Earnest Collins made his late run for son-of-the-year honors. Or, at the very least, he gave his father a nice present for the holidays.

Kansas University’s assistant football coach took a job as secondary coach at the University of Central Florida last week, which will take his two children close to their grandfather.

“My father lives down there in Orlando,” Collins said. “It gives me a chance to be around him and for him to be around his grandchildren. He has four grandchildren, and now they’re all close by.”

Collins will start at UCF on Jan. 1.

KU will be searching for a cornerbacks coach for the first time since 2003, when Collins arrived in Lawrence.

Since that time, Collins has coached Charles Gordon into an NFL-caliber cornerback, and current Jayhawk Aqib Talib likely will be a future pro, as well. Talib credits Collins as a big reason he came to KU.

But for all the talent on top of the depth chart at corner the last two seasons, Kansas has struggled against the pass – particularly in 2006. Often, the cornerback opposite Talib was an obvious liability this season until freshman Anthony Webb hit his stride late in the year.

By then, Kansas already was facing thin bowl possibilities. Despite being eligible with a 6-6 record, the Jayhawks weren’t invited to the postseason.

Collins now is packing up for a cross-country move. He’ll join the staff of UCF coach George O’Leary, whose team won the Conference-USA East division in 2005, but slipped to a 4-8 record in ’06.

“They gave me the opportunity to coach the entire secondary,” Collins said. “To me, that was an upgrade.”

¢
Cedar Hill recruits: A couple of Texas high-school standouts KU is after just finished spectacular – and perfect – senior seasons.

Cedar Hill High in Texas won the 5A Division II state championship on Saturday, beating Cypress Falls, 51-17, to secure a 16-0 record. Cedar Hill’s quarterback is William Cole, a heavily-recruited athlete expected to move to another position in college, perhaps wide receiver or cornerback.

Cole had 290 yards rushing and three long touchdowns in the state title game. Ranked by Rivals.com as the 47th-best player in fertile Texas, Cole has January visits planned for Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri. According to Rivals.com, Arizona, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and others have made scholarship offers, as well.

Cole’s teammate, wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe, is getting his fair share of offers, too. Briscoe told Rivals earlier this month that Kansas “is the team to beat” in his recruitment, though he’ll take visits to Boise State and Missouri next month, too. Oklahoma State, UNLV, TCU and Houston also have made offers.

Cole and Briscoe both plan to take their official visit to KU together the weekend of Jan. 13. They are being recruited by wide-receivers coach Tim Beck.

Kansas already has one Cedar Hill connection. Sophomore wide receiver Marcus Herford graduated from there in 2004.

¢
Picking up attention: Elsewhere in recruiting, a former KU commitment still considering the Jayhawks is picking up a ton of steam in his recruiting.

Donald Stephenson, a 6-foot-5, 285 pound offensive lineman at Blue Springs (Mo.) High, committed to Kansas back in March before deciding to re-open his recruitment. Since then, he has picked up offers from Oklahoma, Michigan, Nebraska, Kansas State, Missouri, Texas Tech, Iowa State and others. Kansas is believed to remain high on his list.

Rivals.com reports that Stephenson, who already has visited KU, Missouri and Nebraska, will take official visits to Michigan and Oklahoma in January before deciding.