The intensity knob for football recruiting almost is to the max now – and will stay that way until the Feb. 1 signing day.

So what does it mean to Kansas University’s football team to lose assistant coach Dave Doeren, one of the program’s top recruiters, just as the heat turns up?

Potentially a lot, if Kansas wasn’t prepared. But recruiting analyst Jon Kirby of Rivals.com thinks KU’s way of conducting business could cushion the blow significantly.

“(Head coach) Mark Mangino and his staff were very proactive and let the recruits know of the situation,” Kirby said. “This week, it seems like the Kansas coaches have been on the road full-force.”

Last week, Doeren accepted a similar position at Wisconsin.

At Kansas, Doeren was the lead recruiter for 10 of KU’s 23 current commitments for at least some portion of the recruiting season. Six of the commitments came from Texas, and four came from the Kansas City area.

Kirby has spoken to several of those commitments and hasn’t found anyone wavering despite Doeren’s departure.

“Every recruit I have talked with still says they are solid on Kansas and a coach has already been down to see them,” Kirby said.

Until Feb. 1, much of the KU coaches’ time will be spent “baby-sitting,” or making in-home visits to players already committed to KU. That’s because Kansas already has secured most of its class for 2006, with only a few scholarships remaining. The hard part might be making sure members of the class don’t stray.

“On paper, this will be the best class in the Mark Mangino era, in my opinion,” Kirby said.

¢ Blaney promoted: Mangino took a step toward reassembling his staff Wednesday, promoting tight-ends coach Brandon Blaney to the position of recruiting coordinator.

Blaney was assistant recruiting coordinator under Doeren since 2003. At 30, Blaney is the youngest member of KU’s coaching staff and is described by Mangino as a “high-energy coach who possesses a great work ethic.”

¢ Butler waiting: KU officials have petitioned the NCAA to give defensive tackle Eric Butler additional eligibility, but as of Tuesday hadn’t heard a resolution.

Butler registered 12 stops, including two sacks and a safety, as a backup tackle in 2005, his first season at KU. He played one year at Avila before that as a tight end.

Though he has played just two seasons of football, he started college at DeVry University five years ago after graduating from high school in 2001, and that started his eligibility clock. Student-athletes, in most cases, have five years to play four seasons.