Kansas City, Mo. ? On Day 1 of the Big 12 Conference’s annual Media Days on Monday at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown, two of the conference’s biggest names – Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell and receiver Michael Crabtree – were glaringly absent.

The reason?

A very good one, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach assured.

“Harrell and Crabtree get a lot of attention, deserve a lot of attention and will continue to get a lot of attention,” Leach said. “I think a lot of times … there’s a temptation to isolate emphasis around a couple of guys and create an identity of an entire team around a couple of guys. But our team is far more than a couple of individuals.”

So instead of the nation’s leading passer last season (Harrell) and a receiver who many are tagging as the best in college football (Crabtree), the Red Raiders were represented by Daniel Charbonnet, Eric Morris and Jamar Wall, who, of course, spent 30 minutes answering questions about Harrell and Crabtree.

It wasn’t like Leach wasn’t accommodating, though. For instance, he was open to the idea of media members traveling to Lubbock, Texas, for a separate media day.

“Anybody that wants to talk to Graham or Michael Crabtree or Darcel McBath or those guys, you can do it in their natural habitat in Lubbock, Texas,” he offered. “And we’d love to see you.”

Former Jayhawk Cromwell ‘blossoming’: Although he has yet to coach a game for Texas A&M, first-year offensive coordinator and former Kansas All-American Nolan Cromwell is already making an impression in College Station, Texas.

During Monday’s news conference, Aggies coach Mike Sherman praised his former colleague for his recent success as an NFL assistant and called Cromwell a welcome addition to the program’s coaching staff.

“Whenever I go to the (NFL) Combine, Nolan and I always sit down and talk football, and I’ve been impressed with him and the job he’s done in the (NFL),” said Sherman, in his first year as head coach of the Aggies. “I think this is a great opportunity for us, but as well for him. He’s excited about being a part of college football. He’s been in the National Football League for 17 years, and the opportunity to come to college and College Station : I think he has really blossomed. And we will blossom because of it.”

Since 1999, Cromwell has worked as the wide receivers coach for the Seattle Seahawks, helping the team to four straight NFC West division titles.

Daniel not fazed by jinx’: Not much seems to get to Chase Daniel, Missouri’s uber-cool senior quarterback, and that apparently goes for the infamous “Sports Illustrated cover jinx,” as well.

Daniel, who will be featured on the front of the magazine’s annual college football preview issue later this summer, said Monday that despite various examples that suggest otherwise, he’s not buying it.

“Not at all,” he said. “I don’t believe in it at all.”