Thursday, February 5, 2009
Here’s hoping you have a half dozen or so grains of salt on hand today when examining this year’s football recruiting class.
It’s a doozy. Best of coach Mark Mangino’s career, they say. And why shouldn’t it be? This is the first class recruited on the heels of Kansas’ 2008 Orange Bowl victory. The completion of the $31 million Anderson Family Football Complex last summer also made Kansas competitive over the Notre Dames, Nebraskas, Floridas and Michigans of the recruiting world.
We’re looking at the nation’s third ranked fullback. One pro-style and one dual-threat quarterback. Two towering receivers in the mold of former Jayhawk Marcus Henry.
Somewhere lies one of college football’s great conundrums. Look closely. It’s in the stars.
In sports we tend to enjoy measuring athletes and accomplishments with comfortable numbers. Five hundred home runs are good for a slot in baseball’s Hall of Fame. A three-and-a-half point spread in Vegas can end a life, a marriage or just as easily lead to early retirement. High school athletes are assigned star rankings by recruiting services to forecast future success in college.
With example No. 3 in mind, it is as strange to declare that the class of 2009 could be better than any of the recruiting classes Todd Reesing or Aquib Talib were on as it would have been to predict seven years ago that Mangino would mold two- and three-star recruits to be among the best to wear crimson and blue.
Four-star fullback Toben Opurum could bowl over Big 12 linebackers from day one. Four-star safety Prinz Kande has the potential to break up a play in the backfield or cover the spread offenses of the Big 12 into oblivion. But Mangino and Co.’s recruiting history circa 2002 suggests we may also want to take an equally close look at this year’s pair of two-star recruits: offensive linemen Tom Mabry and Riley Spencer.
Say what? Let’s go to the books.
Notable 2-star recruits since 2002-07: Jon Cornish, Derek Fine, Charles Gordon, Cesar Rodriguez, Joe Vaughn, Ryan Cantrell, Anthony Collins, Dexton Fields, Joe Mortenson, Aqib Talib, Russell Brorsen, James Holt, Jake Laptad.
Notable 3-star recruits from 2002-07: Nick Reid, Mark Simmons, Bill Whittemore, Brandon McAnderson, Scott Webb, James McClinton, Mike Rivera, Marcus Herford, Kerry Meier, Darrell Stuckey, Todd Reesing, Jake Sharp, Dezmon Briscoe.
Hype all you want, but Mangino and his staff lead the nation in recruiting categories that don’t fit so conveniently in charts and graphs. That is in the categories of character, discipline and intelligence. It just so happens Kansas’ coaching staff is adept at turning overlooked athletes into champions.
We all have potential — it’s what is made of it that counts.
— Edited by Carly Halvorson
Mangino to sign highly touted recruits
Top fullback, safety among 24 new players to join Jayhawks on signing ...
Others’ trash is Kansas’ treasure
Schools such as Oklahoma and Texas looked past Kansas players Tood Reesing, ...
Four-star receiver brings 2009 class to 24
Coach Mark Mangino hauls in his most decorated recruiting class yet at ...
Freshman has more speed than former star
Freshman running back Toben Opurum’s teammates are enthusiastic about his speed and ...
Reesing will start over Meier
Sophomore Todd Reesing will be the Jayhawks’ 2007 starting quarterback, coach Mark ...
Nystrom: Have faith in Mangino
Mangino has proven that he is a good recruiter and an even ...
McAnderson shines as running back
When McAnderson joined the Kansas offense as a redshirt fullback in 2004, ...
Vernon: Weis still utilizes players from Texas, ...
New football coach continues to look to Texas, but not as heavily ...
Wheeler: Top 10 unexpected reasons why Kansas ...
Here’s look at 10 of the Kansas football team’s unforeseen season advantages.
Kansas football program has improved
The success of the team stems from Whittemore and improved facilities.
Football Notes: October 24, 2007
Some notes from Saturday's football game by Asher Fusco
Nystrom: Judging a coach by his cover
Mark Mangino has done wonders for KU’s football team, but offers from ...
The New Back in Town
After a long path to KU, Jocques Crawford is ready to run.
Keefer: Sloppy spring start leaves room for ...
A rough beginning to the season gives new recruit, Jocques Crawford, many ...
Goble: Gill needs time to recruit more ...
With only six weeks on the job as head football coach, head ...
Football Notes: Sept. 20, 2007
Football Notes for the week
Kansas breaks through at Kansas State
Playing in its Big 12 opener and against its first competitive opponent, ...
Reesing pulls ahead in quarterback race
Coach Mangino made it clear during media day that sophomore Todd Reesing ...
Fusco: Orange bowl just the beginning
Football might be even better next year.
Talib’s leap sparks team’s takeoff
Kansas started a bit slowly during Saturday’s game against Toledo at Memorial ...
Football toughness runs deep
Mangino builds his program based on physical and mental toughness.
A glance at Gill's recruits
Get the scoop on 18 recruits expected to sign with KU today.
Captains prepare team for coming season
Mangino sees promise in four new team leaders, on the field and ...
Robinett: Hawks have new confidence
In past years, the football team would never have fought back from ...
From schoolboy legend to Big 12 starter
Jake Sharp combined natural speed with a tireless work ethic to earn ...
2011 Kansas football season looks promising
The Jayhawks endured a rough transition year with coach Turner Gill last ...
Putting an end to the streak
After an 18-year losing streak, the Jayhawks’ victory against K-State Saturday put ...
Kansas easily topples Toledo 45-13
The Jayhawks avenged last season's double-overtime loss to the Toledo Rockets with ...
Kansas football defense must rebuild
New recruits and returners may struggle to take graduates’ places
Robinett: Jayhawks make statement
Kansas turned the corner as a football program with its 30-24 win ...
Wheeler: NFL draft looms for Talib
The NFL draft is this weekend.
Talib succeeds on other side of ball
Aqib Talib is known for his skills at cornerback, but this season ...
Wheeler: Jayhawks will rebound with bowl victory
Bryan Wheeler makes predictions of a victorious Jayhawk football season.
Preparation finally ready to pay off
A new offensive coordinator, starting quarterback and a few other roster changes ...
New complex brings out the ‘whoa-factor’
From 58 TVs to an underground weight room, the football facility promises ...
Jayhawks break road curse
Team needs solid play and motivation to take the game at Kyle ...
Football Notes: October 31, 2007
Find out who coach Mark Mangino picked as players of the week.
Despite losses, top recruiting classes have potential
Kansas’ recruits, though inexperienced, have the potential for success with the proper ...
Mangino gets his men
Surprising season deserves top grades
The Jayhawks shone in nearly every facet of the game this season, ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID