Kansas University's new head football coach, David Beaty, speaks at an introductory press conference Monday, Dec. 8, 2014, at the Anderson Family Football Complex. Beaty, the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas A&M, was hired by KU Friday.

Kansas University football coach David Beaty, on Tuesday, confirmed the hiring of six members of his coaching staff, which previously were reported by the Journal-World.

In a news release sent out Tuesday evening, Beaty announced the additions of offensive coordinator Rob Likens, strength and conditioning coach Je’Ney Jackson, linebackers coach Kevin Kane, defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux, wide receivers coach Klint Kubiak and director of high school relations Gene Wier.

“As I’ve said before, it’s really important for us to find the right people for this program,” Beaty said in the release. “These six guys not only can teach, they can recruit and they can develop relationships. We are excited to have all of them onboard.”

The Likens and Jackson hires received the most interest and feedback from the KU fan base and the college football world. While Jackson’s addition surfaced a little more than a week ago, the news of Likens leaving Cal and longtime friend Sonny Dykes to join Beaty’s staff broke Monday night.

The 48-year-old offensive coordinator brings a decade’s worth of experience in the Air Raid offense to Lawrence and plenty of recent production, both of which help explain why Beaty sounds so fired up to add Likens to his staff.

“Rob has been a major player in some of the best offenses in the history of college football,” Beaty said of his new OC, who enjoyed great success at Louisiana Tech and helped lead Cal’s 2013 offense to several school records and put the 2014 version in the Top 10 nationally. “I have always been a fan of Rob’s ability to develop players who produce at a high level. Rob has learned from some of the best in the country and is as fine of an offensive mind as I have been around. Rob is a man of integrity and character and I cannot wait for our team to be able to benefit from his wisdom.”

Beaty did not reserve his enthusiasm for Likens. Here’s a quick look at his initial thoughts on each of the other hires.

On Jackson, who comes back to KU after leading the strength and conditioning of the Indiana basketball program:

“Je’Ney brings a great familiarity with the University of Kansas as well as a wealth of experience in the strength and conditioning world,” Beaty said. “His ability to develop and relate to our players will be a large part of our initiative moving forward. He is widely regarded as one of the top coordinators in this field. He is without a doubt, my most important hire and we are honored to have him here.”

On former KU linebacker Kane, who returns to Lawrence after successful stints at Wisconsin and Northern Illinois:

“I always admired Kevin as a player, but I am even more impressed with his ability to teach and develop young players. He is a tireless recruiter and he is as well thought of in the Kansas City community as anyone I know. He will bring an energy and toughness to our team that we will all benefit from. It has been fun watching his linebackers play over the years and I’m glad that he is now coaching our guys.”

On Thibodeaux, who played defensive end at Oklahoma and coached the D-Line at Tulsa:

“His players exhibit responsibility, toughness and passion and we are looking forward to him bringing those elements to KU. His ability as a coach is only surpassed by his upstanding character and integrity as a man.”

On son of longtime NFL coach Gary Kubiak, Klint Kubiak, with whom Beaty worked closely at Texas A&M:

“He is as hard of a worker as I have ever seen in our profession. His ability to connect with his players in the NFL and at Texas A&M has been impressive to watch. Our wide receivers will benefit greatly from his experience.”

On Wier, who comes to KU after a legendary career at Olathe North High and nearly a decade of high school coaching in Texas:

“Not only is he fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a Jayhawk, but he will certainly add a much-needed element to our staff. His long-standing relationships with the great coaches of the state will allow us to better understand and serve our coaches.”

These six hires, along with the retention of Clint Bowen (defensive coordinator), Reggie Mitchell (running backs/recruiting coordinator) and Louie Matsakis (director of personnel) bring Beaty closer to operating with a full staff, with offensive line, tight ends, special teams and defensive backs remaining areas that need to be addressed.

Beaty said Monday night that the remaining hires may take a little more time to finalize because he wanted to be respectful of the fact that the candidates and/or guys he intended to fill the remaining vacancies with were still working for their current programs.