Briscoe focusing on MU, not NFL Draft

At some point in the next few months, Kansas University receiver Dezmon Briscoe realizes, he’ll have to decide whether to return to KU for this senior season or enter the 2010 NFL Draft.

He’s just not quite ready yet.

“I’m focusing on Missouri right now,” said Briscoe, KU’s career and season receiving yardage leader. “That’s after-the-season-type-stuff.”

Briscoe, who said Wednesday he’s been generally pleased with his play so far this season, is projected as a second-round pick by cbssports.com and is ranked among the best receivers nationally in the Class of 2011.

“We’ll research it, we’ll study it, we’ll find all the data that we can possibly find, and help Dez and let him and his family make the decision,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “We’ll support Dez whatever he does. That’s how we do it here.”

Briscoe said Wednesday that, with the exception of his mother, he has managed to keep his feelings on the matter private, a statement backed up by KU junior defensive back Phillip Strozier.

Said Strozier, smiling. “I’m as clueless as you guys.”

Fambrough prepared for KU to play naked

It is common knowledge that former Kansas coach and noted Missouri antagonist Don Fambrough does not like a single thing about the University of Missouri, and on Wednesday he indicated that this sentiment stretches to uniform choice.

News that Missouri will debut a new line of Nike uniforms in Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. game against the Jayhawks — the new duds are white, black and gray and emblazoned with the phrase “Beast Mode” — sent Fambrough into his own personal beast mode following an evening football practice at Memorial Stadium.

“They gonna wear their new uniforms and all?” the coach asked. “That’s great. We’ll play ’em naked.”

Mangino responds to Leach support

In last week’s 41-13 victory over Oklahoma, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach implored his quarterback, Taylor Potts, to replace his usual “Potts” uniform nameplate with one that read “Nick.”

Following the game, Leach indicated that “Nick” represented Nick Reid, a former Kansas player who came forward in defense of Mangino in the days following the announcement that the university would begin an internal investigation into the eighth-year coach’s treatment of players.

“Everybody’s got their way of stating things,” Mangino said Wednesday, before praising his former colleague’s intellect in and away from football.

During Monday’s Big 12 coaches teleconference, meanwhile, Leach called the KU investigation a “witch hunt,” mocking the public outrage over reports that Mangino abused players orally.