“We still have to recruit quality kids that can make an instant impact,” said Mangino, who is entering his third season at KU. “With this year’s recruiting class, I don’t know how many there will be. There will be some true freshmen that end up playing and contributing if we feel like — and they feel like — they’re ready.”

¢

Gordon Part I: Mangino reiterated that sophomore Charles Gordon wouldn’t see extensive time at cornerback and receiver like he did last season.

“If somebody jumped out and did a great job at that corner position, we’d get Charles down on offense,” Mangino said of Gordon, who led the team with 57 receptions for 769 yards. “He’s a very good cornerback, and believe it or not he’s an even better wide receiver. He can match up with receivers in this conference and a do a great job, but he’s a big playmaker for us on offense. He can catch a ball, make you miss, and you’ve got six points just like that.”

Gordon, who also returns punts for the Jayhawks, seems destined for defense unless another KU corner can step up during camp.

“I haven’t slammed the door on offense,” Mangino said. “But he’s not going to play both ways the whole game. We can’t do that to him.”

¢

Gordon Part II: KU has struggled in the kicking game two years in a row. Seniors Johnny Beck and Jerod Brooks return, but they could be challenged by red-shirt freshman Scott Webb and freshman Kyle Tucker.

Of course, if none of those kickers pans out …

“I hate to throw this out there, but you know Charles Gordon kicked in high school,” Mangino said with a laugh. “He told me one day, ‘You know, coach, I can kick.’ So we talked about it in a meeting. I said, ‘We’re going to go to jail for child abuse if we make a guy do this many things.'”

¢

Pick a team: Mangino, a former Kansas State and Oklahoma assistant, watched with interest last December when KSU defeated heavily favored OU 35-7 in the Big 12 Conference title game.

“I watched it and tried to learn from it,” he said. “We play both schools. I wasn’t cheering much. I’m proud to have been associated with both.”

¢

NCAA rule unpopular: NCAA coaches aren’t happy with the NCAA Task Force on Recruiting, which recently advanced a proposal that would restrict schools from using private jets or university planes to bring recruits to campus.

Schools located far from major airports, such as Kansas State, claim the rule would put them at an unfair disadvantage because it would make it harder for recruits to reach Manhattan than more metropolitan schools such as Colorado.

KU associate athletic director Larry Keating said there were other problems with the proposal that would affect all schools. Under current rules, Kansas could fly a small plane into a small airport and pick up a player who lives in a rural area — such as Garden City — and return to the Lawrence airport.

That plan wouldn’t fly if the proposed rule passes.

“Sometimes a kid has to drive a long way to a major airport,” Keating said. “You have kids all over the country that are a significant distance from an airport. The rule is hard to argue against because the perception is that it’s an extravagance. I think it’s a basic need. We don’t use it to make an impression. We use it when it’s necessary because it’s expensive. We don’t use it on every kid just because you want to show off.”

6Sports video: Jayhawks have more hard work ahead this season Hear Mark: Big 12 Football Media Days audio QB battle too close to call KU’s 2005 slate shapes up slowly KU notebook: Freshmen solid 2004 offseason football coverage