Kansas aide Bowen interviews with K-State

KU defensive coordinator Clint Bowen celebrates after a first-half defensive stop against Oklahoma on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, at Memorial Stadium.

The University at Buffalo named Jeff Quinn the school’s new head football coach Sunday, just a week after Turner Gill left the program to take over at Kansas.

Quinn, who is currently the interim coach at Cincinnati and was expected to follow former Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly to Notre Dame, will remain with the Bearcats through their Jan. 1 matchup with Florida in the Sugar Bowl.

Quinn will inherit a program that went 20-30 and earned its first Mid-American Conference championship during Gill’s four-year tenure.

Former Kansas University defensive coordinator Clint Bowen interviewed last week with Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder for a possible position on the K-State staff, the Journal-World has learned.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Bowen is being considered as a defensive-backs coach and possibly a co-defensive coordinator.

Vic Koenning, who served as KSU’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach last season, recently left the program to take over defensive coordinator duties at Illinois.

Bowen, along with the rest of the assistants remaining from former coach Mark Mangino’s staff, wasn’t retained by new Kansas coach Turner Gill.

In nine seasons as an assistant at KU, Bowen served as coach of the tight ends, running backs, safeties, special-teams coordinator and co-defensive coordinator before being promoted to defensive coordinator prior to the 2008 season.

That year, the Jayhawks overcame several defensive injuries to finish 8-5 and top Minnesota in the Insight Bowl. In ’09, however, the defense struggled mightily down the stretch, finishing ninth in total defense and 10th in scoring and pass defense.

Bowen could represent an attractive pick for the Wildcats because of his significant recruiting ties in Kansas, while his familiarity with Kansas’ personnel would come in handy at least one week of the season.

As of Sunday night, it was unknown whether Bowen had received an offer.

KU loses commit, gains another

Zach Bolton, a three-star offensive lineman from Klein Forest High in Texas, has de-committed from Kansas and now will attend Illinois, Rivals.com has reported.

“I didn’t really want to be a guinea pig (at KU),” Bolton told OrangeandBlueNews.com. “That’s kind of how I’d describe going into a situation like that. I just didn’t want to be a part of that.”

Bolton marks the second known player to de-commit from Kansas since Mangino resigned Dec. 3.

Earlier this month, quarterback Jacoby Walker — who will graduate from Texas’ Westfield High at the end of this semester and plans to enroll in college early — switched his commitment to Utah.

The Jayhawks also landed their first recruit under Gill this weekend when Ray Mitchell, a safety from Irving, Texas, committed to play at Kansas, according to Rivals.

Mitchell, one of eight recruits on campus last weekend, chose KU over Iowa State, Tulsa, UTEP, UNLV and Wyoming.

The Jayhawks now have 15 known commitments in the Class of 2010.