Lately, members of the Olathe North High football team have been getting an earful from standout defensive end Kevin Young about the benefits of this new, highly beneficial training tool that works wonders for agility and leaping ability.

The pitch sounds interesting enough – until, that is, they find out that Young’s can’t-miss regimen happens to be yoga.

“I try all the time,” said Young, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior-to-be who recently took up the practice as a way to supplement his training. “I got a couple kids that said they would come out and try it out, but I don’t know if they’re really going to.”

Hey, if it works, it works. And for Young – who credits yoga with increasing his vertical leap by four inches – it certainly hasn’t seemed to hurt.

The newest commitment in the Kansas University football team’s Class of 2009, Young is coming off a junior season in which he recorded 80 tackles and 12 sacks for the 10-2 Eagles, who came within a victory of playing in the Class 6A state championship game.

After earning offers from a number of Div. I schools – including Illinois, Kansas State and Iowa State – Young decided on the Jayhawks, largely because he felt comfortable with the team’s coaching staff.

“I really like the campus, the coaches, everything,” Young said. “I thought (hard) about it, and Kansas really showed the most interest.”

What’s more, when he arrives on campus next December (Young plans to graduate high school a semester early and begin classes at KU this winter), he shouldn’t have to look far for a friendly face.

Brother Jason plans to enroll at KU next year, while another brother, Marquis, who is currently stationed with the U.S. Marines in Okinawa, Japan, is hoping to finish his schooling at Kansas when he returns to the U.S.

Add to the mix mom Michelle, who is waiting to hear back after applying to KU’s School of Nursing, and Young’s tenure at Kansas truly could be a family affair.

“I don’t think so,” said Young, asked if the prospect of having his mom on campus threatens to cramp his style. “Because I’m going to be at football. It’s going to be football and class work, so that shouldn’t affect me too much.”

¢ New Mangino contract ‘almost done’: The main components of a new contract for KU football coach Mark Mangino appear to have been agreed upon, and the deal was in its final stages as of Tuesday night, said associate athletic director Jim Marchiony.

“It’s almost done,” said Marchiony. “(We’re) waiting for a couple signatures … It’s not going to be in the next couple days, but it’s going to be soon.”

Mangino, who before the start of the 2006 season signed a five-year contract that would pay him $1.5 million per year, is expected to see an increase in pay after leading the Jayhawks to a 12-1 season and winning nearly every national coach-of-the-year award in 2007.

¢ Fambrough recovering from surgery: Former Kansas football coach Don Fambrough said he was feeling well Tuesday, a day after undergoing knee-replacement surgery.

He said he will transfer from Stormont-Vail Regional Medical Center in Topeka on Thursday to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where he expected to spend “two or three days” while undergoing physical therapy.