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KU athletic director's contract extension features $40,000 bonus for a winning football season
How much is a winning football season worth? An extra $40,000 a year for University of Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger. That annual performance bonus is among specific perks — rather, potential perks — outlined in Zenger’s latest contract renewal, requested and obtained Tuesday by the Journal-World.
Tom Keegan: Outgoing chancellor jumped gun on incoming chancellor
So let me get this straight: Dr. Doug Girod was chosen to lead the University of Kansas into the next decade but the retiring boss gets to decide who will lead the new chancellor’s athletic department. By Tom Keegan
Spring experimentation lands Maciah Long at defensive end
Entering spring practices, Kansas football coaches weren’t entirely sure what to do with sophomore Maciah Long. When offseason practices kicked off in March, Long found himself taking reps at linebacker. At the time, defensive coordinator Clint Bowen said KU’s staff was just trying to experiment and find the best fit for Long and his athletic frame. By Benton Smith
KU AD Sheahon Zenger receives contract extension through June 2021
Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger, who took over for Lew Perkins in early 2011 recently received a contract extension through June of 2021 from outgoing chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little. By Matt Tait
Safety Sam Skwarlo leaves KU football after redshirt season
Former FSHS standout switching back to RB
After a year of Division I college football in his hometown, former Free State High standout Sam Skwarlo decided to leave the University of Kansas behind in search of a more prominent role. By Benton Smith
Jayhawks expect QB Peyton Bender to come 'out of his shell'
Upon spending 15 spring practices and many more unofficial, player-organized sessions with new Kansas quarterback Peyton Bender, receiver Steven Sims Jr. caught enough balls from the former Washington State QB to know Bender had the type of arm the Jayhawks’ Air Raid offense needed. It left Sims eager to see how the possible starting quarterback would handle some other intangibles that come with that position. By Benton Smith
KU center Mesa Ribordy makes spring watch list
Just one season into his college football career at the University of Kansas, sophomore offensive lineman Mesa Ribordy finds himself on the Rimington Trophy Committee’s spring watch list, tracking Division I’s top centers for the 2017 season. By Benton Smith
Early high school grad Kyron Johnson ahead of schedule thanks to spring experience
Speedy freshman KU linebacker enrolled early
The past several months could have been a breeze for Kyron Johnson. A semester’s worth of classes to wrap up his days at Lamar High, in Arlington, Texas. Some weight-lifting and conditioning to stay in football shape. Hanging out with longtime friends before they all parted ways as incoming freshmen at various universities. Johnson, though, opted for a more demanding path, in order to get a head start on his college career. By Benton Smith
Former Olathe D-lineman Zach Burks commits to Kansas
The University of Kansas added another piece to its 2018 recruiting class Monday when former Olathe North High defensive lineman Zach Burks committed to head coach David Beaty’s rebuilding program. By Benton Smith
Better depth means no more shuffling on KU offensive line
Throughout his first two years coaching the Kansas football team’s offensive linemen, assistant coach Zach Yenser often found himself mixing and matching players at various positions. Sometimes curiosity sparked his tinkering, but often it was fueled by necessity. During recently completed March and April offseason practices, though, the third-year KU assistant got to take a different approach. By Benton Smith
Former KU QB Montell Cozart transferring to Boise State
Former Kansas quarterback Montell Cozart has found his next college football stop. A starter for the Jayhawks at various points over the past four seasons, Cozart decided Thursday to transfer to Boise State.
Offseason improvement critical for KU's inexperienced cornerbacks
The 2017 Kansas football season is still four months away. And no one working inside Anderson Family Football Complex is happier about that length of time than cornerbacks coach Kenny Perry. Charged with training the least experienced unit in the program this spring, saying the co-defensive coordinator had a lot to tackle, Perry will tell you, is an understatement. By Benton Smith
Tom Keegan: KU football offense projects as best since 2009
Counting backwards from 2016, this is where the Kansas football team’s offense finished the past four seasons in scoring among FBS schools, of which there now are 128: ninth-worst, sixth-worst, 11th-worst, fifth-worst. By Tom Keegan
Matthew Wyman accepts rookie-camp tryout invitation from Chiefs
Among the 253 picks in the NFL Draft this past week, only three were used on kickers. Like many un-drafted, long-shot specialists, former Kansas kicker Matthew Wyman will attempt to break into the professional ranks the hard way. By Benton Smith
Washington told Fish Smithson before draft's conclusion they wanted him
Safety optimistic about chances with Redskins
Even as Fish Smithson spoke on the phone Saturday with staff members of an NFL franchise, the former Kansas football safety was torn. It was during the seventh and final round of the draft, and a scout and coaches from the Washington Redskins were telling Smithson they were prepared to offer him a deal — given that no other franchise got in their way by taking him with one of the 10 remaining picks. By Benton Smith
