 3-4, so he needs to shed 2009's extra 20 pounds.  
• First-rounders Ndamukong Suh , Gerald McCoy , and Jared Odrick stand 6'4", 6'4", and 6'5", respectively. 
  
• Suh is the heaviest at about 307 pounds; about where Greene should be weight-wise in 2010.
• McCoy, Suh, and Odrick run a 5.04, 5.03, and 5.03 40 yard dash, respectively.
• Some 70 pounds ago, Rivals had Jamaal Greene listed with a 4.8 40 yard dash.  When closer to 305 pounds, he could still run a low 5.0.
  

I think Greene may actually be more naturally athletic than Odrick. Don't get your Nittany panties in a wad, Penn State fans, I didn't say "as good" or even "will be half as productive."

Odrick has a 4.59 shuttle time, a quality 7.22 in the cones, a 1.7 second 10 yard dash, an impressive 8'10" broad jump, a vertical leap of 29 inches, and did 26 reps in the bench press. 

Greene is similarly athletic in most of those areas, and I think he is even a bit stronger.

A Free Agent Comparison

To be a little more realistic, let's look at a guy who fell a little closer to where Greene could wind up next summer.

Andre Neblett , a defensive tackle out of Temple, was just picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers, and CBS Sportsline's Chad Reuter thinks he's a player.

Neblett, while he is athletic and shows a good motor, still stands at only 6'1" on a good day, and has always been on the underside of 300 pounds. He runs a low five seconds in the 40 and has a vertical leap of 30 inches.

The Owls' defensive captain posted 43 tackles, 9.5 for a loss, a sack, and a pick in his senior season.

If Greene posted a similar season in one of the Nation's toughest conferences; say, 35 tackles, seven for a loss, and a sack or two, wouldn't those stats combined with his size and potential make him at least a draft prospect?

The Future

Who's to say Jamal Greene even wants to play in the NFL?  Maybe he's already told CBS Sportsline that he doesn't want to.

I doubt it, though.

The two biggest goals for Greene in 2011 are to show that he is a positive locker room influence and that he has the motor and motivation to play every single down.

Other things he can work on are utilizing all of his size and strength while improving technique.  When guys get picked up "on potential," it's because NFL scouts see that they're not only athletic, but that they can get better.

Versatility could be pivotal too.  If Greene can keep his strength while playing close to 300 pounds (a little less, even), it wouldn't cost his hometown Kansas City Chiefs much to test his potential as a 3-4 end.

The important thing is that Jamal Greene has plenty of options; he just doesn't have much time.  Greene's more distant future rests entirely on his nearer one, and he needs to make big things happen this season.

Image Courtesy: KUAthletics.com

Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony knew Kansas needed a football coach who would garner not only statistical success, but would turn this program into one that embodied team and school spirit as well.

Newly hired head coach Turner Gill made it clear upon his arrival that he would meet this goal, and his own lofty expectations for the Jayhawks, by taking care of business off the field first.

Making Changes

Freshman running back Ryan Burton said that as soon as he arrived on campus Gill began making changes to help mold the Jayhawks into great football players and upstanding individuals. 

Unlike the fiery, strategy-first style of former head coach Mark Mangino , Gill’s coaching philosophy is centered on a positive attitude, team unity, and personal relationships.

Individual players have pointed to specific changes.

-Red-shirt sophomore linebacker Steven Johnson says he likes the new “BELIEVE” acronym Gill uses to describe the faith every player should have in himself and his peers.

-Freshman kicker Nate Kalish says all game jerseys now bear an identical “Kansas” logo rather than a surname, and players are required to wear uniform T-shirts to workouts.

-Kalish also says that Gill has even changed weight-lifting into group-work challenges that are more conducive to team-building and entertaining than standard lifting.

-Burton says that Gill makes his presence felt as a part of the team by making surprise visits to the weight room, just to check on his players.

The best part, Burton said, is that the new coaching staff has given the players a positive new outlook without changing the intensity and passion instilled in the program by Mangino.

Building Relationships

The most important changes being made to the team, all three players said, is Gill’s increased emphasis on building warm personal relationships. Johnson said that Gill’s office door is always open, and that every player has his cell phone number to use in any situation.

Kalish said that special teams coach Aaron Stamn texts him regularly and keeps a close eye on his grades. Burton said that Reggie Mitchell , the running backs coach, has taken all the backs out to dinner together, and opened his home to them on holidays when they cannot make the trip home.

“We are a Jayhawk football family,” Burton said. He, Johnson, and Kalish all said that the entire coaching staff is genuinely concerned with the well-being and personal growth of every player—a feeling not as evident in the past.

Gill’s superiors have noticed the changes, too. “Success on the field is in no small part dependent upon building a team of quality student-athletes who know how to represent themselves and the University of Kansas,” Marchiony said. “No one understands that better than Coach Gill.”

A New Beginning

Fans will soon get to witness these changes on the gridiron. Spring practice begins Saturday, March 26, the annual spring game will kick off on Saturday, April 24 at 1 p.m.,  and the Jayhawks will open the 2010  season on Sept. 4 against North Dakota State.

Not to turn B/R into my personal blog, but for the devoted few of you who follow my KU football articles, thank you very much.

I wanted to take the opportunity to compile some news from around the web for you, as well as correct some mistakes I've made in my player profiles and hopefully have you all shed some light on the positional situations for me.

Spring Football

Spring football practices will begin Saturday, Mar. 27 and run through the annual spring game on Saturday, Apr. 24.  

These practices are not open to the public, but keep watching the news for some initial, minor positional translations (particularly along the offensive and defensive lines) to get set in motion.

The spring game will kick off at 1 p.m. It won't be elaborate, but we'll get a small taste of scheme changes, particularly spending some time under center on offense, and potentially interesting personnel decisions.

KUAthletics.com has released its entire Spring Football Prospectus , which contains absolutely everything someone could ever possibly need to know about the pre-practice status of the 2010 Jayhawks.

Personnel and Positioning

Here is a list of the players that switched positions one or more times under Mark Mangino and are returning to their original positions in accordance with the prospectus roster, with the position they have returned to listed first.

Isaiah Barfield: cornerback from wide receiver

D.J. Beshears: wide receiver from cornerback

Steven Foster: fullback from linebacker

Chase Knighton: wide receiver from quarterback

Darius Parish: defensive tackle from offensive tackle

Daymond Patterson: wide receiver from cornerback

Angus Quigley: running back from linebacker

Ian Wolfe: tight end from offensive tackle

Duane Zlatnik: offensive line from defensive tackle

These positions aren't set in stone, and Turner Gill has a lot of evaluating to do in the coming weeks before he makes any major decisions, but I like that he's giving his kids a chance to play where they want.

Just for fun, I'd also like to list a group of what I call 'tweener' Jayhawks. These are guys with a fairly certain position, but I think their talent and versatility may have them contributing situationally at multiple positions in 2010.

An asterisk will be placed next to these players' listed position, and other possible positions will follow.

Randall Dent (defensive tackle*, defensive end): Size and strength make Dent a tackle, but he is athletic enough to be outside on short-yardage downs.

Chris Harris (cornerback*, safety): Harris played well as a safety in game one of 2009 before helping out a needier cornerback group.

Ryan Murphy (safety*, cornerback): Murphy, a nickel safety, lacks starting-caliber abilities but has a decent football I.Q. and experience at both positions.

Josh Richardson (linebacker*, defensive end): With a little more size, Richardson could be a decent pass-rush end. 

Travis Stephens (defensive end*, defensive tackle): Stephens came to Kansas as an undersized pass-rushing tackle.

A.J. Steward (wide receiver*, quarterback, tight end): He's given Kansas a backup all over the offense for several years now.

Phillip Strozier (safety*, cornerback): He's played cornerback before, and there seems to be more (young) talent available at safety.

Jacoby Thomas (linebacker*, defensive end): Thomas came to Kansas as a touted strong-side defensive end.

John Williams (defensive tackle*, offensive guard): He would be more than capable of returning to offense in an emergency.

Sal Capra, Jeff Spikes, Brad Thorson, Michael Martinovich, Carl Wilson (offensive line): The first three are interchangeable starting-caliber players, though Spikes needs to live up to his size and abilities. Wilson and Martinovich are lesser-known, but have been around for awhile and can each play nearly anywhere on the line.

Newcomer Notes

Look out for true freshmen Pat Lewandowski (defensive end) and Jeremiah Edwards (defensive tackle). Both have the talent to contribute right away on a defensive line that was sporadic at best in 2009.

Despite being touted as a safety, Dexter McDonald could find himself playing cornerback if, as expected, it is the position of greater need.

Jake Farley was an All-State safety in Iowa last season, and looks to be a speedy linebacker of the Huldon Tharp mold, but taller and with room to add more weight.

Jimmay Mundine was recruited as a linebacker but has switched back to his favored tight end position.

Keba Agostinho is currently listed as a defensive end but has the frame to potentially grow into a defensive tackle someday.

See my Top Freshman Contributors article for a more thorough outlook on the class of 2010.

Also, be sure to keep up with my player profile articles! Look for an outlook on the linebackers to come soon!

Well, it's March. 

For college football fans, that means we have made it through at least part of our collective football-less winter of discontent.  The good news is that Spring football is starting around the country. 

With that in mind, it doesn't seem like an entirely bad idea to take a quick glance over Kansas' 2010 football schedule and their opponents.  I have organized each team below in the order that the Jayhawks will face them.  I have also tried to include some observations on how they might stack up against new head coach Turner Gill's Jayhawks. 

At the end of this breakdown, I might even take a very premature gander at predicting Kansas' win/loss total for the 2010 season.

North Dakota State (home)

Head coach of Nebraska Cornhusker heritage Craig Bohl's North Dakota Sate Bison will come into Lawrence to kick off the beginning of the Turner Gill era at Memorial Stadium and the University of Kansas on September 4. 

The Missouri Valley Football Conference Bison on paper look like an easy tune-up game for Kansas, but the Jayhawks should not get too confident.  If Gill's players have not bought into his system by this point or come out rusty, it could get ugly fast in Lawrence. 

North Dakota State has played the Big Ten's Minnesota Gophers to the wire in the last few seasons, and don't forget that their conference partner Northern Iowa would have upset the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first game of the 2009 season had it not been for a blocked last second field goal.  Now that I have tried to build some intrigue for the game, Kansas should win this one convincingly.

Georgia Tech (home)

This is the kind of game season ticket holders love to see on the schedule early.  You wait all offseason for some football excitement, and boom here is a really exciting match up in the second game of the season.  The Yellow Jackets had a great season in 2009 and earned a trip to the Orange Bowl, but dropped two disappointing losses to close the season vs. in-state rival Georgia and Iowa in the Orange Bowl. 

Most preseason top 25 polls for 2010 have Georgia Tech ranked in the top 10 or top 15 in the country.  This will be an excellent opportunity for the Jayhawks to beat a ranked nonconference opponent at home early in the season. 

Georgia Tech has some serious issues to work out for the 2010 season, including replacing RB Jonathan Dwyer and shoring up a weak defense, if they don't have those problems fixed convincingly by mid-September the Jayhawks might just be able to score the upset.

Southern Miss (away)

This will be a very interesting game for two major reasons: 1) It will be Turner Gill's team's first road trip and 2) It will be against a quality opponent.  Southern Miss has wrecked the weekends of a couple Big 12 teams the past few years, including beating Nebraska in Lincoln in 2004 and schellacking Oklahoma State in 2001. 

Southern Miss is expected to improve on a 7-5 2009 campaign and beating a Big 12 opponent at home would be a good way to get started doing that.   An interesting spice to add to this matchup is the fact that current Golden Eagles head coach and former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator, Larry Fedora, was rumored to be a serious candidate to replace Mark Mangino at Kansas.

New Mexico State (home)

DeWayne Walker (who will be entering his second year at NMSU) and his Aggies are hoping that 2010 will be a better year than 2009, where they suffered through a long losing season. 

Arguably, NMSU is KU's easiest nonconference opponent on the schedule this season, but like with many WAC teams, the Aggies' aerial assault may test early in the season the Jayhawks' secondary in ways that a team like Georgia Tech for example, will not.

Baylor (away)

The Jayhawks will open 2010 Big 12 conference play in Waco.  Baylor is getting alot of buzz this year because their heralded quarterback, Robert Griffin, will be returning to the gridiron after missing most of 2009 with a torn ACL.  If Griffin is healthy, the dual-threat QB will be a major challenge to the Jayhawks' defense. 

The Bears' are having to replace some major parts, especially at linebacker, on their defense from last year, so you have to expect this is a vulnerability Turner Gill will be looking to exploit. 

All in all, this will be a very important game for both programs.  Baylor and Kansas are going to be looking to erase the demons of the 2009 football season and get off to a fast start in conference play.

Kansas State (home)

The loss to Kansas State last year in Manhattan was debilitating for the Jayhawks.  They will have a chance to redeem themselves in Lawrence against the Wildcats this year.  Turner Gill understands the importance of rivalries in Lawrence, and say what you will, I really think that beating KSU is equally important to beating MU for many Kansas fans. 

Kansas State returns in 2010 all-conference running back Thomas (1,265 rushing yards last season), who is expected to be the driving force of the offense again.  Asides from Thomas, K-State is a team with many questions, especially at quarterback and with the defense, where they will be breaking in a new defensive coordinator after Vic Koenning left for Illinois (I still don't understand that move).

Like always, it seems with the Wildcats, their season will hinge on how well certain JUCO players transition to the game.  Look out for Hutchinson Junior College defensive end Adam Davis, who committed to KSU this spring, to make an impact in the Sunflower Showdown.  I grew up in Pretty Prairie near Hutchinson and word was in Hutch this winter that Davis could be a special player in the Big 12.  We'll see.

Texas A&M (home)

Say what you will about Texas and Oklahoma hogging all the media attention normally, Baylor's Robert Griffin and Texas A&M's Jerrod Johnson are considered in many circles to be the two best quarterbacks in the Big 12 for the 2010 season. 

Like Griffin, Taylor possesses a range of freakish athletic abilities and a strong arm that serves the Aggies' high powered offense well.  Even though the Aggies' will bring into Lawrence a formidable offense with NFL talent at all the skill positions, their defense in 2009 was nothing short of a mess.  

This fact has motivated a switch to a 3-4 defense.  Like with Baylor, Kansas is probably going to have to win some battles against this team's weaker defense if they want to win a shootout with the offense.

Iowa State (away)

Iowa State was not a very good team talent-wise in 2009, but they still managed to overachieve and win a bowl game under the impressive guidance of first year coach Paul Rhodes.  2010 looks to be a similar season for the Cyclones, at least, talent-wise.  Even though veteran QB Austin Arnaud returns, the offense he leads has much to improve on from their 2009 season. 

On defense, the Cylones lose many key players, including tackling machine Jesse Smith.  Interestingly enough, the Cyclones seem to be a team that always plays Kansas well.  In 2008 in Ames the Cyclones jumped out to a 21-point lead over Mark Mangino's team, before the Jayhawks launched an impressive comeback.

Colorado (home)

If there was a national preseason award for dysfunction, the Colorado Buffaloes would be a top contender.  Head coach Dan "the Hawk" Hawkins was not fired, because well, Colorado could not afford it so the entire program is operating under an ominous cloud. 

This year, Hansen figures to be the starter at quarterback, but we all know how fond the Hawk is of switching quarterbacks so don't be surprised if by this time in the season the coach's son is starting at quarterback. 

Colorado's one upside for this season has got to be running back Rodney Stewart, who ran hard behind a poor offensive line last year for impressive numbers and will likely do the same in 2010. 

For Kansas fans too, this game might have some special interest because it could be one of the last times Kansas meets Colorado if the Buffaloes do jump ship and join the Pac-10 this summer.

Nebraska (away)

The near unanimous favorite to win the Big 12 North will probably warmly greet a Cornhusker legend, Turner Gill, when he leads his Kansas Jayhawks football team into Lincoln.  This figures to be a very tough game for the Jayhawks, but the Cornhuskers are not without serious chinks in their armor. 

Nebraska's entire offense was horrendous last season and has alot to work on in 2010 if the Cornhuskers want to return to the national state.  On the good side of things for KU, at least they won't have to face the Nigerian Nightmare Suh again as he figures to be the top pick in the NFL Draft in April. 

Oklahoma State (home)

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy hired Houston offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen to rev up the Cowboys' offense after the unit dropped off in play significantly last year from the year before. 

Detractors in Stillwater were saying, though, that the fault was not with the system but the Big 12's improvement in quality defensive play. 

In any case, Holgorsen will bring into Lawrence a Mike Leach style-spread that the Jayhawks have struggled with defending in recent years.  The Cowboys will also have a new face at QB, as 26-year-old Brandon Weeden, a junior, is expected to take over at the helm for Zach Robinson. 

An interesting spice to this game will be that former Kansas defensive coordiantor, from the 2007-08 Orange Bowl season, Bill Young will be directing a possibly very formidable Cowboys' defense.

Missouri (Kansas City @ Arrowhead Stadium)

Well, this game will mark the anniversary of Mark Mangino's last best shot at keeping his job in 2009.  The 2009 Kansas vs. Missouri game was a classic, but many are probably anticipating that the 2010 matchup will not be as close.  

Missouri is returning nine starters on both offense and defense, along with quarterback Blaine Gabbert who tossed the ball for 3,500 yards last year in his first season starting.  If the Tigers' have any weakness that the Jayhawks might be hoping to take advantage of it has to be their defense. 

In 2009 the Mizzou defense was simply not good.  This was made embarrassingly apparent when the Tigers got roughed up by a Navy team who rushed for 385 years and beat them 35-13 after Missouri officials and fans loudly complained about not being placed in a better bowl.

Conclusion

This is very early, but I will take a shot at guessing how the Jayhawks' will do in 2010.  However, don't expect me not to change my prediction.  First of all, I think this is a much easier schedule than what the Jayhawks faced in 2009.  No Texas or Oklahoma.

In my opinion, that makes this year a major opportunity for Kansas to try and earn a return to the postseason.  A conference schedule like this doesn't come along very often, so when it does you have to take advantage of it. 

Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, this schedule coincides with the loss of several key players like Kerry Meier, Todd Reesing and Dezmon Briscoe and the first season of a new coach, Turner Gill, who will be looking to change the offensive and defensive systems and culture of the team.

I think its more than realistic to expect that the Jayhawks come out of the non-conference schedule 3-1.  If they can score an upset against GT, then 4-0 is a real possibility.  That said, stumbling against Southern Miss in Turner Gill's first year is a real possibility too. 

As far as conference wins go, I predict the Jayhawks will go 3-5.  Wins will come against Kansas State, Colorado, and Iowa State.  Losses will be to Baylor, Texas A & M, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Missouri. 

All that said, I think it is a very distinct possibility that the Jayhawks have a worse conference schedule, maybe dropping games to Iowa State (a tough road game) or Kansas State.  Baylor seems to me to be arguably the most important game on the conference schedule psychologically. 

If the Jayhawks' can beat the Bears in Waco and score one against the Southern Division, then they would certainly enter those winnable games in the Big 12 North with much needed confidence.

3-5 in the conference would leave the Jayhawks at 6-6 on the season, and likely getting a spot in a low tier bowl.  In my opinion, that would be a good first year for Turner Gill.  The real question is though, if that will be enough to win back KU's splintered fan base and more importantly, rake in donations for Lew Perkins' ambitious Gridrion Club addition at Memorial Stadium.

Could the alleged slip of Mark Mangino's finger across an infinitesimally small space between actually touching and not touching someone (as well as the alleged, repeated slip of his tongue) have been the source of an uproar in college football last season?

Were accusations coming out against South Florida Coach Jim Leavitt and Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach all part of a legitimate trend that originated in Lawrence?

Frankly, I'm glad I don't have to uncover the answer to such an impossible question, and I don't care to dig into what did and didn't actually happen from any perspective.

What's done is done.  It's time for players and coaches alike to move on and ensure that such a trend never begins again.  In fact, it's time for schools to try starting a new trend.

Just like the University of Kansas has.

Kansas has gone to great lengths to prevent any future incidents of this type.  Any other school that cares about its football program should do so as well.

First of all, Kansas wasted little time snagging the steadiest coaching hand available to help an unstable program in turmoil.  Kansas' Associate Athletic Director Jim Marchiony graciously gave me a few minutes of his time Tuesday afternoon to assure me of such.

Marchiony affirmed that the athletic department's first and foremost priority in a coach was someone who met high standards of excellence on and off the field.

When Mangino was hired, my mentor Max Utsler assures me, his short fuse was no secret.  However, his price was right, and he had the fire a dead program needed.

This time, KU needed to go in a different direction: a Turner Gill direction.

Gill has immediately become the public face of the program and continues to earn the support of fans and alumni.  Even today, he continues to campaign for the life of the once-crumbling project known as the Gridiron Club.

Most importantly, the coaching team he has put together is nothing short of spectacular.  Marchiony gave the highest praise to Gill's staff members, each of whom reflects Gill's individual-first values as well as his gridiron success.

Texas Tech and South Florida seem to have made similar hires when comparing personalities to that of Gill.  Tommy Tuberville (Texas Tech) and Skip Holtz (South Florida) seem like steady, consistent men on and off of the turf.

Secondly, my good friend and KU walk-on running back Ryan Burton told me that the process didn't stop there.  He informed me that athlete counseling was more heavily promoted and accessible than ever throughout the situation. 

Burton also talked about the door to Gill's office.  It's always open, and behind it waits a man who simply wants to help and treats every player, from freshman walk-on to senior stud, as equals.

The freshman assured me that it is Gill's goal to know and cater to the needs of every single young man in a Kansas uniform as a player and a person.

I can't say I know the same about Tuberville and Holtz, but I have a feeling that such respect for each and every member of their respective programs will resonate well throughout their athletic departments' priority lists.

To finish, I would like to say two things.

First of all, congratulations, Kansas.  Very little more could be done to rectify the mess that was last season.  If Turner Gill is as half as amazing as advertised, then every Jayhawk fan around—myself included—is in for a real treat.

Congratulations also to South Florida and Texas Tech.  I'm not well-informed on their situations, but any school would deserve props for overcoming this type of problem.

Secondly—and most importantly—other schools should follow suit in whatever ways they can.

Mark Mangino, Mike Leach, and Jim Leavitt prove that resurrecting a program does not grant immunity.

All schools should learn from Kansas, Texas Tech, and South Florida and find effective ways to prevent any such issues in the future.

Perhaps seminars on boundaries and respect should be mandatory of all college coaches.  Maybe athletic departments could use overseers to keep a more constant watch on their coaching staffs.

I've heard rumors of some universities who frequently have athletics department representatives pop into practices, halftime locker rooms, and meetings unannounced as part of ongoing coach evaluations.

What if a solution was as simple as each player giving a confidential, face-to-face evaluation directly to the athletics department?  Schools should be doing it anyway, but allegations from years past that appeared during Kansas' investigation may imply that no such one-on-ones exist.

On an extreme note, a few of my colleagues have even speculated on the idea of including player-abuse situations when constructing coaching contracts.

It seems silly, but two years ago, Kansas reconstructed Mangino's contract.  Two months ago, the university paid him $3 million just to leave.

Then again, I hope I'm behind the curve on this particular issue. 

Player-abuse allegations were the biggest singular piece of news in college football last season.  The situation can't have gone unnoticed by any school in the United States.

I would be thoroughly surprised if most major colleges with any pride in their athletic programs aren't already taking steps to better ensure the well-being of their student athletes.

For the same reasons, I don't believe college football fans will ever see anything to the magnitude of what they witnessed in the fall of 2009.

Call me naive, but I think a positive trend is already being set in place.

I'm a huge NFL draft buff.

Normally I would weigh in with my opinions on the Kansas City Chiefs' options, but there are simply far better Chiefs writers to take that from.

Then I was struck with an idea.

What if colleges drafted recruits out of high schools?

Sure it won't ever happen, and I'm just fine with that.  However, after all of the excitement the 2009 KU football season brought Hawk fans, we've hit a bit of a dry spell and I'd do just about anything to strike up a good gridiron conversation right now.

So, this being said, I thought it would be fun to imagine how Turner Gill might try to address Kansas' needs if he had the opportunity to participate in a draft rather than through recruiting.

Assuming that all 2010 commitments are no longer coming to Kansas and understanding that I have no actual names, only comparisons, here is how the Kansas Jayhawks would spend seven draft picks...

Round One

Because Kansas was 5-7, let's say they land somewhere in the middle of the draft lineup.  This means that there's still more than enough starting-caliber talents to go around.

If there's one place that KU truly needs a top notch talent with plenty of potential, it's at cornerback.  I hope Dave Clark becomes this guy, but in the given situation, I'd take a 6'1" guy with solid 4.4 speed. 

Most importantly, though, I want someone who is a true ballhawk.  If need be, I'll give up some size and an eensy-weensy bit of speed for a guy who gets burned on some risks, but comes out on top of deflected passes and picks more often than not.

It would also be nice to find a guy who will be mature and ready to be No. 1 by the conference season.

Round Two

If this draft is anything like the NFL draft, I'm gonna say there should be an athletic, decently polished, and versatile linebacker still available.

I'd be just fine with an undersized inside guy for the 4-3 and Nickel as long as he had more than adept coverage skills, something Drew Dudley is not particularly refined at.

The best part is that he would have a year of tutelage under Dudley, a senior, to add some bulk and run stoppage to his cover game.  If he's athletic and versatile enough, he should probably get a shot as an outside linebacker in place of the oft-injured Justin Springer right away as well.

Round Three

I hate to spend a third straight pick on defense, but to be honest, Kansas doesn't have a lot of gaping holes.  Sure the Hawks fell apart last season, but the redshirt freshman class should be a decent one, and there is simply a need for a talent upgrade at nearly every position, defensively at least.

Brad Thorson and Sal Capra will be seniors next season, but Trevor Marrongelli and, if he doesn't work out on defense, John Williams are set to take over full time.  Unfortunately, Williams can't do both, and Thorson won't be around forever to fill in as a tackle.

How about taking someone not unlike Tanner Hawkinson?  He'd still have a redshirt season and one more year to get adjusted if Jeff Spikes matures at least enough to regain a starting position, and he could play the less demanding right side, so Gill could afford to take a chance on somewhat of a project in the third round.

Give me a 6'5" or 6'6" guy, but with less concern toward his weight than his footwork.  He doesn't have to be as smooth as Hawkinson and can be a little bigger.  I can't stress how happy I am that the former tight end seems to be on the path to success and that I think repeating the process on the opposite side of the line would be wise.

Round Four

I think I'm looking at an outside linebacker here.  He may only be used as a supplement for Justin Springer on 1st-and-10s, but we need someone there, don't we?

Maybe I'm getting too desperate, but I still like undersized and fast here in the pass-happy Big 12.  Someone super quick, decent in coverage, and most importantly, a sure tackler.

Does Huldon Tharp have a twin?

Probably not, but give a small guy with a big heart and a winning attitude a chance to work with Tharp, and we may see something close.  He can be a little bigger, if necessary, for the strong side, but at this point in a draft I'll, as almost always, give up size for attitude.

Round Five

It's time to shore up the special teams a bit.  At this point, maybe there would be a super-mean, head-hunting fullback-linebacker type of guy to add some depth to the charts, add some bite to the kickoff unit, and compete for playing time late in his career.

The first person who comes to mind is a guy like Jon Cornish, a man who would've played anywhere for his team and was ultimately rewarded for his efforts with a starting spot as a balanced back in his junior and senior seasons.

Naturally, for tackling purposes, I would lean more towards a natural linebacker.  However, if I found a running back who happened to be 6'0", 200 pounds, ran close to a 4.6 forty, and played at a mega-high gear all game every game, that would be just fine with me too.

Round Six

To be perfectly honest, I actually have a name in mind for this spot.  The name is Jordan Taylor, and he's a wide receiver from Denison, Texas.

Jonathan Wilson, Tertavian Ingram, and Rod Harris will be seniors next season, and Daymond Patterson will be a junior.  If anything, at this point the Hawks would simply be shoring up depth anyway.

I stumbled on Taylor while looking at potential KU commitments and simply have fallen for what I've seen.  He's a former quarterback, he's tall (6'5"), fast (4.5 forty), and under the radar.

This makes him taller than former KU star Kerry Meir, faster, and hopefully he carries with him the same benefits of being a former quarterback. 

Kansas fans would be naive to hope for another project half as successful as Meier, especially in Turner Gill's system.  However, I have a hard time seeing how this kid wouldn't find his way onto the field somehow at some point in his career.

Round Seven

I'm all up for pulling a Kansas City Chiefs here.  Their last pick of the draft (last overall, too) has turned out more than fine, and KU's punter will be a senior next season.  Don't forget, the ever-inconsistent Branstetter will be a junior too.

While I wouldn't mind picking up some more offensive line depth here, I would be excited if the Hawks could find someone talented, intelligent, and devoted enough to handle both sets of kicking duties.

Backup walk-ons aren't hard to come by at either position, and I'm not sure why more schools don't utilize punter-kickers, myself.

If one's available, I find myself good talent at two important positions with one measly seventh round draft pick.

There you have it; a mock 2010 Kansas Jayhawk draft.

Since these don't actually exist, however, I would like to wish Turner Gill and his staff (a staff that I am very excited for) the best of luck in their more-realistic recruiting adventures.

I am very pleased with the attitude that Gill is bringing to Lawrence, and I hope his commitments are all very representative of such a positive, winning mindset.

What is wrong in today's college football?

Why are coaches getting fired for petty issues with certain players on their teams?

I am not talking about a coach beating the crap out of a player or anything like that.

I am talking about, why can't these young men playing today take an ass chewing or their medicine when they have pissed their coach off?

Look, if the allegations of what Jim Leavitt got fired for are true, he should be more than fired. He should not be allowed to coach the game anymore. And furthermore, he should be sitting in front of a judge explaining his actions and getting into more trouble than just being fired by South Florida.

However, Mark Mangino, the former coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, was forced to resign because he yelled at his players and poked a player in the chest because he was displeased with their effort?

Are these kids not man enough to take it?

I know when I was playing in both high school and college, I was yelled at. I had my coaches grabbing my face mask and pulling me in every direction when I was not doing my best in practice or a game. Hell, I had one of my coaches hit me with the palm of his hand in my chest out of displeasure.

Yes it ticked me off. I was not only pissed at the coach, but I was embarrassed because my teammates and people in the stands witnessed it.

You know what I did? I did like many before me and many after me. I channeled that anger into my game. I fired off the ball and I let the person across from me take my anger.

It made me into a better player.

It also taught me a few things.

It taught me that I needed to be disciplined and that I needed to stay focused. And above all I needed to listen.

Mike Leach, the former Texas Tech coach, was fired because the mistreatment of Adam James.

Personally, I think the only reason he was fired was because James is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Chris James and was pampered too much.

Aren't injured players under the supervision of the medical staff? Yeah, the head coach is the players boss, but not the boss of the medical and training staff. And when under the supervision of medical personnel then the coaches decision is and can be overridden by the trainers and doctors.

If the medical and training staff thought sending James into a dimly lit area and to ride an exercise bike was too extreme, why did they not move him to a more suitable area?

Heck, when that story first broke, all reports were saying it was a dark room. They made it out to be this pitch dark place where you could not see your hand in front of your face. Now we are hearing that it was a dimly lit shed. Meaning there was some light in the shed.

I am sorry, there seems to be more to this story than what is being reported.

Either way, the only thing I think Mike Leach did wrong was he did not suspend Adam James.

When you think about it, this goes further than just today's college football players.

It is society in general.

We are creating a bunch of soft panty-wasted kids that cannot take tough treatment.

Now, being abusive is one thing. But being yelled at or poked in the chest is not being abusive toward these kids. At least not in my humble opinion. It is being tough and firm and teaching these young players.

It is a sad day in the great sport of college football, when coaches get fired for being a coach and being hard nosed.

Paul “Bear” Bryant, Bud Wilkinson, Woody Hayes, and more are rolling in their graves right now at how some of these players and universities are overreacting.

According to several sources, former University of Illinois recruiting coordinator Reggie Mitchell is set to join Turner Gill's new coaching staff at the University of Kansas.

Mitchell is a renowned recruiter in Chicago and St. Louis and helped Illinois reel in a top 30 recruiting class three of his first four years of the program.

As of now, Kansas' football coaching staff includes Turner Gill (head coach), Chuck Long (offensive coordinator), Carl Torbush (defensive coordinator), Aaron Stamn (tight ends/special teams coordinator), and David Beaty (wide receivers coach). 

Watch for, a peer of mine tells me, at least two more names, Darrell Wyatt (wide receivers) and Tony Samuel (defensive line), to pop up a lot throughout the week until Gill's self-imposed staff deadline of December the 29th.

Also, several stories from oreadboomkings.com hold potentially good news for the University of Kansas football program.

First of all, runningback Jocques Crawford, defensive tackle Travis Stephens, and linebacker Vernon Brooks, all of whom quit the team within the past season, are looking to rejoin the Jayhawks and reportedly like Turner Gill as a head coach.

Crawford reportedly would have to rejoin the team as a walk-on due to his dismissal at the beginning of the year through which he still used the second half of his two-year scholarship.  The troubled runningback's interest has apparently waned significantly.

However, should Stephens or Brooks rejoin (on scholarship), they would be classified as seniors.

Speaking of returning, word amongst my peers is that there is a medical redshirt available to both defensive end Maxwell Onyegbule and linebacker/running back Angus Quigley. 

Oreadboomkings.com confirmed that Onyegbule and Quigley are candidates for a sixth season due to a season after their original, voluntary redshirt year in which they were injured for more than 80 percent of the practice schedule, I believe.

Quigley has been a running back, a wide receiver, a running back again, and now a linebacker in five seasons for the Jayhawks.  He may want to return to his natural running back position, but the most opportunities for Quigley seem to be as a linebacker.

Quigley is reportedly interested in accepting a sixth year, but there is no word yet on Onyegbule.  Either would be a big help to a young defense should they return, and Onyegbule could find a way to extend his career after college with a little added success.

Speaking of position switches, the same website tells that Daymond Patterson plans to return to the offensive side of the football.  The switch would come as no surprise, for Patterson has been fairly open about being uncomfortable on defense.

His father has told one of my most reliable sources that should Mangino had returned, Patterson, a junior, would have transferred schools due to this positional (and potentially other) disagreements with the former head coach.

Yet again, oreadboomking.com has cited that while Rivals.com four-star recruits (Kansas' only three current commits) wideout Keeston Terry, defensive end Geneo Grissom, and JuCo transfer cornerback Dave Clark are all retaining their verbal commitment to Kansas while taking their other visits.

Keeston Terry's potential coach David Beaty was retained by Turner Gill for a short while, but was recently released.  As the former wide receivers coach and the man behind the bulk of Terry's recruitment, this could greatly impact the Kansas City wide receiver's decision in a negative way.

Bill Miller had a large hand in Grissom's recruitment, but he has been approached and received favorably by Carl Torbush.  Grissom still plans to visit LSU and is also being recruited by Kansas State where both Clint Bowen and Miller, the former Kansas defensive coordinators, both may be heading.

All three would be an immense help to Kansas in the very near future, but Dave Clark may be the most vital.  JuCo products haven't regularly panned out in former head coach Mark Mangino's system, but it's Turner Gill's regime here now. 

Clark is 6'2", strong, and runs a 4.4 forty.  The physical tools are all there to have an immediate impact as a starter at a position the Hawks badly need help with.

Next, Rivals.com has reported that not only has the University of Kansas received a verbal commitment from two-star defensive back Ray Mitchell, but have also already inked junior college dual-threat quarterback Quinn Mecham from Ephraim, Utah.

Redshirt sophomore Kale Pick and redshirt freshmen Jordan Webb and Christian Matthews will all be in competition for the job as well. 

Due to the installation of a new offensive system, there will likely be no favorite.  It should be noted, though, that Pick has the only division one football experience and has abilities very similar to those of Gill, a former Nebraska signal-caller great, himself.

Also, interestingly enough, the last time there was a head coaching change within the Kansas football program, it was a junior college quarterback that opened the new tenure.

That was Bill Whittemore out of Fort Scott Community college who struggled in his first season, but in his and Mangino's second go-round, he led the Hawks to a Tangerine Bowl berth.

Finally, Dezmon Briscoe is being labeled by walterfootball.com as a prospective fourth to fifth round draft choice right below quality wideouts like Shay Hodge and Mike Williams.

Hodge and Briscoe are of similar weight and speed.  However, Briscoe is two inches taller—with a bigger wing span—has good special teams and big play abilities and has produced roughly 125 percent of Hodge's stats in just three years at Kansas as opposed to Hodge's four at Ole Miss (three as a starter).

I don't care if Briscoe's stats are a little inflated or not.  We've seen him make plays forever now and some team will give him a chance.  He may never be a star in the NFL, but for the right team, he could be a steal.

I think he goes high in the fourth to the middle of the third round, especially if he can shave his forty time down a tad more.

Thanks once more to oreadboomkings.fantake.com for intriguing, inside Kansas Football information.  Also, thanks to C.W. O'Brien for his valuable assistance with this article.

What do you get when you hire a former Heisman candidate quarterback as your head coach and he, in turn, hires a former Heisman candidate quarterback as an offensive coordinator?

Did I mention that both have coached Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, too?

I think the obvious answer is one happy quarterback at the University of Kansas.

I'm not about to coronate Kale Pick as next season's starter. I've mentioned before that I think redshirt freshman Jordan Webb bears a strong resemblance to Todd Reesing and that Christian Matthews is simply a great playmaker.

Don't forget that head coach Turner Gill has already drawn in a fairly touted JuCo quarterback in Quinn Mecham who will be in the running for the job, too.

However, you have to feel that if a single signal caller at the University of Kansas has any sort of advantage, it's probably Pick. The Division I football experience, decent measurables, great athleticism, and reportedly more than serviceable arm make him seem like an ideal place for Gill and offensive coordinator Chuck Long to start.

It is not the purpose of this article to make Pick's case. However, for the purposes of this article, let's say Pick takes the majority of snaps over the offseason.

Pick is 6'2", weighs 200 pounds, runs a 4.5 40 and was the 13th-rated dual-threat quarterback nationally coming into college despite not playing most of his senior year in high school.

If anyone can help Pick utilize every ounce of that athleticism, isn't it Turner Gill? This is the same guy that helped Tommie Frazier and Eric Crouch become two of the most dangerous men to ever line up under center in the history of Nebraska.

Another guy on that "most dangerous quarterback" list is Gill himself. I start drooling at the idea of Pick being turned loose in the open field.

Then again, in this day and age, a quarterback has to have some sort of arm too, unless your last name is Dobbs and this is where Chuck Long comes in.

How do 10,000-plus passing yards, nearly 800 completions, and 74 touchdowns through the air in his time at the University of Iowa hit you?

Pick didn't receive many opportunities to use his arm last season during mop-up minutes, but former head coach Mark Mangino always vouched for the quality of Pick's throwing abilities.

If Pick has any arm at all, you can bet that Long is going to squeeze the absolute most out of it. Jason White and Josh Heupel never had the true tools for professional football necessarily, but Long turned them into guys considered among the millennium's best tossing the pigskin.

Kansas will return an experienced offensive line and a youthful but talented group of wide receivers. That may be all Pick and Long will need to work with next year.

I'm not predicting greatness for Kale Pick, I'm not even daring to predict that he may start.

I'm simply saying that Kansas fans don't have to worry about the quarterback position just because Todd Reesing is gone.

On the contrary, rather, I'm quite looking forward to seeing it.

If any two guys can take care of the most important position in football, it's Turner Gill and Chuck Long.

The best part about Kansas' quarterback situation is that while implementing a new offense, a rather talented group of at least four young men will all have an equal opportunity at the job and the competition should bring out nothing but the best in them.

Fear not, Jayhawk faithful. Every time Jeremiah Hatch snaps the pigskin next season, it is sure to land in good hands.