Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino was looking to the future Sunday, one day after he lost senior quarterback Bill Whittemore to an undisclosed injury during a 42-6 loss at Kansas State.

That means taking the red shirt off true freshman Adam Barmann is a real possibility for Saturday’s game at Texas A&M, while moving senior defensive back Zach Dyer back to quarterback is not.

“Zach is so far out of the loop, having spent all of his time on defense and special teams,” Mangino said of Dyer, who started four games at quarterback as a sophomore and two as a junior. “And quite honestly, Zach’s not the future at quarterback, either. We have to take care of what’s going on now and yet look to the future, too.

“We have to make a decision. We’re playing for right now. We think if we have to take a chance and gamble for right now, Adam Barmann is a good bet.”

Mangino had hoped to red-shirt Barmann, who was an all-state and all-metro selection at West Platte High in Weston, Mo. Barmann (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) was one of five quarterbacks suited for Saturday’s game, but Mangino said the freshman had not been involved enough in the game plan to step in for Whittemore.

That could change Saturday at College Station, Texas, when KU (5-3 overall, 2-2 Big 12 Conference) meets the Aggies (3-5, 1-3). Mangino hopes to decide by Tuesday whether Barmann will play.

The Jayhawks are one victory from becoming bowl eligible, and the importance of Barmann’s red-shirt season could be outweighed by the prospects of a bowl game and the benefits — recruiting, exposure, fan support, revenue and an extra month of practice — that would come with it.

“He can sling the ball,” Mangino said. “He’s got a strong arm. He’s tough. He’s a big, physical kid, and he’s only going to get bigger.”

And apparently the freshman was unfazed by the thought of giving up his red-shirt season and making his college debut in a hostile environment at A&M.

Kansas University's Bill Whittemore walks off the field favoring his right arm. Whittemore was injured on a goal-line play in the second quarter and never returned to the game, which the Jayhawks lost to Kansas State, 42-6, Saturday in Manhattan.

“He’s fearless,” Mangino said. “He could care less. If we called him tonight and told him he was starting Saturday at College Station, he’d run down the hallway high-fiving everybody.”

Not that Mangino is going to hand Barmann the job.

Sophomore Brian Luke (6-6, 220) played in three games last year after Whittemore was injured, and he had been No. 2 on the depth chart all season. The Californian has completed 6-of-9 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, but he also has thrown two interceptions in limited duty.

Luke fumbled a handoff on his only play against K-State and was replaced by junior walk-on John Nielsen, who had not played in the first seven games.

Mangino got in Luke’s face on the sideline Saturday, but the coach said the backup was still in the mix Sunday.

“Things just started off on the wrong foot, and we just felt like it wasn’t there so we needed to use John,” Mangino said. “But we have not lost confidence in Brian Luke. He’s one of our most-improved players in the program, but you have to get out there and set the tempo. Brian didn’t do that, but that’s not going to determine whether or not he’s a guy who can help us because he can.”

Nielsen (6-3, 205) completed 8-of-12 passes for 33 yards and lost 17 yards on six carries in his first major-college game.

“John Nielsen did a good job of game management, considering he did not take a rep against the scout-team offense at all in practice last week,” Mangino said of the junior-college transfer.

Mangino said “every quarterback we have right now” would be evaluated to determine Whittemore’s replacement and added that KU might use a “position by committee” to fill the void left by the nation’s second-rated quarterback.

Junior Kevin Long (6-5, 235) also suited Saturday but was limited to special teams. Red-shirt freshman Joe Hogan (6-2, 185) did not make the travel squad.