Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Mark Mangino should be national coach of the year. At this point, there’s no question about it.
Since arriving to a cellar-dweller program in December of 2001, Mangino has built his team and staff to fit his plans for a successful football team. He has all of his own recruits, who under his command, have made the Jayhawks one of two undefeated teams remaining in FBS football.
In his second year at Kansas, Mangino led his team to its first bowl game since 1995. He then took his 2005 squad to the Fort Worth Bowl and got Kansas its first winning season in a decade. Things looked up for Mangino and the 2006 season to come. But after finishing a disappointing 6-6 and blowing four late leads, many wondered whether Mangino was really the right person to turn the program around. If this season was a bust, Mangino would’ve been out of a job.
"Kansas is one spot out of the national title game 10 games into the season. No one, absolutely no one, would have thought this was possible."
At the beginning of this season, Mangino made one of the smartest moves of his coaching career. Would the starting quarterback be sophomore Kerry Meier or red shirt sophomore Todd Reesing? Mangino finally said Reesing, who has been a perfect fit for offensive coordinator Ed Warriner’s system.
What he did with Kerry Meier after the fact was another brilliant move. Meier now plays wide receiver, running back and quarterback. His versatility makes Kansas’ offense that much more dangerous. Just go back and watch Meier’s fake-option pass last Saturday and you’ll see why having Kansas’ backup quarterback on the field as a wide receiver can pay dividends. Now that’s coaching.
This year, Kansas has gone from a projected fourth-place finish in the Big 12 North to No. 3 in the only poll that really matters —— the BCS. Kansas is one spot out of the national title game 10 games into the season. No one, absolutely no one, would have thought this was possible.
So who’s to say that Mangino doesn’t deserve to be coach of the year? Even though many people still doubt that the Jayhawks are a top-five team, each week Mangino has proved all the doubters wrong.
With two regular season games remaining and a possible two more, the Jayhawks are going to finish with a winning record for the second time in Mangino’s six years and are going to a bowl game for the third time in his tenure. Kansas may even make a BCS bowl game. He deserves to be recognized for his team’s accomplishments this year.
But for now, the Jayhawks are taking things one game at a time just like their coach has asked them to all year. Mangino’s recognition will soon come after the season has finally settled down and everyone realizes that this is no dream.
Kansan sports columnist Erica Johnson can be reached at ejohnson@kansan.com
— Edited by Rachael Gray
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