Here comes the man now, strolling late into the midweek press conference because of a class. Suddenly, as if a big pause button is pressed, everyone stops and turns.

He sits at one of the desks and relaxes his arms in front of him. Then, here they come, too. The cameras and lights surround him. Microphones and recorders are shoved in front of his face.

Quickly, the big room with lots of desks becomes claustrophobic. They all want to hear what he says.

He is the face of Kansas football, the leader with the Tiger Woods-esque fist pump. He’s the one who makes the spectacular out of the broken, who took an unassuming program in the Big 12 to a BCS bowl victory. And he’s the one who, in his final season, has Kansas picked by several preseason magazines to capture its first division title since the Big 12’s inception in 1996.

He is Todd Reesing and this is his journey to the forefront of the Kansas football program.

Oct. 28, 2006 vs. Colorado: Meet Sparky

What better place to start than a bus ride – a ritualistic passage between preparation and action that allows players time to search inside themselves. Only this was one of the worst kinds of rides, the kind that dully surfaces after a devastating loss.

And this loss was excruciating: Baylor 36, Kansas 35.

Yet it was in the wake of a loss deep in Texas that coach Mark Mangino told Reesing that his moment on the big stage may not be so far off. That it may take place in late October against Colorado.

The Jayhawks were shut out in the first half against the Buffaloes and hadn’t won in four games. But on that sunny afternoon in Lawrence, Reesing provided the jumpstart for a stalled offense.

His redshirt status stripped, Reesing entered at halftime to lead Kansas to a 20-15 comeback victory. What raised eyebrows outside the program was not that Mangino pulled Reesing’s redshirt, but that the unproven quarterback performed so well during the heart of conference play.

“He came in and did a great job running around and made some big plays. He was their spark and got them going,” Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said after the game. “You have to give him credit. He botched a couple of plays, too, but he was their motivation. There’s no question about that.”

Spark. The word has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Combine it with a thrilling, much-needed victory and a “y” tacked on the end, and a nickname is born. Sparky.

Reesing passed for 106 yards, rushed for another 93 and added three total touchdowns against Colorado. But it was his manner of play that stuck with many inside Memorial Stadium that day. Gutsy, yet calm. Smooth, yet rigid in his freelancing ability.

“Everyone is looking for that 6-foot-4, 215 pound prototypical quarterback. Well, it doesn’t always necessarily match up that way,” said Bill Whittemore, a former undersized Kansas quarterback himself. “Honestly, the quarterback position is more about having an athlete back there that is smart, that can take care of the ball and who just knows football.

“You can teach that but a lot of it doesn’t comprehend when the bullets are flying. You’ve got to have someone that’s poised and wants the ball in those situations.”

Nov. 3, 2007 vs. Nebraska: In the books

What better person to hear a Kansas football story from than former coach Don Fambrough? Not only is Fambrough witty, but he’s also possibly the most well-versed man in Kansas football lore.

While riding the bus to Memorial Stadium one afternoon during Fambrough’s tenure in the ’70s and early ’80s, a freshman looked out the window in awe. Fans were everywhere.

“You wouldn’t know whether we’re in Lincoln or Lawrence,” the freshman said. “All I see is red.”

The root of that story – the girth that makes it relevant – came more than 30 years later.

Sure, the Jayhawks had snapped their unfathomable 36-game losing streak to the Cornhuskers two years earlier in 2005. But with Reesing steering the offense, Kansas completely flipped the series’ historical trend, unleashing a 76-39 thrashing of Nebraska.

Soak in that score another moment: Kansas 76, Nebraska 39.

Reesing passed for a school-record six touchdowns in delivering the type of embarrassment Nebraska is used to serving, not receiving.

“He’s another guy that probably doesn’t get as much pub as some of these other guys,” an assistant in the Big 12 North said. “But look at what he’s done for the program the last couple years. Every single week the guy just continues to win football games. He’s just a true winner.”

The victory sent a simple message: The tides are changing. The Kansas football program is no longer lagging behind the Big Red – one of the dominant teams in the Big 8 and then the Big 12 North.

And that circus of an offensive game Reesing directed in 2007 was played in front of a thick, blue-wearing home crowd. Number five jerseys dotted the stands.

“That little quarterback we have, everybody in the country would like to have him now,” Fambrough said. “Hell, three years ago nobody wanted him. They said he was too short. All he can do is win for you.”

Jan. 3, 2008 vs. Virginia Tech: The big game

What better stage to silence mouths than national television? The victories mounted, the awareness grew and so, too, did the slights and criticisms of Kansas’ weak schedule.

Those remarks, the ones that duly noted a lack of high-ranking competition, cast the Jayhawks into sports’ most motivated role: the disrespected team. Perhaps no one, though, chewed up and spit out the negativity like Reesing.

“It’s really unbelievable the determination he has to shut people up,” former center Ryan Cantrell said. “That was kind of our whole thing the Orange Bowl year. People were calling us dog shit the whole year, every freaking game. And he loves proving people wrong.

“The fact that he’s playing college football in Division I is proving people wrong. The fact that he’s even on the roster is proving people wrong. Not to mention he should be an All Big-12 quarterback.”

When Mangino took over a flailing program in 2002, a major bowl game, let alone a BCS bowl, seemed a distant blip on Kansas’ radar. After all, the Jayhawks hadn’t been to a bowl since 1995.

Then, improbably, Kansas capped the 2007 season with a 24-21 victory against perennial power Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. The Jayhawks finished the year 12-1.

To give full credit to Reesing, though, would undermine the toil of his fellow teammates. But it’s hard to argue that Reesing didn’t do much of the heavy lifting.

“When we played Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, I’m sure they looked at film and thought, ‘We can get rid of him. We can knock him out of the game,’” Fambrough said. “They did everything they could possibly do to get that kid out of the game.

“And I just happened to be on the field after the game was over. Those Virginia Tech players came across the field and shook hands with our players. When they came to Reesing, they stopped and said, ‘You’re the toughest little son of a bitch we’ve ever played against in our lives.’ And they meant it.”

Sept. 12, 2008 at South Florida: Playmaker’s mindset

What better way to describe a mentality than to illustrate failures? Notice, this is the shortest section, the part whose reason for inclusion you might miss if you’re not careful.

There’s no doubt that Reesing has succeeded at Kansas. He’s won 20 games, two bowls and a BCS trophy in two years as a starter. But Reesing has also experienced failure.

He tossed three interceptions in a humiliating homecoming loss to Texas Tech last season. In a primetime Friday night game earlier last year, Reesing’s late-game turnover sealed a Kansas loss at South Florida.

Yet those failures are interwoven with Reesing’s successes the same as the varying colored threads of a finely knit sweater.

The week after the South Florida game, Reesing earned SportsCenter’s top play honors when he scrambled across the field before delivering a deep touchdown pass to Dezmon Briscoe against Sam Houston State University.

“He has that gunslinger mentality. He’s going to make some big plays. That’s just how he is,” former backup quarterback Tyler Lawrence said. “He wants every play to be a home run ball.”

More than any quarterback in the Big 12, Reesing’s game revolves around that concept. Take the big chance, try to make the big play to win a game. With Reesing, the bad comes with the good.

“It makes him aggressive and makes him take some shots other guys wouldn’t take,” Lawrence said. “But as you’ve seen with our record, more times than not, he makes a great decision and a great play.”

Nov. 29, 2008 vs. Missouri: The comeback

What better way to end a game against a rival? The snowflakes seemed to get bigger as the game wore on. Perhaps even Mother Nature sensed the quickly approaching climactic finish.

Facing fourth down and trailing Missouri by four points with less than 27 seconds left, Reesing provided the most memorable highlight of the season and possibly his career.

Dancing around the pocket while stepping away from anxious defenders, Reesing floated a timeless pass over the shoulders of Kerry Meier for the game-winning touchdown. Vintage Sparky.

“He’s definitely relaxed in the pocket, and he’s not afraid to just sit there,” former guard Adrian Mayes said. “He’s a big play guy. He’ll turn a blitz that gets in there and nobody blocks into a big play. I think he’s one of those guys you just can’t blitz because he’ll find the hole.”

For years now we’ve heard and read the Todd Reesing story, the details splashed across newspaper pages and TV screens. But still, even now, does the story ever really get old?

Reesing arrived at Kansas after other Big 12 teams — including every school in Texas — turned their back on a quarterback deemed insufficient for major college football because of his stature.

By thrashing those same defenses, Reesing’s performances have shed any doubters. He’s one of the elite quarterbacks in the league — a leader and consummate playmaker who has made the most with a little.

“I wish he’d just graduate all ready and move on,” an assistant in the Big 12 South said. “He’s a big time overachiever.”

Lawrence praises Reesing’s competitive nature — his desire to finish first in everything, regardless of the drill.

Whittemore, a successful playmaking quarterback in his own right, admires Reesing’s ability to create when a play is seemingly over.

And Cantrell, the man who used to deliver Reesing his weapon during games, gushes over something that sits inside all of us at some point during our lives: the drive to prove people wrong.

Back in the big room with lots of desks, the talking is done and the questions are silenced — for now. Reesing rises from his seat and slowly exits out the door.

Time to return to the day’s routine, to continue practicing and preparing for what’s next. Time to continue writing the story.

“He’s got more going for him than the ability to throw the damn football,” Fambrough said. “He uses every tool that’s available to him. That’s a winner.”

— Edited by Abby Olcese