The rumors have started. According to FootballCoachScoop.com, KU is currently negotiating a contract with Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh. Personally, Harbaugh has been at the top of my wishlist for days. Would be very pleased for Harbaugh to come to Lawrence.

Was also surprised to see Tommy Tuberville throw his hat in the ring according to the KCStar. Tuberville is a fine coach, and a great second option to Harbaugh.

It’s a great sign for the University of Kansas to see coaches the caliber of Harbaugh, Tuberville and Skip Holtz interested in coming to KU.

The headlines read “Mangino Resigns”, but I think we all know better. Athletic Director Lew Perkins and coach Mark Mangino have come to an agreeable resolution for the removal of Mangino from the KU football program. Perkins may have had the legal right to fire Mangino “with cause”. But Mangino would have fought the termination. No reason for this to drag on. Mangino likely will receive $2-3 million and will save some of his credibility. And KU gets to move on and find their next head coach.

Members of the media (like Jason Whitlock in the Star this morning) will clamor for KU to tell all. There is no benefit in this for KU or Mangino. It will not help KU land their next coach if they publicly expose all of their dirty laundry. And don’t we already have enough information to come to the same conclusion as Perkins?

1. Mangino was fired because he went 5-7 this season, losing his last seven games.

2. The Jayhawks lost seven straight because of a lack of talent on defense and the offensive line.

3. Mangino has become an embarrassment to the university. As many were, I was troubled by the reports of verbal abuse (in particular the personal nature of the comments), and the reports of physical abuse. Among the worst is this story about Cory Kipp.

4. Mangino had little interest in helping Perkins promote the KU program. At a recent event in Kansas City to promote the Gridiron Club that KU wants to build at Memorial Stadium, Mangino was nowhere to be found.

Mangino has accomplished a lot at KU. He has helped make football relevant in Lawrence again. But my personal feeling is that he’s plateaued. I think he’s taken the program as far as he can. And if we want the program to continue to improve, it’s time for a change.

The Next Head Coach Will Be…
I have no idea. I guarantee you that Perkins has a short list of candidates who have probably already been contacted about their interest. Lots of names have been thrown around. Here are the ones I find most interesting.

Brian Kelly: Currently the head coach at Cincinnati.
Jim Harbaugh: Currently the head coach at Standord.
Kevin Sumlin: Currently the head coach at Houston.
Larry Fedora: Currently the head coach at Southern Mississippi.
Randy Edsall: Currently the head coach at Connecticut.
Skip Holtz: Currently the head coach at East Carolina.

There are lots more. Here’s a nice read from the LJWorld about potential candidates. And there are a few names being thrown around that don’t excite me, specifically Nolan Cromwell and Turner Gill. I loved Cromwell when I was a kid, but I want someone with head coaching experience. And I don’t think Gill is an upgrade over Mangino.

Perkins made a great hire with Bill Self. He knew who he wanted and he went out and got him. Hopefully Perkins will make an equally good hire for the football program. (Bryan pointed out below that it was not Perkins who had hired Self. Great catch Bryan.)

It’s an interesting trend. Team hires coach. He’s a nice guy. Hired to bring a disgruntled and fractured team back together. Eventually, like most coaches, he’s fired. Team hires a mean guy to instill discipline. Eventually, like most coaches, he’s fired. Team looks for nice guy to replace him. Few coaches ever get to leave on their own terms.

University of Kansas
Terry Allen by all accounts was a nice guy. He was very successful as the head coach at Northern Iowa. He came to Kansas and compiled a record of 20-33. He was fired. Mark Mangino was hired to instill discipline at Kansas. A new mentality. Recruit better players. And to make Kansas winners.

Guess what? Mangino did exactly what was asked of him. He turned around Kansas football. He instilled discipline. He recruited better players. He won football games. Heck, he went 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl in 2007.

So what happened? Or maybe the better question is, what changed?

Talent. This KU team did not have enough talent. And they lost seven straight games because of it. Not enough talent along the offensive line to open up running lanes for Jake Sharp or protect Todd Reesing. And certainly not enough talent on defense. In particular, the Jayhawks had nothing at linebacker. In 2007, KU had a great group of senior linebackers with Joe Mortensen, James Holt and Mark Rivera. And in 2005, KU featured senior linebackers Banks Floodman, Nick Reid, Kevin Kane and Brandon Perkins. This defense was void of playmakers. Especially at linebacker.

When Mark Mangino gets fired, and it will happen soon, he will get fired because of a lack of talent. Lew Perkins and KU were willing to put up with Mangino’s bully tactics while he was winning. But these same bully tactics wear thin when you start losing.

So does KU hire a nice guy next?

Kansas City Chiefs
Herm Edwards by all accounts was a nice guy. And a lot of what happened in Kansas City wasn’t his fault. He inherited an aging team from Dick Vermeil. The Chiefs had done a particularly bad job of drafting and developing young players. The cupboard was bare of young talent. Yet Herm was asked to “fix” the defense, keep the offense, and keep the Chiefs rolling. He couldn’t. Then he was asked to rebuild. And time ran out. Todd Haley was hired to instill discipline and turn around the Chiefs.

It’s interesting that just a couple weeks ago I was hearing stories about how Haley had already “lost” this team with his bully tactics. Some in the media were already speculating that Haley would be one-and-done. But then the Chiefs beat the Steelers. And I think they’ll still find a couple wins down the stretch and finish 5-11 or possibly 6-10.

Will Haley be successful and turn around the Chiefs? I have no idea. I do believe that he was a good choice. But ultimately, Haley’s success will have as much to do with Scott Pioli’s ability to acquire talent (the “right 53″) as it will Haley’s ability to lead the team.

People compare Haley’s approach to Bill Parcells, but he reminds me more of Tom Coughlin. I remember a couple years ago how disgruntled the Giant’s players were with Coughlin’s tough approach. The New York media were ready to ride him out of town. He was on the hot seat. This was midway through the 2007 season when the team was stumbling. Then things started to click. They started winning, and upset the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. Players no longer seem to grumble about Coughlin’s tough approach.

I will predict this: Someday, Todd Haley will be fired. And then the Chiefs will look for a nice guy to replace him.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

With the 2009 KU football season winding down, it seems like an appropriate time to give thanks to three of our seniors: Todd Reesing, Kerry Meier and Jake Sharp. This weekend may be the end of an era at KU depending on the decision with coach Mangino. But instead, today let’s focus on these three young men who have brought so much joy to KU football fans.

Reesing, Meier and Sharp have epitomized the resurgence of football in Lawrence, and have lead one of the most explosive offenses in the country the last couple of years. But not only that, these three young men have embodied class and work ethic. All have succeeded in ways that nobody could have predicted.

Jake Sharp from Salina, Kansas, is the boy who was supposed to be too small to play running back in college. He’s only proven to be the spark plug that has kept our ground game running. In his sophomore year, he combined with Brandon McAnderson to create dual-headed threat in our backfield. He was the lightning to McAnderson’s thunder. Last year the coaching staff looked for a solution at running back before figuring out that the solution was there all along. Once Mangino committed to Sharp as the man, Jake rewarded KU with another excellent season. He has rushed for more than 1800 yards in his career, and as a receiver has added another 500 yards of offense.

Kerry Meier comes from a family of football players, and was recruited to be our quarterback. He looks the part, and probably would have become a fine quarterback in his own right. He put up pretty good numbers as a freshman before losing the job to Reesing his sophomore year. Meier has now developed into one of the premier wide receivers in the country, and looks poised to continue his career in the NFL.

And then there’s Todd Reesing. The little guy from Texas who has the presence like few others. He’s the heart that has pushed this team beyond expectations. He has been compared to Fran Tarkenton and Doug Flutie. He has made plays in and out of the pocket that have amazed us for three years. And he’s a bright kid, set to double major at KU in finance and economics.

Whatever happens to these three after the Missouri game on Saturday, I would just like to say thank you. And thank you to the entire senior class. You have made us proud to be Jayhawk football fans again.

Mark Mangino became the head football coach of the Kansas Jayhawks in 2002, taking over for the fired Terry Allen. Allen always seemed like a really good guy. He just wasn’t a good enough recruiter or coach to have success at this level.

Mangino: The Coach
As head coach of the Jayhawks, Mangino has compiled a record of 50-46. He has taken the Jayhawks to bowl games three of the last four years, winning all three. He has brought national acclaim to a struggling program. A program with little tradition. He won numerous coach of the year honors following the 2007 season after leading his team to a 12-1 record and a win in the 2008 Orange Bowl. He has made game day fun in Lawrence. Memorial Stadium is full for virtually every home game. This means that the football program is generating a lot of revenue for the university.

Many critics have pointed out that if you take away the fabulous 2007 season, then his overall record is only 38-45. This seems like a silly point to me. If you take away his first season instead, where he went 2-10 with players recruited by Allen’s staff, his record becomes 48-36.

This year the team has either underachieved, or they just don’t have enough talent. Maybe a little of both. I suspect that lack of talent on the offensive line has limited the offense greatly. And a lack of skilled linebackers has killed the defense. The Jayhawks will finish with either a 5-7 or at best a 6-6 record after they fall to the Longhorns tonight. A disappointing season after beginning with high expectations.

But it would be unfair to say that Mangino has not been a positive influence on KU football. The football program has enjoyed a lot of success under Mangino.

Mangino: The Man
This is where things get a bit more interesting. Stories have floated around Lawrence for years. Mangino is just not a very nice man. He’s verbally abusive to his players, his staff, and just about anybody who gets in his way, including the KU parking police.

There have been reports of possible physical abuse. But it sounds like the physical abuse is tantamount to poking a player in the chest. I think Vince Lombardi and Bear Bryant would roll over in their graves upon hearing that poking a young man in the chest would be considered physical abuse. Maybe there’s still more to learn, but I’ll be surprised if there are any significant stories to be told that have not already been revealed about physical abuse within the program.

But what I find distasteful in these stories, if they’re true, is the personal nature of his verbal attacks. It appears that Mangino has made numerous comments to his players over the years that cross the line of simple human decency. There’s no justification for statements to a young man about going back home so he can get shot with his “homies”. These statements cross the line.

What makes this difficult for KU at this point is that this is nothing new. Kansas has been putting up with this behavior from Mangino for years. And truthfully, while for me it crosses the line, it doesn’t cross the line by very much. Many successful coaches are hard on their players. It’s part of how they motivate them. But I assume that most of them do not resort to such personal attacks to attempt to motivate their players.

Lew Perkins: A Decision to be Made
When Perkins extended Mangino’s contract a couple years ago, it’s clear that KU was well aware of Mangino’s shortcomings. There’s plenty of room in the contract to consider Mangino’s behavior as “just cause” to terminate his contract. (Here’s some interesting information from KUSports.com on Mangino’s contract.) I’ve also heard that KU has a relatively small buyout in the contract. Lew is a smart man. I can only assume that he’s already got a short list of head coaching candidates, and that he has people quietly speaking with a few of these candidates already. I can’t imagine letting Mangino go without a plan in place to replace him.

At this point, Mangino certainly appears to be a lame duck. I expect him to finish out the season, but this appears to be the end for Mangino in Lawrence. This national attention will hurt Mangino’s ability to recruit. Other coaches will use this against him. Fans and alumni might put up with a bully while they’re winning. But it’s harder to justify keeping one around when they’re losing. Perkins made a great hire with Bill Self replacing Roy Williams. Here’s hoping he makes another great choice for our football program.

Wow. Lots going on in local sports the last couple of days.

Mark Mangino and KU Football
Kansas Athletic Director Lew Perkins, responding to complaints from current and former players, held a private meeting with the entire KU football team. It appears that he will conduct an investigation into complaints of verbal and possible physical abuse of the players.

The most interesting take I’ve seen is by Star columnist Jason Whitlock relating Mangino’s weight problems to his anger problems. I’m not always a fan of Jason’s writing, but this is worth the read. (See Jason’s article here.) I’m not sure that I agree with Jason. But I’m not entirely sure that I don’t.

Mangino is a bully. We’ve known for years that he berates his players and assistant coaches. A bully is often tolerated while they’re winning. See Bill Parcells and Bobby Knight. But once they start losing, all hell breaks loose. I guess I’m not surprised.

At this point my expectation is that Mangino, who is just a few games away from becoming the winningest coach in KU football history, will not be a Jayhawk next year.

LJ Becomes a Bengal
Cincinnati is an interesting landing spot for Larry Johnson. Just a couple of years ago, the Bengals were in disarray. Players were getting arrested. The team was infested with bad attitudes. They acknowledged their mistakes, and worked to clean up the team. Now they’re 7-2 and the surprise of the NFL. So what do they do? They sign Larry Johnson.

LJ is low risk financially. The Chiefs are on the hook for most of his money. The Bengals signed him to a league minimum contract. But as we well know, he’s not low risk. He carries a ton of personal baggage. Though he can probably stay on good behavior long enough to finish the season with the Bengals.

LJ had some interesting things to say about Kansas City. (“It was a relationship that was souring in Kansas City, and being in a small market,” Johnson said, “every little thing I say is going to be blown up to mythical proportions. (Scott) Pioli and Todd (Haley) felt it was the best way to silence the whole situation was to let me go.”) I guess somehow it’s our fault that he’s stupid.

Dwayne Bowe Suspended
Bowe showed up at training camp this year 30 pounds over weight. We know now how he lost the weight so quickly. Bowe has been suspended for four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy by taking diuretics to lose weight. Great job Dwayne.

Zack Wins Cy Young Award
In a landslide, Kansas City’s own Zack Greinke wins the American League Cy Young Award. Zack certainly earned it. Many of us were a little worried that the tarnish from the Royals would somehow rub off on Greinke. Though I did predict this win weeks ago.

In his freshman regular season debut, Xavier Henry scores 27 in what looked like an effortless performance. He is the most polished freshman I’ve seen in a Kansas jersey. It’s early, but he certainly looks as good as advertised. His 27 points are the most ever by a Kansas freshman in their debut performance. (Wilt scored 52 but was officially a sophomore.)

I’ve also been impressed with the other freshmen, forward Thomas Robinson and guard Elijah Johnson. They will make more of an impact this year than I thought. The best news for them is that they will not be asked to contribute as significantly as last year’s freshmen Tyshawn Taylor and the Morris twins. Robinson and Johnson will have less pressure to perform early in their careers. Though I think they may be more developed than last year’s freshmen were at this point.

No matter what happens Jayhawk fans, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Note: During the preseason game against Pittsburg State the other night, they showed a group of young men in street clothes sitting on the bench. Who were they? Jeff Withey, Brady Morningstar, C.J. Henry, Mario Little and Travis Releford. Wow. That’s a competent starting lineup for most college basketball programs. Most of these guys would be starting for most of the teams in the Big 12.

It’s almost not even fair. Almost.

Bill Self has a talented and deep basketball team this year. He’s always said that he prefers an eight man rotation with five perimeter players and three big men sharing the majority of the minutes. That will be tough to do this year. There will be a lot of juggling of playing time early trying to find the right combinations.

In a game there are 200 minutes available (40 minutes x 5 players). Here are some thoughts on playing time:

There are three players who should garner a significant amount of playing time: Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich and Xavier Henry. These three need to average about 30 minutes a game. So that’s 90 of the available 200 minutes.

With Aldrich playing 30 minutes a game, that leaves 50 minutes to be shared among the other bigs. If the Morris brothers have stepped up their games, you would think they would each average about 20 minutes per game. With these three, Bill has his primary three man rotation down low. That leaves 10 minutes to be shared between freshman Thomas Robinson and transfer Jeff Withey, who will not be eligible until second semester. Early reports on Robinson have been outstanding. If either of the Morris brothers struggle, Robinson and Withey could certainly steal some minutes from them. This depth will prove valuable on nights where we run into foul trouble. I’m hoping that Self does not resort to playing Marcus Morris on the wing to get him more playing time.

Xavier Henry provides the Jayhawks with more of a true small forward than they’ve had for a while (though the team lists him as a guard). I’d like to see Henry play the three spot, with Mario Little getting 10 minutes per game as his primary backup. Self will experiment with a “small” lineup where he plays a guard at the three, and a “big” lineup where he plays Marcus Morris on the wing. But if Henry and Little can play up to their talent level, hopefully Bill will stick with them at small forward.

And then with your guards and Collins with his 30 minutes per game, I expect Tyshawn Taylor and C.J. Henry to share the majority of the remaining 50 minutes. Don’t be surprised if C.J. becomes a starter over Taylor. When Brady Morningstar returns from his suspension, he’s going to have a difficult time getting on the floor, but he’s a fine defender and a good leader. He’ll likely get some minutes at both shooting guard and small forward.

So for his eight man rotation: Aldrich, Morris, Morris, Henry, Little, Henry, Taylor and Collins. When he goes nine deep it’s likely to be either Morningstar or Robinson getting those minutes.

That leaves a group of guards buried on the bench including Tyrel Reed, Travis Releford and freshman Elijah Johnson. Don’t be surprised if one or two of them redshirt this year when it becomes obvious they won’t get any time on the floor.

Late Night tonight officially begins the 2009-10 season for the Kansas Jayhawks. As a local hoops fan, it’s pretty hard not to be excited about this team. They have talent. They have junior and senior leadership. They have depth. And they have experience.

Much has been written about recent troubles for the team, from the feud with the football team, to the DUI arrest of guard Brady Morningstar. Distractions? I doubt it.

And as a Jayhawk, there’s always one eye looking at the present, and one eye looking to the future. KU will have almost as much talent in the stands as they will on the floor. Expected to attend the Late Night festivities are:

#2 rated player Harrison Barnes, 6-7 small forward from Iowa
#4 rated player Josh Selby, 6-2 combo guard from Baltimore
#21 rated player Doron Lamb, 6-4 shooting guard from Virginia

Also slated to attend are Royce Woolridge, a 6-3 combo guard from Phoenix who has already orally committed to Kansas, Josiah Turner, a 6-3 junior guard from California, and J.P. Tokoto, a 6-5 soph from Wisonsin.

Ratings are from Rivals.com.