The NFL Snags Four Jayhawks in the Draft

Aqib Talib / credit: www.annependleton.com

A lot of KU football fans tuned in to ESPN's NFL draft coverage this weekend and as predicted, Aqib Talib's name was called in the first round as the 20th pick overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. A nice pay day for one of our favorite Jayhawks.

Day two took a little more patience as Anthony Collins slid to the fourth round in the tackle-heavy draft. What can I say? We would have really enjoyed another year of AC, but we certainly understand the reasons for jumping. Offensive line isn't the safest position to try to make it through a full college season without an injury.

A nice surprise occurred just 20 picks later as Derek Fine was taken in the fourth round as well by the Buffalo Bills. Again, I love to our Jayhawks rewarded for all of the work they put in.

Marcus Henry was the final Jayhawk selected but again went slightly earlier than anticipated at 171 in the sixth round to the Jets. Brandon Rideau is still playing on Sunday, so I certainly feel like Henry as a similar type wideout could become a solid receiver in the NFL.

Once the draft ended, the action wasn't quite over as Brandon McAnderson signed a free agent contract with St. Louis. James McClinton is talking to some teams and should get a free agent contract as well.

So, the four-player KU draft ends up being the best since 1996. I think that says quite a bit right there. Plus, when you are over on the KUsports.com site next season, it's likely you'll see twice the number of players in the "'Hawks in the NFL" module.

Round 1
20. Aqib Talib / Tampa Bay

Round 4
112. Anthony Collins / Cincinnati
132. Derek Fine / Buffalo

Round 6
171. Marcus Henry / New York Jets

Free Agents
Brandon McAnderson / St. Louis
James McClinton / Available for destruction of interior O-lines

Update on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 06:44PM by DJ Goodwin

See new post -- James McClinton is getting a tryout with the Chiefs.

Big 12 Recruiting Map

Here's a nice little tool that maps out Big 12 recruiting. Check it out:

Big 12 Google Map

Be sure and click on the pins. You'll see a player photo, quote and vitals. Cool stuff.

2008 Big 12 Spring Game Attendance

I've been holding onto this data for a while. Texas Tech and Baylor never panned out and Iowa State took a pretty good search. Anyway, this is how it shakes out (see below) for what has become a significant recruiting tool. I was disappointed with the 10k for KU, but I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that re-scheduling the game for a Monday night after a national championship parade may have had some effect* -- not to mention the weather.  If you compare last year's figures, you can see that the numbers are escalating for spring games across the Big 12. From a recruiting perspective, KU football fans are going to have to step it up. Having the game later in April would certainly help, but it seems like an annual nightmare getting the game scheduled around the KU Relays. Still, the main consideration -- this ranks as the largest crowd for a KU spring game to date and it's grown every year under Mark Mangino.

 1. Nebraska: 80,149 (54,288)
 2. Texas:43,000 (42,500)
 3. Texas A&M: 32,000 (24,212)
 4. Missouri: 26,322 (10,000)
 5. Oklahoma: 23,306 (21,020)
 6. Colorado: 17,800 (5,800)
 7. Kansas State: 15,532 (16,732)
 8. Oklahoma State: 15,000 (15,000)
 9. Kansas: 10,000 (8,200)
10. Iowa State: 8,000 (7,000)
11. Texas Tech: 6k-14k** (3,000)
12. Baylor: no data (sparse crowd)

(2007 attendance)

*As previously reported, our own Hawk Digest intern was on his sixth day out of the last ten in Lawrence for the Monday night spring game.
**Message board reports

Wednesday Recycle: Two-Deep, U.S. vs BCS, No-Huddle and More

Wood Scoops the Two-Deep | Ryan Wood had a nice article on the newly-released KU football depth chart this morning. One thing is missing -- the chart itself. I'll just take it that Wood assumes KU football fans already have the two deep all worked out.

Congress vs the BCS | When this SI.com article came through the feed last week, the only thing that surprised me was that Missouri didn't have a representative involved. The only thing more ridiculous than having the federal government waste time on this will be the inevitable conclusion -- a finding that the BCS system is in complete compliance with the law.

The Great Advantage | There've been a number articles on this one, but I'll reference the LJW story. It looks like seven teams will now be looking to the sidelines for the playcall in the Big 12. KSU, Colorado, Baylor and Oklahoma join Mizzou, KU and OSU on this trend. Having the coach call the audible from the sky is pretty much a no-brainer. I hope Clint Bowen is the first to adapt -- you can't run the defense that you show.

Defense Wins Championships | A good read yesterday from UDK reporter Asher Fusco on the spring game performance. Fusco notes the stellar defensive performance. Hopefully this experienced unit can carry the team until we get the offensive tackles lined out and the running backs rolling.

OSU Offer Letter | I caught this over on EDSBS after the great real estate controversy, but I've seen it all around the boards. You can't believe everything you find on the internet, but this looks valid to me.

Note the LSUfreek credit.

2008 Border War Arrowhead Map

Please discuss ...

Mangino vs EDSBS

If you've got some time to kill and a really nice wheel mouse, you may want check out the EDSBS account of ... oh hell, I don't even know how to describe it. Let's just call it "Mark Mangino's real estate agent requesting a photo of his house for sale to be removed from college football blog."

Sounds like quite a run-in. It truly is the offseason.

My Arrowhead Border War Ticket Request Form Arrived

Steps in the Right Direction

On Saturday, I received my KU/Missouri ticket application. I'm not going to say everything is golden and that the event issues have clearly been ironed out. What I do see in the letter I received is recognition of some of the major issues and attempts to improve the 2008 version.

Probably, the best move is that the ticket selection for the game is part of the select-a-seat process for season tickets -- sort of. Citing time issues, you'll only be able to select a section and rows, but I believe they are hoping to have your actual seat locations for you before you leave the select-a-seat event (that's the way I read it anyway). The end result -- despite dropping my WEF contribution from $1100 to $100 this year, I bet that I'm going enjoy my Arrowhead seat location much better this year.

The second critical issue is that they are promising KU parking lots. From the letter:

"If you pre-order your parking AND enter the specific designated gates on game day, you will be allocated and parked in "school sensitive" lots. There are several issues to be worked out, but we can assure you that the parking ordered on this application will be in a KU lot."

Hey, you had me at "enter specific designated gates."

Probably the biggest dissappointment would be that the player tunnel will once again be controlled by MU fans. Literally, KU players can probably get less abuse as they enter the field at Faurot Field. This is one of those things that is just so basic that I never would have thought to bring it up if I had been asked for pre-planning requirements. It's a simple formula -- home fans get the tunnel. Mizzou got it last year, so I thought they might correct it this year. The Arrowhead map shows otherwise. Oh well, maybe it's best for the Jayhawks to get a taste of what MU is all about right before they hit the field.

Visitor for the Spring Game

This one slipped by me. Earlier this week Ryan Greene reported in his blog that four-star Rockhurst QB Nathan Scheelhaase was a visitor at the spring game. I like the idea of a four-star QB.

Recruiting Update: Tyler Patmon, Jordan Webb

Time to catch up on the growing 2009 recruiting class. In the most recent news, Kansas landed a commitment from Texas defensive back Tyler Patmon (5/11/180) yesterday. In addition, KU added Union, MO quarterback Jordan Webb back on April 12. Webb is 6-0, 204. Along with RB Deshaun Sands the 2009 class already has three members.

2009 Recruits

OFFENSE
Hdr/PS   Player/Location/Ht/Wt/40/Signed
40-QB -- Jordan Webb/Union, MO -- 6-0/204 -- 4/12/2008

38-RB -- Deshaun Sands/Coconut Creek, FLA -- 5-9/175/4.5 -- 4/10/2008

DEFENSE
Hdr/PS  Player/Location/Ht/Wt/40/Signed
12-DB --Tyler Patmon/Cedar Park,TX -- 5-11/180 -- 4/17/2008

Hdr = Hawk Digest Rating

Still More Spring Game

Spring game swag item #2 -- pocket schedule

Spring game starters from my notes (accuracy not guaranteed)

• O-Line: LT Darton, LG Mayes, C Capra, RG Hartley, RT Wolfe
• Backfield: QB Reesing, RB Sharp
• Targets: Wilson, Herford, Fields, Briscoe
• D-Line: Brorsen, Johnson Jr, Haselhorst, Onyegbule
• LBs: Springer, Rivera, Oguntodu (they say he is a safety, so it may have been a nickel package)
• DBs: Harris, Strozier, Stuckey, Harper
• Special: Kicker-Hoge, Punter-Meier, Returners-Lewis, Murphy, Barfield

Comment for the day

Listing the top wide receivers--Wilson, Herford, Fields, Briscoe, Meier, Pendleton and Harris Jr, it sure looks like this unit could do some damage in 2008. If Herford could become a legitimate go-to guy, things get pretty crazy. If Briscoe eliminates the two drops per game, it may be his final season. Of course, Dexton is quietly awesome as always.

More KU Spring Game Notes

 
Official KU Spring Game 2008 Swag -- The T-Shirt

Notes Part II

• I still don't get the yellow stone on the new football facility. It clashes with the stadium otherwise, it's looks like a first class building. The HD intern reported that the University was allowed to choose the look of the exterior. No confirmation on that, but as you walk down the stairs between the facility and the southwest end of the stadium it creates a nice closed in environment.
• The practice fields. I suppose there will be a few complaints about how they kind of fill up your view from the west side of the stands. Not the greatest looking structure in the world. Still, it used to be a parking lot, so no big change. Plus, they really give the impression of a program that is serious about football (which we are).
• I'm getting pretty excited about the defense. The big losses were Talib and McClinton. Richard Johnson Jr. looks like he will be an immediate impact player. With the way the white team d-line played, it's looking like we have eight guys that are legitimate Big 12 d-lineman. As for corner, Chris Harris and Kendrick Harper seem really comfortable. I'm not seeing much of a drop off. Barfield and Webb look like the #2's and frankly, they've both got potential.
• Think about the players with have for the d-line: Brorsen, Larson, Haselhorst, Johnson Jr, Greene, Blakesly, Laptad, Wheeler, Onyegbule. Really, it could be a special year -- we know who is playing behind them. 
• The game had the feel that the blue team O-line kind of wore down the white team d-line in the second half. A good sign.
• At one point, the blue team ran AQ to the right three straight plays. AQ got good tough yards on the first two and gave you the feeling that we'll be okay with out B-Mac. Jake Schermer showed his experience and blew up the third attempt. This all happened around the 10 yard line. Blue ended up missing a field goal, so a big play for Schermer.
• I showed that Darton and Wolfe started at the tackles. It's certainly not bad to go with your most experienced players on the edges. 

2008 KU Spring Game

Notes

• Is it already time to give Clint Bowen an extension?
• Yep, the defense looked good, but nothing new was shown on either side of the ball. Not surprising, but I'm dying to know how both Bowen and EW will stay ahead of the curve in 2008.
• It looked like a solid 10k to me. The KC Star seemed skeptical, but they're probably just grumpy because they've spent the last week in Lawrence. The Hawk Digest intern was thinking 12k. We might as well round up to 20k.
• Kerry Meier can play football. Looked like he played two straight hours last night. QB for white and WR for blue. Plus, he didn't look too bad punting.
• Todd Reesing suffered a few drops and had a few inaccurate throws, but his footspeed appears to be back. He looked quick running the ball
• A.J. Steward was the third QB in. Looked good on a pass to Gary Green II. Looked inaccurate throwing on the run. Chris Harris should have had a pick on him. Steward looked very good running.
• Kale Pick played quite a bit as well for white and really looked pretty comfortable.
• It would have been nice to hand the keys to the blue team for Steward and Pick for one series.
• Oh yeah, Meier was good at QB. The reality is he is good QB and could start for a number of schools.

To be continued ...