Haverkamp Likes Georgia

Former Lineman Takes A Few Shots at KU and Reagan

I'm not too wild about the tone of former KU lineman Scott Haverkamp's comments in this article on Topix.

"For whatever reason, I didn't think that I was really getting the fair shot I deserved for playing time,' Haverkamp said. 'I thought it was best for me to go find a new home for me to play football, so I decided to go to a JUCO."

Haverkamp tranferred to Butler County after two years with the Jayhawks. I'd love to hear John Reagan's side of the story on this particular player. Especially considering how Haverkamp was paraphrased in this part of the article:

"He credits Butler coach Troy Morrell for helping him improve his blocking technique and lower his pad level, making him into a better lineman than he had been as a Jayhawk."

Of course, sometimes things just don't work out, but it'll be interesting to see how his career goes at Georgia. Despite the apparent negative attitude toward KU, I wish him good luck as a Kansas guy and a former Jayhawk.

"Are You A Player?"

Quote From Petro Applies to KU Football

During the lunch drive yesterday, I was listening to Soren Petro on 810 talk about the Kansas basketball team and questions about their heart. I thought he had a quote that applied to the football team:

"Are you just out there wearing the uniform or are you a player? Because players go out and win games."

For the 6-6 football team, there was a lot of talk last year about coaching errors and mistakes by young, inexperienced players. A lot of that is valid, but I'd sure like to move beyond the "excuses" stage next year and just flat out win the games. We've been talking about breaking through since 2004. It's time to be players and get it done.

Recruiting Follow-up: History for the Big 12 North

Big 12 North Recruiting 2002-2007
	KU				KSU				MU				NU				CU				ISU
Stars	5	4	3		5	4	3		5	4	3		5	4	3		5	4	3		5	4	3
2007	0	1	13		0	3	14		0	4	15		0	12	16		1	2	14		0	1	5
2006	0	4	16		0	2	11		0	1	12		1	5	15		0	0	14		0	0	15
2005	0	2	16		0	3	14		0	1	17		2	11	12		0	1	15		0	2	9
2004	0	0	7		0	5	11		0	5	4		0	2	11		0	1	8		0	1	10
2003	0	2	14		0	4	8		0	4	15		0	4	12		0	5	18		0	0	12
2002	0	1	8		2	4	19		0	6	12		1	5	8		1	7	19		0	6	8

Rating Source: Rivals.com

Updated Kansas Recruiting History Table

2007 KU Football Class is Growing

Here is an updated look at how the 2007 Kansas recruiting class compares to prior classes. From the Scout.com side they have not yet entered wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe into their database. Most likely they'll have him as a two-star, though his Cedar Hill, TX teammate William Cole is rated as a four-star. KU is still in the running for Cole who is believed to have taken a visit to OSU over the past weekend. Signing day is Wednesday, February 7.

	Rivals.com				Scout.com
Stars	*****	****	***		*****	****	***
2007	0	1	13		0	1	4
2006	0	4	16		0	0	9
2005	0	2	16		0	0	9
2004	0	0	7		0	0	4
2003	0	2	14		0	2	8
2002	0	1	8		NA	NA	NA

Sources: Rivals.com | Scout.com

Update on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 at 12:44PM by DJ Goodwin

Looks like I made an error in the count for three-star commitments. The failure to account for the signed LOI's means KU has 13 three-stars currently as opposed to the 10 posted in the table yesterday. The table is now corrected in the post.

Kevin Kietzman Hates Baylor

Old News from Mr. Kansas State

On the homeward commute Wednesday evening, I caught the last half of Kevin Kietzman and crew proclaiming that Baylor doesn't belong in the Big 12. The ever-pliable Danny Clinkscale was actually trying to be the voice of reason, but he was truly no match for the "repeat it until they agree in some tiny way" debate style of the Kietz. Truly a master. Anyway, I hope KK never runs into the BearMeat crew from Waco. Actually, I do.
 
I've been into this Baylor/Big 12 subject before, but lets go a little deeper:
 
Big 12 Cliche
This is an ancient topic thrown out by "Big 12 fans" that want to make themselves appear knowledgeable on the league. It's old news and and it's not going to change. You might as well spend your time discussing how Ford should have beat Jimmy Carter.

Wrong Question: What About Bevo?
The question isn't why we let Baylor in -- it's why did we let Texas in? At 50k enrollment, they're a monster and Big 12 continues to feed this bad boy. A&M is at 45k so they're "out there as well", but everyone else fits in the 20-30k range (excluding Baylor at 13k). Of course, we all know it's about TV sets, but the Longhorn problem is a more worthy discussion than whether or not the Bears should be kicked out. That's not to say that I disrespect Texas or think they should be out of the conference -- the 12 we have are solid for our league. We just have to keep this Texas situation in check and that's a more important concern than Baylor.

Who's Next?
It's a big league. With twelve teams, someone is going to struggle and someone has to finish last. Considering some of the issues they've gone through, Baylor actually competes pretty well. Besides pushing the Bears out really puts you in mentality to always cut out anyone near the bottom. Suppose you cut out Baylor for Arkansas (that ship has sailed KK, the Clink was right on CSU), who's next? Iowa State hasn't been exceptional in football or basketball and their main rival is in the Big 10. How about Kansas State? Until the "decade of dominance," they were playing in a 30k stadium. KU hasn't really offered much in football, but I suppose you need that basketball tradition. Maybe we just cut some of the programs out each sport and have separate power basketball and football conference? Absolutely not! See where this goes. You put somebody on the chopping block and where do you stop? If you want parity, watch the NFL, but brew up a pot a coffee because it can be a real snoozer.

Timing is Everything
This is the wrong year for Kansas State and Kansas football fans to talk trash on Baylor. Throw Colorado into the mix and the Bears swept the north in football.

Final Summation
Leave the Bears alone. I find it refreshing to have a unique private school with a smaller enrollment in the mix. Besides, it really looks like both programs are moving in the right direction. Football will be tough because that's arguably the toughest division in college football. However, the format for basketball is a little more open and I suspect Scott Drew will lead the Bears to a full recovery in that sport.

Dezmon Briscoe Headed To Kansas

Three-Star Wide Receiver Commits To KU

Rivals.com is reporting WR Dezmon Briscoe (6-2/180/4.7) out of Cedar Hill, TX has committed to play football at KU. The three-star recruit is an excellent addition to the 2007 class that was already shaping up pretty good despite the disappointing 6-6 season. In addition, Cedar Hill teammate William Cole is still available and the Jayhawks are in the mix. Kansas now has 22 commitments for the 2007 class. Signing day is Wednesday, February 7.

Arrowhead Spin: University Event No More

The Benefits of Moving Off-Campus

Now that the move has been made, I've had a few days to reflect and it's time to embrace the positives. One interesting aspect that occurred to me is how the creation of this event affects Kansas State football. Effectively, they've been left out in the cold on this deal and it really gives the Kansas and Missouri football programs a big recruiting plus, not to mention the million dollar profit. The media hype surrounding the Arrowhead version of the Border War will be massive in year one, and if the dreamers get their wish and it ends up at 80k in attendance, that hype will continue each year. If the game becomes the idealistic version that Lew Perkins envisions, KSU really has nothing that they can do to match this type of annual spectacle (other than go to the Big 12 championship game). In fact, with the exception Texas and Oklahoma, no other football team in the conference can match this event. Nebraska can't even match this. Are they going to play Colorado in Denver? Oklahoma at Arrowhead? No way, there's no real benefit to either of the schools. Of course, at Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, every home game is an event that can match the level of a capacity Arrowhead stadium. So, let's just say, that if this game goes big-time, it'll be one thing both Kansas and Missouri can point to as a major weapon in competing with the big boys of the conference. Most importantly, it looks every recruit in Kansas and western Missouri will have to factor in the possibility of playing in this game.
 
Take heart Kansas State fans. There are a few factors that could wreck this thing before it builds momentum.

• One bad season by either team in either of the two years could really set back attendance
• Two straight Missouri wins (in fact, KU really needs to win game one for this to survive)

Plus there's the wildcard, and it's no secret. The two schools really don't get along. Even with millions on the table, this will be an uneasy alliance. If one school or the other even perceives an advantage for the other school, hasta la vista Arrowhead.

Question

Did Blake Lawrence commit too early. Can you really pass on the opportunity to play in a big-time game at Arrowhead as a Kansas City football player? Looks like Tony Temple made a good call. Josh Freeman, not so much.

Local Merchants

Hey, I'm not going to begrudge you your rightful earnings made from the efforts of young men clashing in the gladiator-type arena of violence that is college football. However, if you can't see the potential future revenue possibilities on the local side, then I guess you'll just have to whine about it for two years. And perhaps, retail just isn't your gig. This is simple. If it goes big-time, you'll get your payback. If it misses, you lost one game. Take a risk.

Anthony Davis Headed To Kansas

KU Picks Up Oklahoma Cornerback

Another commitment reported by Rivals.com as two-star cornerback Anthony Davis (5-11/184/4.5) from Tulsa, Oklahoma chose Kansas University over Oklahoma State and Tulsa today.

Rivals Profile

WR Johnathan Wilson Verbals

Two-Star Wide Receiver Added to Class

During all of the Arrowhead hoopla, Rivals reported another Kansas football commitment. Two-star WR Johnathan Wilson (6-3/185/4.6) is out of Houston,  Texas and had 685 receiving yards on 37 catches. He also had 10 touchdowns for the year.

Phog Discussion

Arrowhead For KU-MU Football

Arrowhead Press Conference Scheduled For 2:00 p.m. Today

Obviously, this has the potential to become a huge event as both schools will most likely make this a part of their season ticket package. A televised rivalry played in front of 70,000 to 80,000 could become quite a spectacle for both Kansas and Missouri as well as the Big 12. My biggest concern is fan safety. Hopefully, I'm way off, but as I've said before, I fear a national embarassment coming on as these two fan bases come together in large numbers with alcohol on hand. I don't want to see the Border War move college football into international soccer fan territory.

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/jan/22/border_war_move_arrowhead_2007_and_2008/

Justin Springer Switches To Kansas

Two-Star Linebacker Had Committed to ASU

According to Rivals, two-star linebacker Justin Springer (6-4/220) has switched his commitment from Arizona State to the Jayhawks. Besides ASU, other schools interested included Houston, Rice and SMU. This thread on the Gridiron board has photos, videos and some great quotes on KU's latest commitment. Additional info can be found here:

Lawrence-Journal World Article

Scout.com Profile

2007 Kansas Football Commitments

PS  STAR Player/Location/Ht/Wt/40/Signed
CB   ***  Brian Murphy/Lawrence, KS - 5-8/165 - 06/21/2006
LB   ***  Drew Dudley/College Station, TX - 6-2/221/4.59 - 07/24/2006
LB   ***  Steven Foster/Sedgwick, KS - 6-2/235/4.60 - 10/6/2006
CB   ***  Kendrick Harper/Butler County CC - 5-10/185/4.45 - 12/1/2006
DB   ***  Patrick Resby/Corsicana Navarro CC - 6-2/195-12/10/2006
RB   ***  Carmen Boyd-Anderson/Jacksonville, TX - 6-1/200/4.5-12/11/06
DE   ***  Aaron Mack/Phoenix, AZ - 6-3/240/4.6 - 12/17/06
OL   ***  Chet Hartley/Butler County C.C. - 6-4/310/5.0 - 12/17/06
OL   ***  Jeremiah Hatch/Dallas, TX - 6-3/301 - 1/1/2007
WR  **   Ryan Murphy/Lawrence, KS - 5-9.5/170 - 06/09/2006 
WR  **   Isiah Barfield/Haven, KS - 6-0/175 - 06/29/2006
DT   **   Patrick Dorsey/Houston, TX - 6-0/255/5.30 - 07/27/2006
WR  **   Chris Tuck/Dallas, TX - 6-4/200/4.50 - 05/22/2006
QB   **   A.J. Steward/St. Louis, MO - 6-4/210/4.6 - 11/19/06
DE    **   Richard Johnson/Jefferson City, MO - 6-4/255/5.0 - 12/10/06
DE    **   Jake Laptad/Jenks, OK - 6-4/214/4.9 - 12/17/06
ATH **   Chris Harris/Bixby, OK - 6-0/180/4.4 - 1/7/07
K      **   Stephen Hoge/Oklahoma City, OK - 6-2/200 - 1/18/07
LB    **  Justin Springer/Los Fresnos, TX - 6-4/200 - 1/21/07

Cornish Has A Solid Day

West Wins 21-3

Senior KU running back Jon Cornish picked up 43 yards on 13 carries in last night's East-West Shrine game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. Cornish played quite a bit in the game and seemed to be used as decoy quite a bit in the first half. By now, that role has to be pretty familiar. He also looked good in picking up blockers in the pass game. He was also in on the punt coverage package.

Nick Reid Headed to Europe

The KC Star reported on Friday that Nick Reid has signed a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs to be allocated to NFL Europe this spring.

“You start thinking about other things and moving on with the rest of your life,” Reid said. “But it’s been a dream of mine to play football forever. When the opportunity came up, I had to take a chance and give it the last go-around.”

Sounds like Reid is starting to think of a life outside of football. That's wise for all athletes, but I certainly think Reid should hold onto the dream as long as possible. I don't care what they say about his speed, this guy can play football.