Kansas University’s football team now has three known scholarships left to pass out this recruiting season.

An extra one opened up after the coaching staff was forced to rescind its offer to Zach Stadther, according to Rivals.com.

Stadther, a defensive tackle out of North Little Rock, Ark., is considered an academic risk. With Kansas able to sign only 22 recruits because of NCAA penalties enforced in 2006, it’s unable to take chances on players who may not qualify to enroll.

Stadther did land on his feet, though, committing to Arkansas on Tuesday.

“It was a letdown for him, but he bounced back, stayed focused, and good things came about,” Stadther’s father, J.D., told Rivals. “Arkansas was where he was wanting to go to begin with.”

Meanwhile, a couple of KU’s top remaining targets have decided to go elsewhere.

Keanon Cooper, a safety out of Dallas who visited KU last weekend, committed to Texas Tech on Monday. Defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, meanwhile, committed to Texas A&M last week.

Another familiar name, running back Cyrus Gray, committed to Texas A&M as well. Gray no longer was a priority, though, after Kansas snagged a commitment from junior-college tailback Jocques Crawford last week.

As for the remaining three scholarships, two possibilities are defensive ends: Tremayne Scott out of Ocala, Fla., and Gary Mason out of Waxahachie, Texas.

Currently, the Jayhawks have 19 known commitments for their 2008 class, four of which already are on campus. Like it so often has, KU may choose to save a scholarship for after signing day to try to find a prospect that fell through the cracks. That strategy has led to the signings of Marcus Henry, Joe Mortensen and Jason Hind in recent years.

¢Back to work: KU officials said Tuesday that Mark Mangino is back working, one day after the head football coach confirmed going to the hospital for undisclosed reasons.

Mangino released a statement Monday night indicating he “underwent some tests over the past couple of days” at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, and that he was doing fine.

¢Heading north: Former Kansas linebacker Kevin Kane has accepted a job at Wisconsin as a graduate assistant.

Kane, who worked in the KU football office this past season, will be reunited at Wisconsin with former KU linebackers coach Dave Doeren. Badgers head coach Bret Bielema recently promoted Doeren to defensive coordinator.

“I’m pretty excited to go back up with coach Doeren,” Kane said. “It’s a great opportunity for me.”

Kane, who’s considering a career in coaching, will leave Friday. He could stay at Wisconsin for up to three years depending on how his graduate studies go.