One-year transfers Dayne Crist, Anthony McDonald, Mike Ragone and Josh Williams not making loud impact for Kansas football

Posted by Tom Keegan October 22, 2012 at 7:08 p.m.

One-year transfers Dayne Crist, Anthony McDonald, Mike Ragone and Josh Williams not making loud impact for Kansas football

Kansas football coach Charlie Weis took advantage of the rule that allows players who have graduated and have a remaining year of eligibility to transfer without sitting out a year by bringing four such college graduates to Lawrence.

So far, the four players have not made their previous schools look bad for not playing them more often.

Notre Dame graduate Dayne Crist ranks 121st among 122 rated quarterbacks with a 97.5 QB rating. Only Mike Wegzyn of Massachussetts (92.9) ranks behind Crist. Former KU quarterback Jordan Webb, now at Colorado, ranks 113th, and like Crist plays for a 1-6 team.

Nebraska graduate Josh Williams has performed well enough to hold down a starting job all season. He receives high grades for assignment soundness, but hasn’t been the impact playmaker Weis sounded like he expected when he talked about him in the summer.

Through seven games, six KU players are credited with a sack and two others have a half-sack on their records. Williams is not among them, but does share with Ben Goodman the team lead in quarterback hurries with two, has forced a fumble and has recovered two fumbles. Williams has contributed the most of the transfers who arrived with diplomas in hand.

Linebacker Anthony McDonald’s Notre Dame career was stunted by injuries and they have played a part in him appearing in just four games with one start for Kansas. Even when healthy, he hasn’t displayed enough quickness to establish himself as a starter.

At Notre Dame, tight end Mike Ragone built a solid reputation as a blocker, but had just 11 receptions in three seasons. For KU, he has blocked well but has just two receptions, one for a touchdown.

The so-so performances of the four college graduates doesn’t mean Weis should abandon taking advantage of the rule. It can work in a big way, as Russell Wilson proved in 2011 when he finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting after transferring from North Carolina State to Wisconsin.