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All eyes are on expansion, once again, at this week's Big 12 spring meetings in Kansas City, Mo. by matt_tait

The Big 12 spirng meetings are scheduled to begin tomorrow in Kansas City, Mo., and although the topics of conference realignment and Big 12 expansion likely will be kicked around plenty by the league’s athletic directors, presidents and chancellors, it seems like a safe bet to predict we won’t see anything like we saw a couple of years ago when former Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe dodged reporters by ducking into an elevator to avoid talking to the media.

I’m OK with that.

There was something pretty incredible about stalking the hallways at The Intercontinental Hotel near the plaza for a few days a couple of years ago, not really knowing what the outcome was going to be. It was a rush and it made the six or seven hours spent there each day fly by.

I don’t imagine that this year’s meetings will be anything like the previous two. Even last year was a little interesting because it was the first since the wild summer of 2010 and we were able to compare and contrast the vibe and mood. That’s not to say, however, that there won’t be some interesting things that happen and are discussed.

As you all know, there continues to be some serious talk about the Big 12 picking up a couple of teams — maybe more — from the now-vulnerable ACC.

Florida State and Clemson have been the two most talked about possibilities, but Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami and even Notre Dame remain on the radar.

Before diving into some more links regarding what’s up in that part of the world, here are a few interesting soundbites regarding this matter from a few of my Big 12 sources:

Regarding what’s better, 10 teams or 12 or more, in college football’s new scenario with a BCS final four?
“If you’re now a league with 12 or 14 teams, you think you might not be regretting it a little bit? It also means, if you’re a 10-team league and you’re looking to expand, it better be with the best teams out there.”

On the role newly named Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby can and will play until he’s officially introduced as the league’s commissioner on June 15:
“He’ll have to be real active. And with all of his connections and all our needs, I think he really enhances our position. I don’t want to say it’s much ado about nothing, but this is a situation where your conference commissioner just does his job and the rest of us keep doing our jobs and stay informed about everything.”

On the Big 12 keeping its eyes open:
“Our league will always consider all options. We’ve never been in a not-consider position. We like what we have, but we’re not going to be stupid either.”

On the importance of giving West Virginia a travel partner?
“It’s over-rated. They haven’t even brought it up.”

On if the ACC is in serious trouble:
“I wouldn’t go that far, but, yeah, they’re a little nervous right now, I think. And the irony of that is just unbelievable.”

OK, on to some of the day’s expansion talk....

Here’s a solid update on the status of the Big 12-Florida State relationship from Jim Lamar of the Tallahassee Democrat:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/story/2012-05-28/florida-state-big-12-meetings/55249830/1

This Associated Press report clearly spells out where Miami and Clemson stand in this whole mess. The Hurricanes at least are saying they are proud members of the ACC and remain committed to the league, while Clemson, through board chairman David Wilkins, now is on record as saying it would consider a move to the Big 12 if that option were presented:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/acc/story/2012-05-25/miami-committed-acc-clemson-consider-options/55205602/1

Here’s a nice column from Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News, who praises the job that Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas did to keep the league alive.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/columnists/rick-gosselin/20120525-gosselin-credit-interim-commish-chuck-neinas-for-revival-of-big-12.ece?action=reregister

This one’s a little older, but it’s a solid read and it comes from CBSsports.com’s Gregg Doyle, who says that Florida State moving to the Big 12 would destory the ACC:
http://www.cbssports.com/columns/story/19132507/florida-state-was-supposed-to-save-acc-but-instead-its-killing-it

This, too, is a little older, and a lot can change in a week, but here’s Mark Bradley, of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, listing the reasons why the ACC is not doomed:
http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2012/05/23/is-the-acc-doomed-not-hardly-and-here-are-reasons-why/

That’s it for today. Be sure to check back throughout the week for more. I’ll be over at the Big 12 meetings at least once or twice and should emerge with some interesting stuff. It remains to be seen whether that’s related to conference expansion, the league’s input on the changing BCS or more on the Big 12’s epic television deal.

Stay tuned...

I’m sure you’ve all seen it by now, but in case you haven’t, or even if you have, it’s worth mentioning again.

Late last week, after the Champions Bowl agreement between the SEC and the Big 12 became public, interim Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas, who is on his way out in a couple of weeks, was asked what he would do if he were the commissioner of the Big East or ACC right about now.

Without flinching, and with a the kind of confidence and cockiness that should make Big 12 fans everywhere feel very, very good about the league’s future, Neinas laughed and said, “Better get a good bowl.”

That’s if there’s time.

It’s obvious what the Big 12-SEC agreement has done to the landscape of college athletics. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have the Rose Bowl and the Big 12 and SEC now have the Champions Bowl. What the four of them have together is a stranglehold on college football. And that, we all know, gives those four conferences and the teams within them some serious power.

But what if this is just the beginning? Forget a Final Four for football or an all-encompassing playoff of any kind. What if these four leagues decide to play the way they want to play and create their own rules? Beyond the obvious that such a move could further fast-track the shift to super conferences, it also would create potential disaster for the NCAA as we know it.

The Champions Bowl is a nice concept. It ensures that even if — somehow — the Big 12 and SEC champions aren’t in the top four at the end of the season, we’ll have one heck of a bowl game to look forward to anyway.

So what if this concept trickles down a little. What if those leagues decide to pair up second- or third-place finishers in other bowls? Sound like a stretch? It shouldn’t. Forget the appeal of top-tier teams or quality match-ups. The driving force behind this move, as it is with most things these days, would be money. And if you’re the Big 12 and the SEC and you’re pairing your top teams in new bowls and doing all the work to market them and make it happen, guess what? You get to keep all the money. No sharing it with the NCAA or corporate sponsors. You keep it. And you divvy it up between the members of your now incredibly powerful leagues.

If such a move were to happen, the current postseason set up not only would lose out on top teams, big bucks and marketing gold mines, it also would have to restructure its existing bowl lineup, should the other bowl games even survive.

There’s been talk lately about raising the number of victories required for bowl eligibility from six to seven. If the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12 took this next step, the NCAA would have to lower the number to five just to fill all of the bowl slots. Yuck.

I’m not necessarily advocating this kind of hostile takeover. I like the NCAA Tournament, and I would love to see college football have something similar, be it an eight- or 16-team playoff someday. And I’m sure there are more than a few obstacles to this plan that would make it tough to pull off.

But this much we now know — don’t underestimate the Big 12. What looked to be a dinosaur on its death bed just one year ago is now in the ultimate position of power in college athletics’ most important sport.

I can’t help but wonder what’s next.

Now.....

Let’s move on to a quick look at the realignment talk that popped up over the weekend.

Before I hit you with these links, it should be noted that multiple Big 12 sources told me late last week that nothing was happening and that the Big 12 was not involved in any serious conversations about expansion. A couple of those same sources also said, however, that the league is always keeping its eyes and ears open to anything and everything that would make it a better conference.

I’ll have another blog later this week with some more from those sources.

Onto the links:

This report says Florida State to the Big 12 is “inevitable.”
http://dev.chuckoliver.net/2012/05/fsu-to-the-big-12-it-is-inevitable/

In case you missed this, add former FSU football coach Bobby Bowden to the list of people who believe the Seminoles should stay in the ACC:
http://saturdayblitz.com/2012/05/20/clemson-blogger-claims-big-12-move-agreed-timeline-rumors/

Here’s a blog that links to a couple of sites that say Clemson has reached a deal in principle to move to the Big 12, possibly with Florida State and Georgia Tech not far behind.
http://saturdayblitz.com/2012/05/20/clemson-blogger-claims-big-12-move-agreed-timeline-rumors/

And, finally, a list of the seven topics that will dominate discussions this week, complete with the following at No. 3:

--- What’s next for Notre Dame? Do the Irish have much choice but to re-examine their status relative to the members of the stronger-than-ever SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12? We probably should’ve included the officially resuscitated Big 12 in the previous sentence, too. Is ND an expansion target for the Big 12? One thing we can say for sure is Notre Dame isn’t as powerful as it once was. Until its profile within the next BCS structure is defined, it isn’t necessarily any better off than the programs in the suddenly vulnerable ACC (let alone those in the sitting-duck Big East).

Here’s the full list:
http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-05-20/notre-dame-big-12-fighting-irish-arizona-wildcats-rich-rodriguez-rose-bowl#ixzz1vRy5Yrlo

Stay tuned...

na_color_cutout_Seminoles.jpg

I’m still trying to track down the right people to get a little better grip on what exactly is happening with the Big 12 and conference realignment as of today, but until I do, and before this thing gets too far down the road, let’s dive into a quick recap of what’s happened the last couple of days.

First, and of varying degrees of importance depending upon your interpretation, new Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby spoke with the USA Today on Wednesday about the conference’s plans for expansion.

“Conference realignment will continue to be an issue and one we all have to be vigilant about,” Bowlsby told USA Today. “I think the topic of expansion will be on every agenda going forward. But it’s on every other conference's agenda going forward, too.”

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2012/05/big-12-conference-bob-bowlsby-florida-state-seminoles/1#.T7QenO1qPFJ

Bowlsby officially takes over on June 15 and somewhere in that same time frame, the BCS is expected to make final its plans for the future. Once both of those things happen, the Big 12 and the rest of the nation will be able to take a little more realistic approach to what’s next in the world of conference realignment.

Until then, it will be a lot of talk and speculation, which is something that does not appear to bother the folks at Florida State. Despite many saying that the Big 12 reached out to FSU and some folks within the Big 12 saying that there have been no talks between the league and the Seminoles, Florida State’s leaders continue to paint a picture that they would be very interested in hearing what the Big 12 has to offer.

Why not?

For one, it could be one heck of an offer that’s simply too good to pass up. For two, it gives them at least a little leverage with the ACC, which finds itself very much on the brink of being where the Big 12 was about this time last year.

Here are a couple of great links that can get you up to date regarding where Florida State stands.

Dan Wetzel, of Yahoo! Sports, writes that recent comments made by Andy Haggard, chairman of Florida State’s board of trustees, may have lit the fuse on a move to the Big 12:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--florida-state-trustee-sparks-firestorm-with-desire-to-join-big-12.html

Here are those comments in their entirety:
http://floridastate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1364755

More from Gene Williams, of Warchant.com, who says FSU’s flirtations with the Big 12 are all about money:
http://floridastate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1365006

One more from Warchant.com, this time from Paul Thomas, who got ahold of an email from Florida State president Eric Barron which outlined several cons of a move to the Big 12:
http://floridastate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1365254

On a similar note, here’s a column from Florida State’s Scout.com site that explores if the Big 12 or even, gasp!, the SEC would even want FSU:
http://floridastate.scout.com/2/1186502.html

Finally, I know there were reports that said that the Clemson football program had been informed that the school was moving to the Big 12, but those, at least at this point, appear to be severely premature. Shocking, isn’t it?

Wednesday, Clemson’s board chairman told The Post and Courier that the school had had no contact with the Big 12 and remained committed to the ACC. I know that semantics come into play a lot here and it’s entirely possible that “no contact” does not mean no contact, but, in this case, I believe it’s true.

Although I’m still rolling my sleeves up for this round and have been reaching out to sources all over the country, one thing that seems to be solid is that Clemson will not make a move first. If Florida State goes and is looking for a partner, the Tigers could become interested in joining them very quickly. But a scenario that has CU as the first to leave seems highly unlikely. Again, that’s today.

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20120516/PC20/120519367&slId=2

Again, it’s still very early on in Conference Realignment Round 3, and we may not even ever get to the point where this thing gets off the ground and starts to soar. But those of you who followed the Big 12 during the past two summers surely understand a couple of things right about now:

1. The ACC is in trouble and it is going to do everything it can to ensure its survival. Remember when it looked as if the Big 12 was dead because Texas and Oklahoma were headed to the Pac-10? That was when the Big 12 got to work and did whatever it took to keep Texas and OU and to keep the conference alive. I’m sure the ACC is willing and able to go to similar lengths to preserve itself here. If it can't, it could very well be the end of the ACC as we know it, as the Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and even the Big East could make quick and concentrated moves to scoop up many more of the league's schools.

2. Although Florida State and Clemson are the two schools talking the most right now, that doesn’t mean that others aren’t working on things quietly and behind the scenes. It hardly matters now, but, if you remember, KU was awfully quiet during a good chunk of the realignment fiasco, but I can assure you that KU’s leaders were talking to people every day in an attempt to put KU in the best position possible. The desired outcome the entire time was for the Big 12 to survive, and it did. But there were back-up plans in place — several of them.

3. Georgia Tech, Maryland, Rutgers, NC State, Virginia Tech.... each of those schools has been tossed into this latest mess in at least a couple of different places and there appears to be varying degrees of interest regarding a possible move. I reached out to sources at a couple of those schools and got the same answer at each — “things are very quiet now. Not much is being talked about.” That’s too be expected, of course, and whether it stays that way or changes will be determined by what happens in the next few weeks.

Stay tuned...

Kansas quarterback Dayne Crist (10) gets set to run a play during the first day of spring practices on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. by Richard Gwin

We now are officially two full weeks removed from the end of spring football and that seems like as good a time as any for me to release my projected KU football depth chart for the fall.

A couple of quick things to remember before diving in:

1. I only saw the first 20 minutes of about five practices and 90 minutes of another.

2. These projections are based not only on what I saw and heard this spring but also what I didn’t see and include plenty of players who will arrive on campus in June. Those players have a bullet point after their names in the depth chart below.

3. It’s possible — likely even — that not all of the players below are listed at the positions they’ll play this fall. Take wide receiver, for example. On the pre-spring depth chart that KU coach Charlie Weis handed out, seniors Daymond Patterson and D.J. Beshears were listed as the 1 and the 2 at the same WR spot. However, based on what I saw this spring, it seemed as if Beshears emerged as one of the team’s top three receivers, so I’ve got him as a first-team guy. I’ll tighten this up when August rolls around (thankfully, we should get some more help from Weis then) but, for now, I’m going with my method.

4. This thing has changed about six times during the course of the past six weeks and could very easily be tweaked again next week. But, hey, I’m not the head coach and it’s not my job to set this thing in stone. So let the speculation begin and let’s see how different this version looks from the one we get in August.

Offense
WR Kale Pick (Sr.) — Josh Ford• (Jr.)
WR Daymond Patterson (Sr.) — JaCorey Shepherd (Soph.)
WR D.J. Beshears (Sr.) — Christian Matthews (Jr.)
LT Tanner Hawkinson (Sr.) — Chad Kolumber (Soph.)
LG Duane Zlatnik (Sr.) — Damon Martin (RSFr.)
C Trevor Marrongelli (Sr.) — Dylan Admire (RSFr.)
RG Aslam Sterling• (Jr.) — Gavin Howard (Jr.)
RT Riley Spencer (Jr.) — Bryan Peters (RSFr.)
TE Jimmay Mundine (Soph.) — Charles Brooks• (Jr.)
QB Dayne Crist (Sr.) — Turner Baty• (Soph.)
HB Tony Pierson (Soph.) — Brandon Bourbon (Soph.)

Defense
DE Josh Williams• (Sr.) — Keba Agostinho (Jr.)
DT Jordan Tavai• (Jr.) — Pat Lewandowski (Soph.)
NT Ty McKinney• (Jr.) — John Williams (Jr.)
DE Michael Reynolds (Soph.) — Keon Stowers• (Jr.)
SLB Toben Opurum (Sr.) — Tunde Bakare (Sr.)
MLB Schyler Miles• (Fr.) — Anthony McDonald• (Sr.)
WLB Huldon Tharp (Jr.) — Darius Willis (Jr.)
CB Greg Brown (Sr.) — Greg Allen• (Fr.)
CB Tyler Patmon (Jr.) — Nas Moore• (Jr.)
SS Lubbock Smith (Sr.) — Ray Mitchell (Soph.)
FS Bradley McDougald (Sr.) — Victor Simmons (Soph.)

Special Teams
K Ron Doherty (Jr.) — Alex Mueller (Soph.)
P Ron Doherty (Jr.) — Victor McBride (Soph.)
KR D.J. Beshears (Sr.) — Bradley McDougald (Sr.)
PR Daymond Patterson (Sr.) — D.J. Beshears (Sr.)

Big 12 Conference keeping its options open. by matt_tait

2:57 p.m. Update:

OK, so during today's KU football chat and, really, most of the day on Twitter, people were clamoring for a percentage wheel of some kind. I didn't really think I had a great one regarding this topic yet, but I can give you something. Here goes: Percentage chance predicting the time of realignment drama we'll have this summer...

1. Steady Eddie. There will be some action, but it won't take over our souls - 60%
   
2. Def-Con 5. Fast and furious, yet again - 21%
3. Other. You never know, you know? - 13%
4. None. Everything will remain calm and quiet - 6%
   

Stay tuned...

Original Post, 10:28 a.m.

Tomorrow marks the two-year anniversary of the first conference realignment blog I ever wrote for this web site. In some ways it seems like a decade ago and in others it seems like just yesterday.

The question on everyone’s mind today, though, is will future realignment blogs be a part of tomorrow?

Good question.

Since penning that first realignment blog — which wrapped with this: “I do know this; change is coming, and, although it might be tough to accept at first, it could be in KU’s best interest.” — I wrote more than 25 others and received well over a million page views on all of it combined. That’s just incredible and it speaks to the passion and devotion you all have for your KU sports.

During the past couple of weeks, as the Big 12 Conference replaced interim commissioner Chuck Neinas with new boss Bob Bowlsby and rumors of Realignment Round 3 began to surface, I found myself questioning whether we’d be going through something like that again this summer. My gut tells me no, but my mind tells me to stay on high alert. I will.

If any realignment type issues come up this summer, I don’t expect they will reach the levels we saw during the past two summers, when the country’s most powerful conferences made major moves and threatened to make more while bringing college athletics to the brink of complete chaos and restructuring.

The Big East, with its interim commissioner and a larger but less impressive membership roster, appears to be the most vulnerable conference to further poaching. The Big 12 once occupied that spot, but the conference now appears to be on stable ground with Bowlsby in the front office and new TV deals bringing the promise of bookoo bucks. The league is close to reaching an official extension with ESPN that would run for 13 years and be worth $1.3 billion.

Beyond that, I can’t see any of the 10 Big 12 schools wanting out. I suppose there’s a chance that the ever-wandering eyes of Texas and Oklahoma could stray once again, but those schools seem happy with the Big 12’s current direction and the league now has language in place that makes it much tougher to get out the way Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas A&M did during the past two years. Besides that, once the new TV deals become official, the granting of rights pledge will increase from its current mark of six years to 13 years, a strong sign of each school’s commitment to the league. After all, the granting of right locks the schools to the league because if any school were to leave it would not take with it complete control of its media rights.

If anything, the Big 12 may go on the offensive and look to expand its membership back to 12 teams or perhaps even more. That’s been the hottest rumor of late, with Clemson and Florida State taking the lead. If there’s any truth at all to those rumors, which I’m still trying to decipher, then it’s clear that the ACC is in a precarious position, as well.

Here are a couple of links that cover the topic of FSU and Clemson to the Big 12:

http://cemetery-hill.com/2012-articles/may/details-of-rumored-big-12-expansion-with-clemson-a-fsu-emerge.html

http://saturdayblitz.com/2012/05/05/clemson-florida-state-big-12-rumor-should-put-other-conferences-on-guard/

http://kansascity.sbnation.com/2012/5/10/3011549/florida-state-big-12-expansion-seminoles-rumors-clemson

One thing that continues to force me to scratch my head is how, or perhaps why, Louisville has fallen off the map? Remember, not long ago, Louisville was deemed by most as the next most likely candidate to join the Big 12 after TCU and West Virginia were added last fall. Heck, Louisville nearly jumped in line ahead of West Virginia.

I’m not saying it’s a sure thing that Louisville is going to join the Big 12. But I’d give the Cardinals as much of a shot as Clemson or Florida State. In fact, I think you could make as strong a case for Rutgers (think New York market) and Louisville to be the Big 12’s 11th and 12th teams as you could for Clemson and FSU.

For one, the Big East is in peril and even though it continues to point toward “a bright future,” some of the teams it’s adding simply are not that attractive. Two, with the BCS set to undergo major changes and the concept of automatic-qualifiers hanging in the balance, some of those schools that looked at joining the Big East for the easier road to BCS gold might elect to back out while there’s still time. The most obvious example of that would be Boise State.

I’ve been told all along and over and over that the Big 12 is content with 10 teams and does not see any reason to expand, therein spreading the television revenue thinner. So until I hear otherwise, I’m going to stick with that. Sources continue to say that the league is happy with its current membership, but there is the belief that if the right teams came along and were interested the Big 12 would consider expansion.

Either way, with new leadership in place and the league determined to never again go through what it went through these past two summers, it only makes sense that the Big 12 would look into being more proactive this time around — just in case.

Many out there, including the blog below, are convinced that the league will add at least two more teams sometime this summer. I can’t say that would surprise me. Then again, after what I’ve seen and heard during the past two years, nothing would surprise me when it comes to conference realignment.

http://jugofsnyder.com/2012/05/09/big-12-to-expand-back-to-12-by-summers-end/

Stay tuned...

And while you do, here are a couple of quick-hitters that I’ll continue to be tracking as we head into the summer.

• The Big 12 spring meetings will begin May 30 in Kansas City, Mo. These meetings were hot during the past two summers and it’s possible — extremely likely, even — that the topic of expansion will be kicked around quite a bit during the meetings. I’ll be over there.

• The contract of acting commissioner Chuck Neinas expires on June 30.

• TCU and West Virginia officially will be added to the conference in July. • Why would ACC schools Clemson and FSU be interested in joining the Big 12? As was the case in 2011, the ACC’s football schools are rumored to be tired of the conference catering to basketball powers North Carolina and Duke and adding hoops schools Syracuse and Pitt.

• BYU is not dead in all of this. Neither is Notre Dame. Yes, Notre Dame.

• As it stands today, Florida State is the key piece in all of this expansion talk and the Seminoles will have to be the ones who come calling. The Big 12 will not go to them. Similarly, Clemson will not even look west without knowing that Florida State is doing the same. I’ve heard that FSU wants in but wants the Big 12 to expand to 14 and would like the conference to consider adding Miami, Georgia Tech and possibly others instead of the Big East bunch.

ku_fbc_media_receivers.jpg

OK, so we now know — whether we agree with the NCAA’s decision or not — that Kansas University sophomore wide receiver Justin McCay, a transfer from Oklahoma, will have to sit out the 2012 season and will not be eligible to play again until 2013, when he’ll be a junior.

It’s a tough break for McCay, for sure, but it does not cripple the KU offense. Not at all.

Based on what they did this spring, along with what they’ve done in the past, it looks as if seniors D.J. Beshears, Daymond Patterson and Kale Pick will be three of the guys who catch passes from Dayne Crist this fall.

The question now becomes — who will join them? I had thought all along that McCay would be that guy, but now that he’s out, let’s look at some other candidates, in no particular order.

• Christian Matthews, 6-1, 200, junior
Former quarterback still making the adjustment to wide receiver. Had a quiet spring, but his big springs of the past never carried over into the season. Could the opposite be true this fall for the bigger, more polished wideout?

• Chris Omigie, 6-4, 202, junior
Could this be the year that Omigie becomes a legit option in the passing game? If that question sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Omigie always has looked the part, but has had a hard time delivering at gametime. Weis’ offense has always treated tall targets well.

• Josh Ford, 6-4, 195, junior
Big, fast, athletic target who attacks the ball in the air. I think he gains the most from the McCay news and his is a name KU fans should learn quickly.

• Erick McGriff, 6-1, 214, junior
Familiar face, but I didn’t hear his name much this spring and he didn’t show up on the initial depth chart.

• JaCorey Shepherd, 5-11, 185, sophomore
Had a solid freshman season when KU needed someone to step up. Listed third at his position on the pre-spring depth chart, but has a ton of talent and confidence.

• Andrew Turzilli, 6-3, 185, sophomore
Could very well be on the verge of breaking through. So far, Turzilli pretty much has only played in mop-up time, but he’s caught darn near everything thrown his way when he’s been in there.

• Ricki Herod, 6-2, 190, sophomore
Third year in the program, but has yet to make a name for himself.

• Connor Embree, 5-10, 186, sophomore
The son of Colorado coach Jon Embree is more out of the mold of Patterson and Beshears, which will make playing time tough to come by until they’re gone.

• Tre Parmalee, 5-10, 160, freshman
With this much depth, the Bishop Miege High prospect known for sensational route-running is a likely red-shirt candidate unless the coaching staff believes he can help on special teams.

For those still with me, I’ll leave you with a little treat — a percentage wheel regarding which KU receiver on this list will make the biggest impact for the KU offense this season.

1. Josh Ford -- 36%
   
2. Christian Matthews -- 25%
   
3. Chris Omigie -- 18%
   
4. JaCorey Shepherd -- 14%
   
5. Other -- 7%
   

The Jayhawks sing the Alma Mater before the band and the student section following the Spring Game on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at Kivisto Field. by Nick Krug

After weeks — perhaps months — of anticipation, the first spring football game under Kansas University coach Charlie Weis has come and gone and, judging by the general opinion of the dozens of people that I spoke with in the hours since Saturday’s game ended, most liked what they saw.

Toss me into that group, but understand that it’s always a dangerous thing to read too much into what happens or does not happen at a school’s spring football game.

Remember, Christian Matthews had been the star of the previous two spring games but never really did much during either season that followed. Matthews made next to no noise on Saturday so maybe that’s a good sign for the upcoming season. Then again, maybe it’s not.

Anyway, after taking some time to soak up what I saw, here’s a look back at a few quick-hitters that caught my eye from Saturday’s spring game.

Kansas receiver Kale Pick takes off with the ball after a catch during the second half of the Spring Game on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at Kivisto Field. by Nick Krug

• I really liked what I saw from senior wide receiver Kale Pick. We already knew about Pick’s blocking and how much pride he takes in that. Its effectiveness was on display again during D.J. Beshears’ 28-yard touchdown run on a reverse. But what we had not really seen in the past was what a weapon Pick can be catching the ball. We did Saturday. QBs Dayne Crist and Jake Heaps looked his way a lot and Pick caught everything thrown at him, including the 46-yard flea-flicker completion that wowed the crowd. Now that KU has a strong-armed reliable QB with experience in the pocket, I think Pick’s value and production both will sky-rocket this season.

Kansas receiver Daymond Patterson is pushed out of bounds for an incomplete pass by safety Victor Simmons during the first half of the Spring Game on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at Kivisto Field. by Nick Krug

• I’ll admit it. I’m guilty. After having him sit out nearly the entire 2011 season, I forgot just how talented senior wide receiver Daymond Patterson was. I was reminded Saturday. Often. Patterson brings a different dimension to the position, a wiggleness of sorts, that’s hard to coach and even harder to coach against. It was awesome seeing DP back out there again, and I’m sure Crist felt the same way.

• Speaking of KU’s receivers, the big days from Pick, Patterson and Beshears made me believe that the KU offense will be OK no matter what the NCAA decides regarding sophomore transfer Justin McCay’s eligibility this week. Of course, it would be awesome for KU to have McCay out there — both for the offense and for the young man himself — but if he is not given his hardship waiver and therefore has to sit out a year, KU’s offense will be fine. I’ll feel for McCay, as I do think he deserves the waiver, but the Jayhawks have a lot of weapons in the passing game, with or without him.

• Tight end Jimmay Mundine might very well be one of those weapons, and I thought Mundine showed some good things on Saturday. He did also fumble, though, which is pretty much in line with the inconsistency that the young, talented tight end has shown since arriving at KU. It looked like Crist liked Mundine and felt comfortable going to him over the middle, and that certainly will give Mundine a leg up in the race to become KU’s starting tight end. But he didn’t show me enough for me to feel that he’s the clear-cut No. 1. Mundine definitely will have to hold off newcomers Mike Ragone, Charles Brooks and Jordan Smith, and you know each one will be gunning for him. The good news here is, if KU wants to show a couple of two-tight-end sets (which they will, at times), they appear to have the personnel to do so.

Kansas running back James Sims tries to stiff arm defensive end Toben Opurum during the second half of the Spring Game on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at Kivisto Field. by Nick Krug

• Props to junior tailback James Sims for running hard behind KU’s second-string offensive line all day, but the emergence of Marquis Jackson (10 carries, 76 yards and 3 TDs) might signify even more bad news for KU’s former starter, who lost his spot atop the depth chart after an off-the-field incident. Sims is not the kind of guy to sulk or quit, so I was not surprised to see him running hard, trying to prove himself again. But with Tony Pierson ready to explode, Jackson coming on and Brandon Bourbon, Taylor Cox and Tevin Shaw still in the fold, things are awfully crowded at running back for KU, and sitting out three games to serve a suspension to start the season won’t do Sims any good.

• Tough to say too much about the play of KU’s defense on Saturday. Sure, they shut down the white squad, almost entirely, but had they not, that would have been bigger news. That said, plenty of people not named Michael Reynolds (3 sacks, 5 tackles) made some plays for the KU D. Junior cornerback Tyler Patmon made a couple of nice pass break-ups, breaking on the ball and timing it perfectly each time. And safeties Bradley McDougald and Lubbock Smith each made their presence known a time or two, as well. I don’t remember Crist or Heaps throwing at senior cornerback Greg Brown. Is that a sign of respect or just coincidence?

Kansas cornerback Tyler Patmon breaks up a pass to receiver Chris Omigie during the first half of the Spring Game on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at Kivisto Field. by Nick Krug

• Finally, it was good to see junior place kicker Ron Doherty knock every kick he attempted through the uprights. Doherty was 1-for-1 on field goals and 6-for-6 on PATs. Although he has not had a fantastic spring, he appears to be the starting place kicker, and I doubt he gives up the job.

There’s still plenty to take away from the spring and even more to look ahead to this summer, so be sure to check back with KUsports.com often throughout the next few months as we continue to track and countdown the days to KU’s first season under Weis.

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Tuesday night, Kansas University football coach Charlie Weis announced the results of a team-wide vote for this year's captains.

Under normal circumstances, Weis' teams typically have two captains — one for offense and one for defense — but with this year's offensive vote being so close between quarterback Dayne Crist and offensive lineman Tanner Hawkinson, Weis chose to allow both seniors to become captains.

The timing of Weis' decision to select team captains coincides directly with a couple of recent off-the-field issues that led to suspensions or dismissals.

Following Tuesday's practice, all three captains spoke to the media. Here are a few more nuggets from those interviews that did not make today's main story:

Tanner Hawkinson on Dayne Crist:
“He’s worked himself into a position to be a leader of the team. Obviously, you always look at the quarterback position as being a leader and he did a really good job with that. He came in and worked his tail off and people kind of saw that and he slowly gained the respect of the guys.”

Crist on having 3 captains instead of 2:
“It’s great that you can get multiple voices saying the same message. I think that just kind of helps reach out to all the guys on the team, especially with off-the-field stuff.”

Hawkinson on the role of KU’s captains:
“I think we need to be those guys, not only for the young guys to let them know what’s expected, but also for the rest of the team to make sure they’re doing things right.”

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Toben Opurum on being named a captain:
“It’s really an honor that the guys are confident in me to lead this team, along with Dayne and Tanner.”

Hawkinson on experienced players such as Daymond Patterson, Kale Pick and Bradley McDougald:
“To me, they could easily have been chosen as captains, as well. Just with the experience they’ve had and how they’ve grown over the years.”

Crist on Opurum:
“He and I just very well, just naturally, even off the field. We’ve got a cool relationship and he’s a good guy so it’s nice being around guys like that. We bounce stuff off each other all the time. We bounce stuff off each other all the time and we’re always picking each other’s brains so it’s nice to have a guy on defense as a counterpart that you can kind of go at and talk kind of some upper-level thinking.”

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Hawkinson on Opurum:
“Toben’s been great on defense and he’s going to be a great leader for the defense. He’s a great player and a great competitor.”

Opurum on if being a captain for Charlie Weis brings more pressure:
“A bit, but that’s something that I’ve always done naturally. I haven’t had any off-the-field issues and if something’s about to happen I’m usually there to stop it, whether I’m a captain or not.”

Crist on Hawkinson:
“He’s a leader. He’s absolutely a leader on and off the field. A guy who has been here for a while and seen a lot. He’s been through multiple coaching changes and has been a team guy always and I have a ton of respect for him. Obviously, the team feels the same way.”

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The Jayhawks rush the field as they watch a field goal from kicker Ron Doherty to end practice on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at Memorial Stadium. by Nick Krug

Yesterday, you were treated to an inside look at the way in which Kansas University football coach Charlie Weis conducts himself during a typical practice.

Weis was equal parts intense, funny and genuine and did not seem to hold anything back just because he let the media in for the entire on-the-field practice.

We spent a lot of time yesterday focusing on what Weis looked, sounded and acted like during Thursday’s early-morning practice, but we didn’t give you much of a look at the players themselves.

In order to fulfill the football fix aspect of our day at practice, here are a couple of things that stood out to me:

• Toben Opurum opened the practice working with the linebackers while Michael Reynolds began the practice working with the D-Line. This was no surprise, but it showed just how much of a hybrid the position that these two guys play is. Linebackers coach DeMontie Cross said earlier last week that he and defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt typically work out the plan ahead of time and then they end up splitting time working with Opurum and Reynolds.

Dayne Crist, front right, and the quarterbacks work on handoff drills with running backs during a morning practice on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at Memorial Stadium. by Nick Krug

• Quarterbacks Dayne Crist and Jake Heaps might as well have been playing HORSE out there. It was just a small portion of Thursday’s practice and it was more of a showcase for the wide receivers and defensive backs, but still, Crist and Heaps stole at least some of the show. Both have such strong arms and such tall and powerful deliveries that it was a joy to watch them just flick the ball downfield for the receivers and DBs to make a play on it. Tom Keegan spent more time watching this than I did and he said that every deep ball that Crist threw was right on the money. That’s encouraging. What’s not is the number of those deep balls that were dropped. No need to worry too much there, though. For one thing, the wide receiver position is deep and there are plenty of guys who will be given a shot to step up. Two, there’s still plenty of time to practice and work on that stuff, including the entire summer, a time that’s known for helping QBs and pass catchers develop a connection.

• This coaching staff is not messing around with special teams. Clint Bowen is a great special teams coordinator — he had offers to coach that unit in the NFL but turned them down — and he takes a lot of pride in making sure all of the special teams are well drilled and mistake-free. You could see that in the way the entire coaching staff rode the players during special teams drills on Thursday. They expect this to be an area where KU has an advantage every game. What’s more, it looks like they’ll be more than comfortable using first-string guys from the offense and the defense to play key roles on special teams if needed.

• One other special teams note of little surprise: Daymond Patterson, D.J. Beshears, Bradley McDougald and Connor Embree handle most of the punt return reps.

• It really is a thing of beauty to watch Tim Grunhard coach the offensive line. There’s just something about a guy that big who played that position at such a high level teaching these young guys how to do it. Very little of what I saw from Grunhard on Thursday was technical stuff — though we have seen some of that during the early portion of other practices we’ve been to — but it was still cool to watch him stalking the linemen he coaches like a predator waiting to pounce on them if they make a mistake. And, in this case, a mistake could be something as simple as not getting your knees up high enough while warming up. Look, if Ringo Starr came up to me and said I was hitting the snare drum a little too hard, I’d probably pull back. Same kind of deal here.

Offensive line coach Tim Grunhard works with his players during a morning practice on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at Memorial Stadium. by Nick Krug

• This coaching staff is not lacking for energy, but Dave Campo and DeMontie Cross might be the two most energized coaches out there. Clint Bowen and Rob Ianello are right behind them, but it’s tough to beat Campo’s pep and Cross’ bounce.

• The kicking game needs work. Both place kickers, Alex Mueller and Ron Doherty, struggled to make mid-range kicks with very little rush and next to no pressure. That’s not a huge surprise, as neither guy was able to prove he was the clear-cut man for the job last season, but you can bet that this will be an area Weis and company pay close attention to during the offseason. I don’t think they’re interested in giving points away.

• One other thing that stands out when watching this coaching staff in action? Brutal honesty. There were times, after guys did a drill wrong or missed an assignment, where the coaches just flat out said, “Hey, man, you won’t play if you do it like that.” And they’re not afraid to get after guys with some harsh language — as it should be; it’s football — but they don’t ever do it in a way that makes you feel like they’re trying to show anyone up. That’s a good thing in my opinion and can be the difference between guys wanting to bleed and sweat for you or wanting to tune you out. These coaches are hard on these guys but they’re hard on them because they want them to improve not because they enjoy being jerks.

We get one more look at this team on Tuesday (albeit a brief 20-minute look) and then it’s on to the spring game next Saturday.

In case you missed it, here’s the format for the spring game, which figures to be one of the most competitive — and most attended — spring games in years.

The morning sky brightens over Memorial Stadium as the Jayhawks watch over special teams practice on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at Memorial Stadium. by Nick Krug

Kansas University football coach Charlie Weis pulled back the curtain on Thursday morning’s practice, allowing members of the media to observe an actual practice for a little more than an hour.

The session began promptly at 6 a.m. and when it wrapped just after 7:15, those in attendance walked away with a better understanding of what Weis’ coaching style is all about.

From the look of things, the first-year head coach who was hired in December did not hold anything back. From honest assessments of individual players’ efforts to an extremely organized practice schedule and eyes that did not miss a single thing in front of him or behind him, Weis ran his team through an hour-long session that started earlier than normal because of the Kansas Relays.

Kansas head coach Charlie Weis laughs with his son Charlie Weis Jr. during a morning practice on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at Memorial Stadium. by Nick Krug

Here’s a quick blow-by-blow report of how Weis works during KU’s practices:

5:52 a.m.
As a group of half a dozen reporters and photographers hang out by the Memorial Stadium gate waiting for the all clear, Weis approaches on a golf cart. He goes over the logistics of the day’s schedule and takes time to point out the portions that might be most interesting and fun to watch. According to him, that’s the 2-spot drill, in which wide receivers and defensive backs go one-on-one on one end of the field while the linebackers and offensive linemen do a variation on the old “Oklahoma drill” in which the lineman is asked to block the backer long enough for his running back to score. After the quick tips, Weis talks about how he had a sleepless night and kept looking at the clock every hour. He specifically points out that he was wide awake at 2:55 a.m. anticipating the early practice.

6:00 a.m.
Weis: “Go ‘head, Scott.”

The first horn sounds and KU strength coach Scott Holsopple starts screaming. His bark, at this point in time, is tame but plenty loud as he leads the Jayhawks through 12 minutes or warm-up running and stretches.

6:06 a.m.
One member of the media arrives at the southwest gate a little late. Explicit instructions were handed out weeks ago and on them it stated that anyone arriving after 6:00 would not be let in. As one KU media relations staff member decided to allow entry to the tardy party, Weis, from around midfield, throws his arms into the air and then looks down at his watch. The man sees everything.

6:12 a.m.
Three minutes of team warm-ups. It’s a shorter, faster version of the stretching and involves more stuff like sprinting over bags and around cones. As the action unfolds around him, Weis stands right in the thick of it, screaming, “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go,” and “Gooood morning. Wooooooo.”

6:16 a.m.
From the middle of the field, Weis keeps his head on a swivel and takes in all of the position drills. At one point, while watching the linebackers work on dropping into pass coverage, Weis gets on linebackers coach DeMontie Cross for the way he’s throwing the errant passes.

“Is this the bad ball drill,” Weis asks, not expecting an answer. “That’s what it looks like to me.”

Cross’ passes improve.

6:22 a.m.
Another horn marks the beginning of another drill, this one takes a little more time to set up and, although he’s not the one throwing the cones down onto the field, Weis is orchestrating the whole thing.

“The ball’s on the 25 so set the cones up there (points to the 20).”

When a little confusion sets in, a manager attempts to move the cones.

“No, the cones are right. Come on.”

Two minutes later, the drill begins. “We ready to roll,” asks Weis, a hint of displeasure over the wasted minutes leaking through.

6:25 a.m.
During the Oklahoma drill, Weis stands between the two groups and turns his body to watch each side go. Good comedy comes from this, as Weis has plenty of commentary for plenty of players, most of it brutally honest.

“That’s easy to do when you weigh 150 pounds more than him,” Weis tells senior offensive lineman Duane Zlatnik after a pancake block on linebacker Huldon Tharp.

“Come on, Marquis. Run with some power,” he tells wide-receiver-turned running back Marquis Jackson after Jackson’s first turn carrying the ball.

Later, to one of his staff members, he bluntly states, “Do me a favor with the match-ups so we don’t have to have him in there. It’s a waste of breath.”

Finally, after a less-than-impressive effort by an offensive lineman, Weis yells, “You’re probably the best towel-waver in the place. I’ve heard you’re really good at that.”

Most of the rest of what Weis says cannot be printed.

6:30 a.m.
Weis stops the Oklahoma drill to instruct. This takes all of 30 seconds but is critical in his eyes and it’s clear that he would’ve spent 3 minutes or 30 minutes if it were necessary. It wasn’t.

6:31 a.m.
Back into the drill.

6:33 a.m.
Another horn sounds and Weis shifts to special teams drills. The Jayhawks spend the rest of the practice working on special teams. This includes kickoff and punt return, kickoff and punt coverage and field goals.

The field goal kickers had a rough day, missing quite a few. Weis is not pleased. After one miss, the KU coach barks, “You’ve got one job to do. Put it through the uprights. Don’t gimme close.”

6:40 a.m.
Although practice is now in the hands of his assistant coaches — special teams coordinator Clint Bowen is running the drills but nearly every other assistant coach is very hands-on during the process — Weis still controls the show. As he walks slowly toward the action from the far sideline, his booming voice fills the empty stadium that now is partially lit by stadium lights and partially lit by the rising sun.

Dayne Crist, front right, and the quarterbacks work on handoff drills with running backs during a morning practice on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at Memorial Stadium. by Nick Krug

6:45 a.m.
Punt return. Senior Daymond Patterson lets a punt get past him and hears about it. “I know it’s a knuckle ball, Daymond, but you still gotta get back,” Weis says.

6:45 a.m.
“Good coverage, McCay,” Weis shouts toward sophomore wide receiver Justin McCay, who stops in his tracks and is unsure of whether he should run over to his coach or run off to the other sideline to fall in line. Weis repeats himself, McCay nods and then sprints to the other sideline.

6:47 a.m.
“Let’s Gooooooo,” Weis bellows, clearly agitated by the fact that the next group is not ready in a timely manner.

7:09 a.m.
It’s time for the final drill, a field goal kick with no line and no rush. Kicker Ron Doherty, long snapper Justin Carnes and holder Blake Jablonski are called to the 34-yard line at the north end of the stadium. As Jablonski sets in his spot, Weis stands three feet away. Talk about pressure. It’s a 44-yard field goal with nothing on the line, but it means everything. As Doherty goes into his routine, Weis calls timeout to ice him. Doherty’s teammates laugh hysterically.

7:13 a.m.
A few minutes later, Doherty’s back out there. No timeout this time. Just a kick. And a miss. The KU players were ready to rush their kicker in celebration but the miss sends them back to the sideline. Doherty makes the next one and a mini-celebration ensues. Not good enough, Weis says.

“When you win a football game, there’s supposed to be a celebration that looks like a celebration,” he screams. “And that was a pile of crap. I believe in practicing everything, including winning. That’s what this is all about. This isn’t about you guys jacking around over here, this is about third game of the season, you’re sitting here 2-0, you’re playing TCU, you haven’t won a conference game in eight years and you hit a field goal to win the game. Act that way.”

7:15 a.m.
With Weis’ words fresh in their minds, the team watches Doherty’s next kick with a little extra interest. Doherty makes the kick and a full celebration follows. Doherty is dog piled near the spot where he kicked the ball, water bottles are emptied onto his head and the Jayhawks form a tight circle and jump up and down celebrating the mythical victory.

Next practice: Tuesday.

Kicker Ron Doherty gets a bath from Tyler Patmon (33) and others following a made field goal to end practice on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at Memorial Stadium. by Nick Krug