Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino was a man with a plan during recruiting.

“My primary focus was to recruit speed,” Mangino said while announcing 23 players who signed national letters of intent with the Jayhawks on Wednesday.

Mangino’s first recruiting class ranges in size from 6-foot-6, 320-pound offensive lineman Tony Coker  who originally signed with KU two years ago before transferring to Hutchinson Community College  to a trio of 5-11, 175-pound speedsters.

Kansas corralled eight players with times of 4.5 seconds or better in the 40-yard dash.

“Speed’s the name of the game,” said Mangino, a former Oklahoma and Kansas State assistant.

“Let’s face it, the programs I’ve been associated with in this conference, we won because we could run  run on defense, run on offense, playmakers. I think that’s the bottom line. You can’t have enough speed and that was the primary focus for me, to get kids who could run at those skill spots and at the linebacker spots because if you want to build a program and compete for championships you have to be able to run pretty well.”

Somewhat surprising is that there were no surprises Wednesday. All the players who gave nonbinding oral commitments signed with the Jayhawks.

Of the three players who gave pledges to former coach Terry Allen, one (Derby High quarterback Nick Reid) signed with KU while the other two (Hutchinson running back DeAngelo Green and Mountain Brook, Ala., quarterback Graeme McFarland) had what Mangino called a “mutual parting” with Kansas.

Although the Jayhawks have a total of 25 scholarships available  because of the departures of quarterback Mario Kinsey, center Nick Smith and offensive tackle Richard Pope  Mangino said he won’t use all of openings if he doesn’t find the right players.

“We are not going to take kids just to take them,” he said. “Either we think they make us better or we’ll just hold their scholarships until next year.”

Mangino’s first recruiting class included players from eight states and a Canadian  running back Jon Cornish of Westminister, British Columbia.

“We’ve beat the bushes pretty good,” Mangino said. “We’ve been around and we’ve done a careful job of identifying players that will make us better. That was our focus  looking for players that will improve our program and will fit in with the existing group of players that we have right now on campus.”

While Mangino thinks the Jayhawks addressed their needs on the offensive line and at wide receiver, adding five linemen and five wideouts, he admitted KU came up short at defensive tackle.

Mangino said the school will continue to court two potential defensive inside lineman  one player who participates in another sport and didn’t want to be distracted and another who is weighing his options.

“I don’t know if either of those will lead to anything,” Mangino said, “but we’re continuing dialogue with them and we would like to have one of them if we could get them because we think it would enhance our defensive front.”

The Jayhawks met another goal by bringing in a junior college quarterback at the semester break (Fort Scott Community College’s Bill Whittemore) and recruiting high school QBs (Joe Hogan, of Sallisaw, Okla., and Reid).

Whittemore was persuaded to sign with Kansas in December after having a 45-minute phone conversation with former Oklahoma QB Josh Huepel, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2000 with Mangino as his offensive coordinator.

Whittemore, the odds-on favorite to direct Mangino’s high-flying offense in the fall, doesn’t think he’ll have any problem becoming a leader for the Jayhawks.

“I think I’ll have to gain their respect, more than likely in spring practice,” Whittemore said, “but even out there in the drills, just being out there working hard and doing everything right. I think that (being a leader) just comes with the position.”

Whittemore, whose season was cut short by a separated throwing shoulder, is expected to be at full strength by the start of the spring practice session, tentatively slated for April 1.

Other junior college transfers KU coaches think might make an immediate impact are Riverside (Calif.) Community College defensive end Cory Kipp and Moorpark (Calif.) Community College defensive end Reggie Curry.

“I’d like to say there should be a few of them, but it’s hard to tell,” Mangino said. “Certainly on the defensive front we’d like to have the junior college guys we’re bringing in here maybe have some impact early on. We’re hoping that will be the case. There may be some freshman who will come on and be ready to play.

“I will say this now, I don’t care if a young man’s a freshman or a fifth-year senior, if a guy is ready to play and compete at this school and at this level, we’re going to play him.”

Free State High senior Walker Douglas, a 6-1, 215-pounder, is headed to KU as a preferred walk-on, FSHS coach Bob Lisher said.

Douglas had 133 carries for 614 yards and 11 touchdowns to lead Free State in 2001. He also averaged 39.7 yards a punt on 35 punts.

Lisher said the Jayhawks are looking at him as a punter and linebacker.

“Given the opportunity I think Walker will earn a scholarship like a lot of Kansas high school kids do,” Lisher said. “I know it’s a good situation for him because I know he can play at that level. With a year in the weight room, I believe he will have the ability to play there.”