Kansas University’s football practice fields figure to be busy early this afternoon.
KU football officials expected to have close to the maximum 24 teams for today’s 7-on-7 high school tournament, with an additional 100 to 150 prep players on hand for the concurrent offensive linemen camp.
With 7-on-7 rosters running to 15 players per team well, that’s a lot of bodies.
“Our numbers are really good,” KU coach Terry Allen said. “We’re not sure if we’ll get the full 24 teams or not, but we’ve got 22 for sure.”
Allen was similarly encouraged by registration for two upcoming prep camps.
The June 18-21 session is for football players in ninth grade and above. The camp that runs June 21-23 is for eighth-graders and below.
“We still have some openings,” Allen said, “but our numbers are up already.”
As an added attraction, Allen hopes to lure NFL and Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner a Northern Iowa alumnus who played for Allen at UNI to one of the camp sessions.
Allen hoped to bring Warner just a few weeks removed from an appendectomy in for spring drills.
“We’re having a little problem with him repairing his body,” Allen said. “That’s why he didn’t come in earlier. I talked to him about a week and a half ago, and we hope to get him in around the latter part of June.”
Eligibility issues: Allen said he was encouraged by initial eligibility reports on the incoming freshmen and junior college transfers.
“We don’t have them all cleared yet, and there are a couple still out there,” Allen said. “But the transcripts are coming in, and we appear to be in pretty good shape.”
Allen wouldn’t single out players with potential eligibility problems.
“The high school kids seem to be in pretty good shape,” he said. “There’s a chance one or two of the jucos will have to go to summer school, but we don’t know yet. And the high school kids we won’t have them signed, sealed and delivered until it all goes through the (NCAA) Clearinghouse. As far as eligibility of guys on the team, we look to be in pretty good shape.”
Tear up the turf: Removal of KU’s aging AstroTurf and installation of the synthetic-grass AstroPlay could begin as early as next week.
“We’re in the contract stage right now,” Darren Cook, Kansas’ director of facilities, said. “We could have a contract as early as the middle of next week and they could possibly start the job as early as Friday. More likely, they’ll start the early part of the following week.”
Cook said the full procedure would take about four weeks.
“Our goal, obviously, is to be ready for Aug. 1,” Cook said. “So we still have some time.”
Seeing purple: Allen and the KU ticket office have launched a “Get the Purple Out” campaign for the Oct. 7 game at Memorial Stadium against Kansas State.
Kansas University Alumni Association members can purchase tickets to that game at a 25-percent discount $30 instead of $40. The mail order deadline is July 1.
“We did a similar deal getting the (Nebraska) red out a year ago,” Allen said. “We obviously get an invasion of other people, and we’re just trying to rally the forces of current ticket holders and encourage our people to go to the game and cheer for us.”
Summer fun?: Allen said he expected 60 to 70 current Jayhawks to spend their summers in Lawrence for class and optional workouts.
“We’ll have about the same as last year,” he said. “Those are subjective numbers, because you never know how many walk-ons will stay.”
Fore!: Allen will soon depart with KU men’s basketball coach Roy Williams on a 10-day, 12-round golf trip throughout Scotland. Don’t ask Allen for specifics.
“I’m on coach Williams’ itinerary,” Allen said. “I’m just a player. We’ve got a bus and there’s a train. I just go where I’m told.”
Williams recently said eight men and six of their wives would be heading to Scotland for “36 holes a day for six straight days. Three days on the Eastern side of Scotland and three days on the Western side.”
Speedy Texan: KU football signee Leo Bookman, a defensive back from Dickinson, Texas, recently won the state Class 4A 100- and 200-meter sprint titles. His times of 10.36 and 20.67 seconds were the fastest in any class at the state meet and ranked among the fastest prep times in the country this year.
Nesmith gets ink: Lindy’s pre-season college football magazine lists KU senior free safety Carl Nesmith as the top safety in the country and named him to the publication’s All-America team. Lindy’s ranks KU’s team fourth in the Big 12 North.
