Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Woodling

Woodling: Kansas ignored in draft

By Chuck Woodling

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It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

Back in 1994, Big Eight Conference top dogs decided to enhance television revenue by annexing the countless boob tubes in Texas homes, thus giving birth to the Big 12 Conference.

"We have concentrated on the big picture," Kansas University Chancellor Gene Budig said at the time. "No alignment is perfect, but this one holds enormous prospects."

Time has shown, however, that those enormous prospects have - at KU, anyway - consisted mostly of trickle-down economics. On the playing field, other than the constant of men's basketball, the Jayhawks have been treading water. Particularly in football.

I'm sure when Budig signed off on the Big 12 - something he absolutely had to do for pragmatic reasons - he never envisioned the Jayhawks' football program muddling into mediocrity.

In theory, as a member of a major power-broker conference, KU would elevate its prestige to the point where it would have optimum opportunity to recruit high-level prep football prospects. But it didn't happen.

As proof, all you have to do is look at the Jayhawks' performance in the annual NFL Draft since the Big 12 played its first football games in 1996. In the 10 NFL Drafts since then, Kansas has had a grand total of nine players selected - one in the third round, three in the fourth, two in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh.

In four of the NFL meat markets since the inception of the Big 12, Kansas hasn't had a single player drafted. Not one. That includes last April, when a couple of players most KU fans thought might be picked - linebacker Nick Reid and defensive back Charles Gordon - were ignored.

Now, with the '07 NFL Draft coming up this weekend, it would appear the Jayhawks will be putting up another goose egg unless running back Jon Cornish hears his name mentioned Sunday in the lower rounds.

Cornish is basically the same player as June Henley, the Jayhawks' career leading rusher. Both Cornish and Henley possessed an instinctive knack for the position, both were durable, and both had just average speed. And you know how the NFL loves velocity.

Henley went in the fifth round in 1997, so I wouldn't expect Cornish to go any higher. To tell the truth, Cornish might have a more promising future in the CFL. A native of British Columbia, Cornish could become the most successful former Jayhawk to play in the CFL since Willie Pless, a linebacker who was bypassed in the 1986 NFL Draft and is now in the Canadian Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In the meantime, if you watch the NFL Draft in its early stages Saturday on ESPN, one thing is certain. For the 14th straight year, no KU player will be chosen in the first round. That hasn't happened since the San Francisco 49ers called defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield's name in 1993.

You have to go back 10 years earlier than that to find the last former KU player taken in the second round - Wayne Capers, a wide receiver nabbed by the Steelers.

That makes Ronnie Ward the answer to a trivia question. A linebacker, Ward went in the third round to the Miami Dolphins in 1997, the first NFL Draft following the inaugural Big 12 football season.

No former KU player has been drafted that high since.

Comments

Raydude (anonymous) says...

Compare our Draft numbers with K-State, and I don't think you can blame being in the B-12!?

April 24, 2007 at 6:47 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

BABBOY (anonymous) says...

I think Terry Allen has more to do with this problem then anything with joining or not joining the Big 12. I still do not understand why he coached so long here as a head coach or what exactly was wrong with that program.

April 24, 2007 at 7:59 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

hammr25 (anonymous) says...

Yep it's the program not the league. Kansas is carrying on it's tradition of mediocrity in football. Glen Mason just happened to bolt as the Big 12 was started.

April 24, 2007 at 8:13 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

I agree with you guys. KU players don't get drafted because, for the most part, the last ten years the teams haven't been very good. Start winning some games and finishing better than 3-5 in league and people may start to notice more. It's not the Big XII's fault. Think about it this way. If we were in the Sun Belt or C-USA then we wouldn't even be relevant in football. At least now we can be a part of the conversation.

April 24, 2007 at 8:27 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

JayCeph (anonymous) says...

Don't blame the BigXII. The real issue is recruiting players, winning games and winning championships. When that happens, all the rest sorts itself out.

April 24, 2007 at 9:52 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

klineisanazi (anonymous) says...

Terry Allen was a symptom of the problem, which I think was one of indifference at the top toward the football program. Facilities were allowed to deteriorate, and Terry Allen was allowed to stay on too long. But as long as Roy's teams were winnng, who cared? Big mistake. Revenue is the name of the game in the power conferences, and football provides the opportunity to generate it. Even Al Bohl saw that. Perkins knows it too, and facilities are being upgraded, the program is being promoted and tickets are being sold. So far, so good, but this upcoming season will say a lot about where the program stands. Another season without a bowl should spur re-evaluation of the program. Still treading water?
But as to the main point of the article, the reason for KU's lackluster performance in Big 12 play is reflected in the failure to place players in the NFL. You've got to have the players. So far, Mangino has not recruited at a high enough level to take the next step and compete for a division title. Facilities are being upgraded, so that soon won't fly as an excuse. Let's hope he can get the recruits, or someone else will have to be brought in that can get it done. No time to be treading water.

April 24, 2007 at 9:59 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhawkdpt (anonymous) says...

You can't ignore the importance of money, coaching, strength and conditioning and the emphasis on winning for some players being selected.

This is what helps recruit NFL-type talent. Anyone can tell you that the NFL combine is a screening process for Sunday games. If we trained our football players to run 40s, perform vertical jumps, and do t-shuttle drills all day we might get a few more in the draft...fact is KU needs wins first. I would be shocked if the coaches spent their time pushing the student athletes toward improving draft stock versus winning games.

April 24, 2007 at 11:27 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

JayhawkPhil (anonymous) says...

All good posts. Terry Allen's problem was that he couldn't tell the difference between Div II and Div I talent. In fairness to Manjello, he had a long way to go just getting the talent level back to mediocre. His first act to was to say "thanks but no thanks" to several recruits that Allen had lined up. That told me he understood the problem. He took some risks with his first recruiting class, signing several JUCO players but got burned by all but one of them however his recruiting classes though have gotten a little better each year since--until last year when the overall quality seemed to tail off a little bit. I think he is a good football coach and hope he succeeds but he needs to win at least 6 games this year to maintain credibilty.

April 24, 2007 at 11:40 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

rolo2383 (anonymous) says...

Aqib Talib will change the long drought of no early round draft picks. The problem is is that one player can't turn a team into a contender. I agree that Mangino has improved the quality of player over what Terry Allen brought in but I'm not sure he can take us to the next level. This recent signing class was a step back from the last few years. I think Mangino needs to win 7 or probably 8 games this year to keep his job. The schedule doesn't get much easier than this year.

April 24, 2007 at 12:42 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

JayCeph (anonymous) says...

He should also lose a little weight. I think it is preposterous that an 'athletics' coach takes such poor care of himself. I'd have a hard time if he were my coach and he was yelling at me to 'hustle' or 'run harder, faster.'

I'm sure he has a good mind for the game but his outward projection of the principles he is teaching is just plain embarrassing.

April 24, 2007 at 12:45 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

sevenyearhawk (anonymous) says...

I think it was at Wisconsin or maybe Maryland ... some place the alumni organized a fundraiser so that for every pound the coach shed, they got so many dollars for the program ...

But I've heard from many, many different sources that Coach Mangino is just too touchy to approach about this, and that's just sad ... coming from one fat guy to another.

/I've really tried to lose weight, but it keeps finding me!

April 24, 2007 at 12:59 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

fabio (anonymous) says...

Hopefully, one day he will be on the scoreboard during timeouts in those Dan Marino commercials or talking with Jared about how great Subway sandwiches are.
I seriously worry about how long he will be able to coach if cant figure something out. A few years back Rick Majirus out at Utah had to retire for health reasons.

Anyway, this is Manginos 6th year and simply making it to a bowl wont cut it with how weak the schedule is. In 2008 we travel to USF, Nebraska, and OU. As well as home games against Tech and Texas. We should win at least 8 games this year if we reall want to take a step forward.
sevenyearhawk-I loved your pick with you and coach, its the new backdrop on my computer.

April 24, 2007 at 2:13 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

midwestjhawk (anonymous) says...

Hey you guys made some interesting points, but teams like Boise St. are winning with less talent then the big boys.

A coaching staff has to be able to recruit and develop talent. That's how the good programs do it. We haven't done a very good job of developing players, that's why a guy like Charles Gordon didn't get drafted. In fact, he had to leave because his stock was falling fast.

April 24, 2007 at 5:04 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Raydude (anonymous) says...

Look at all the people on the depth chart with -RS by their name. Huge. These will portend a good trend of older more conditioned athletes and that true freshmen aren't experienced enough to break out of the red shirt. I think this is a better indicator than NFL Draft...too soon to tell as it takes 4-5 years to get through the system. We have to consider the T. Allen years as a washout and start over.

April 24, 2007 at 5:58 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

thebashman (anonymous) says...

bottom line, the combine hurts the kids....nothing else

charles gordon was a second round pick until he was amazingly slow at the combine...guess what...he doesnt get drafted

cornish was also very slow (due to injury he says)....guess what....bad draft coming....KU would have quality players coming out if they would just do good in the combine

April 24, 2007 at 11:05 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

JBurtin (anonymous) says...

Sometimes it takes time to get the ball rolling. The program was in shambles when Terry Allen left so of course nobody was getting drafted. One of the first things that Mangino asked for when he got here were some new football specific facilities. Starting Mangino's sixth year they are finally breaking ground on that project. Whether you like him or not, we all owe him a debt of gratitude for forcing the athletic department take football seriously and building improvements that can be there for the long haul.

Mangino's only real mistake since he's been here was recruiting Monroe Weekley. Mangino has openly questioned the truthfulness of the claims made by Weekley that caused us to have NCAA restrictions. The limits on Juco recruiting that resulted from that fiasco has really hurt us in the last couple of years but luckily it is over with now. We are still restricted slightly on our recruitment of high school recruits, but they shouldn't cause the problems that the Juco limits did. The program was making steady progress until the limits on Juco guys kept us from filling our biggest needs with experienced players.

With the limits on Juco recruitment gone and new facilities going in we ought to be able to recruit at a higher level over the next few years. It's a very exciting time to be a Jayhawk fan!

April 25, 2007 at 4:02 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

JBurtin (anonymous) says...

BTW, rolo2383 is right. While Mangino's classes may not have been eye-popping, he has certainly found some incredible diamonds in the rough. Talib will get drafted high and will break the string of mediocre drafts.

April 25, 2007 at 4:05 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

bmcmich1 (anonymous) says...

This is indeed a great time for Jayhawk Football Fans. You have guys like Tom Kivisto, a former KU basketball player mind you, donating a HUGE chunk of change to football. That tells me that people are getting behind this program, and programs like Texas and Alabama are proof that $ drives things in the right direction. We are, of course, a LONG way from Texas and AL, but Let's hope this is the ground level of 'Hawk Football going onward and upward like a rocket, the flames of which incinerating any memory of the Terry Allen era.

April 25, 2007 at 3:21 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

bmcmich1 (anonymous) says...

Oh yeah, and one more piece of evidence as to why KU hasn't put much talent in the NFL over the past 10 yrs: Darren Sproles wanted to come to KU, but good ol' TA passed on him because he was "too small." True story.
Great call, Terry...

April 25, 2007 at 3:24 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

fabio (anonymous) says...

K-State should erect a monument for that clown Terry Allen. At least he is stuck in Missouri. It sucks to be you Terry. You and Mizzery deserve each other.

April 25, 2007 at 4:34 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

You will know that KU has arrived as a football program when the top recruits in the state of Kansas sign there, no questions asked. Kansas produces a very small number of D-I talent out of its high school programs, sometimes as few as 5 or 6 players from the state. If you can't convince those kids to play for you, how are you gonna get high level talent from anywhere else (since you can't build your football program on entirely homegrown talent)? Kansas isn't Florida or Texas or California (or even Louisiana or Georgia or Ohio) when it comes to high school football talent, but KU is constantly losing the top prospects in the state to Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, K-State, Oklahoma, etc. That means we get the second best from Kansas and the second or third or fourth best from elsewhere. You can't win with that.

April 26, 2007 at 9:48 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

bmcmich1 (anonymous) says...

You bring up a good point there, justanotherfan--for years, the northern part of the state has been at best split with KU and Nebraska as far as fan allegiance went, and it seemed that the Big Red would pull away all the toughest and most talented Kansas boys from the northern part of the state. Now, with Callahan completely changing the old smash-mouth style and his West coast connections, that allure of the old Cornhuskers has waned a bit of late; opening the door a little for KU. The Southern part of the state is a little different in that Okie doesn't really steal any talent, but Okie State sure as heck does (Barry Sanders, anyone?). The appeal of Stillwater being relatively close to Wichita and other parts of south-central KS has been alluring in the past, but the tide is shifting there as well (nick reid?). K-Suck pretty much built their program off of the immense knowledge of Snyd-o and his Juco recruits, but they are always there to pick off a home-grown or two--I really don't see them as a threat, though, because now that the gap that formed in the mid-nineties is closing fast and we keep drubbing them like we did last fall, the choice for Kansas kids is clear in my mind--with two relatively close programs to choose from, it becomes a question of would you rather live in Lawrence or Manhattan? Hmm, tough one...

All in all, as long as we keep getting Jake Sharps and Kerry Meiers from in-state and continue to build a solid program we can be proud of, we will start to have a presence on more top-tier recruits' radar screens.

April 26, 2007 at 11:41 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

fabio (anonymous) says...

Good posts. You know, there is a real oppurtunity this year for KU football to make a statement concerning those kids we are talking about. We travel to Manhattan and Stillwater this fall, what better way to get those kids attention than to win one or dare I say it, both of those games.

April 26, 2007 at 11:55 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

bmcmich1 (anonymous) says...

Hear, hear! You heard it here first: the fat man's road woes end in '07!! I like where your head's at!

April 26, 2007 at 1:59 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

My point is that two of the top 5 rated players, including the #1 linebacker (a kid from out of Johnson County) committed out of state. That's a problem that no KU coach has been able to solve. When's the last time you recall the best player from Nebraska leaving the Huskers since Sayers? Last time you remember the best player from Oklahoma not suiting up for the Sooners? That's the problem KU faces.

April 27, 2007 at 8:52 a.m. ( | suggest removal )