Kansas defensive end Dorance Armstrong, left, listens to associate head coach Tony Hull during preseason practice on Monday, Aug. 7, 2017.

A former engineer for NASA and then a high school football coach in New Orleans, his hometown, Kansas associate head coach/running backs Tony Hull does more than instruct ball carriers for David Beaty’s football program. He heads up The Boot Experiment, Beaty’s plan to develop a Louisiana pipeline of recruits who choose Kansas as a place to continue their educations and football careers.

That enormous task requires more than convincing recruits to sign national letters of intent. It also involves making sure the players don’t grow homesick and make as smoothly as can be expected a significant cultural transition. To that end, Hull even arranges Cajun team barbecues. He also stays in close contact with the Louisiana players’ families and high school coaches. Players share with potential recruits all that Hull does for them and that leads to more recruits from The Boot choosing Kansas as a destination.

It’s possible Hull could be the choice as the interim head coach, should Beaty be relieved of his duties and given the $3 million parachute stipulated in his contract. But why put more on Hull’s plate when heading The Boot Experiment, one that very well could extend into the next head coach’s reign, is a responsibility that requires so much time and energy?