Along with more emphasis on the run game, Turner Gill and Chuck Long have reintroduced the old Fullback position. Upon initially arriving at Kansas, Gill and Long decided that KU would use more traditional sets that included a fullback and a halfback - a bit of a different look from the old Mangino spread-happy offense.

Watching our offense during the spring game as well as KU’s first game against North Dakota State was like watching someone trying to ram a square peg through a round hole. The running game wasn’t working, guys weren’t open in the passing game, and our offense looked shot.

Interestingly, it seemed as if our offense moved back towards more of a spread look as the season progressed. This may have been a result of our coaches trying to get a stalled offense going, or to fit the strengths of our different QBs (Mecham looked much better out of the spread). No matter what the reason was, the fact remains we never really got a firm grip on what our offense was going to be last year.

The different offensive looks make the fullback position a bit of a mystery. We know the Jayhawks will be running the ball a lot next season, both by design and by necessity. The staff must be expecting to use a fullback at least partially, as we currently have three on the roster. Let’s meet them:

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The 3-9 season is well behind us but as is fairly typical with football, the awards don't necessarily filter out until quite a bit later.  For one you usually head right from the regular season into ideally bowl preparation and a break from school.  If not you jump straight to recruiting and then that same break from school. 

With workouts back underway and the team gearing up for spring, how about a few who's who awards from 201.  Some might surprise, some might not and others might lead to that all important thing we like to call "hope".  Just remember, while it was a 3-9 season that doesn't mean there weren't players deserving of recognition.  Here's your list for 2010.

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I've recieved a handful of emails regarding this last month of recruiting and how the contact periods break out.  I thought I'd take a quick post to run through the timeline and from there see what other questions or discussion might be floating out there on the topic.

The thought is that Kansas has 4 scholarships left to give with 22 commitments already in tow.  I've seen the number as high at 6 but I do think we'll be coming in below that unless a current player has had a change of heart over the break. 

With that, here's the timeline for filling out the balance of the 2011 class.

January 3rd - January 8th: This is basically open season.  Since the beginning of this week coaches were able to get back out on the trail and get busy securing those last few commitments and of course as always, maintaining the ones you have when necessary.

January 9th: Quiet period.  Basically a player can visit and meet with coaches on campus, but that's it.

January 10th-13th: Dead period: The only players that can be contacted here are Brock Berglund, Julius Green, Darrian Miller and Dylan Admire.  Mid years who have already been admitted.  No further contact.

* This time happens to line up directly with the College Coaches Convention in Dallas Texas from the 9th-12th. 

* If he hasn't already, Turner Gill will be doing a different type of recruiting at this one as he looks to replace D Wyatt.

January 14th-29th: Open

January 30th: Quiet Period

January 31st - Feb 3rd(Signing Day): Dead Period

That's where we're at.  Kansas is in a good spot with 22 commitments already in hand.  That's 24 days to contact, bring on campus and tie up any loose ends and the final few players in the 2011 class.  Kansas will also hold a junior day similar to what they have done in the past over this timeframe with the full list of visitors still to be determined.  

In the old but good to be official news category, Kansas has announced the singing of Brock Berglund to a financial aid agreement and Turner Gill has confirmed that he will be on campus and enrolled this Spring.

Thus begins a three way quarterback competition for next fall.  If he had to say today, Gill probably goes with Jordan Webb.  But it's clear that Berglund is a player that they see a bright future in, and perhaps a future that could begin as soon as next fall.

Gill on Berglund via KUAthletics

"Brock is the ideal student-athlete we want in our program, he has proven that he is a winner.  He not only has great football skills, but he possess great vision and tremendous leadership abilities."

More from the KUAD Press Release

This past season he(Berglund) led Valor Christian to the 4A state title as he completed 140 of 229 passes (61.1 percent) for 2,150 yards and 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions.  He also rushed 130 times for 952 yards and nine scores.  In the state title game victory he threw for 280 yards and ran for 122 more.

As a junior, Berglund was 109 of 184 (59.2 percent) for 2,226 yards and 30 touchdowns with just four interceptions.  He ran for 890 yards and 14 touchdowns on 116 carries.  Valor Christian went a perfect 14-0 en route to the 3A state championship.

LAWRENCE, Kan. - University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little today named Kansas native and KU graduate Sheahon (pronounced SHAY-un) Zenger the next director of athletics. Currently athletics director at Illinois State University, Zenger achieved multi-sport success and set academic records.

 Zenger will be officially introduced at a news conference at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 3, in Hadl Auditorium at KU's Wagnon-Parrott Athletic Center. He will start at KU Feb. 1.

"With his experience and leadership skills, Sheahon Zenger is the best choice to lead Kansas Athletics into the future.  He is exactly who we need as athletics director, working to ensure that every Jayhawk team succeeds on the field and in the classroom, as well as making sure our programs operate with the utmost integrity," said Gray-Little.

Zenger recently led Illinois State to its second Missouri Valley Conference All-Sports Trophy in three years.  The Redbirds led the league with seven conference titles during the 2009-10 season and 17 teams advanced to post-season play during his tenure.

More on Zenger and statements from both Bill Self and Turner Gill on the hire inside:

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Since the departure of former Texas wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy for Colorado, speculation has centered around current Kansas wide receiver coach and co-offensive coordinator Darrell Wyatt as a likely replacement. 

More and more that deal appears to be done.  Both an Austin NBC affiliate and the Austin Statesmen are now reporting that Wyatt will accept the coaching position with a formal announcement to come sometime in the near future.

Wyatt was one of the key hires for Turner Gill upon arrival in Lawrence and as Matt Tait with the LJWorld puts it his departure wouldn't be shocking given the job and program that has come calling, but had he stayed it could have been big for what Turner Gill is hoping to accomplish.

As a coach and recruiter, Wyatt is crucial to what Gill wants to get done.

Getting Wyatt to stay would go a long way in solidifying this staff and KU football. And it could help tremendously in the near future should Gill find himself in another battle for one of his assistants with a different BCS blueblood.

With a deal appearing imminent and the last month of the recruiting period beginning to kick into high gear Turner Gill is charged with the task of replacing a key assistant.  Wyatt won't be easy to replace, but finding someone with similar recruiting/coaching connections and abilities is a must.  One name already swirling is former Kansas wide receiver coach and current Rice assistant David Beaty. 

Tonight Jon Kirby from Jayhawkslant put out an article discussing incoming freshman Julius Green from the Houston area who will be on campus in January. 

Green is a defensive end and those that track/follow recruiting probably remember his name from last year.  Long story short, Green ran into a hiccup in qualifying but will be a freshman next fall when Kansas takes the field.

Now here's the part that's hard not to like. In speaking with Kirby, Green said;

Laptad was telling me he weighs 275 pounds and I just weighed in at 269". 

If you're keeping score at home that's a 6'7" 270 pound defensive end. As a follow up,  I can tell you that Laptad was not checking in at 275 during the football season, try just shy of 260. 

Green is a Big 12 ready end.  He has the length, he has the size and if all goes well he COULD be a key piece to the Kansas defensive front as a strongside defensive end. 

I said it about a week or so ago, and again I don't want to compare him to these players, but the Chicago Bears play Julius Peppers and Corey Wooten.  Peppers and Wooten check in at 6'7" 280 and 6'6" 270 respectively.  The size is there, sometimes that's been missing for Kansas.  Now the player just has to put the rest of the pieces together.

We're sitting in the middle of a plethora of bowls that might include teams with 6-6 records all the way to Auburn v Oregon and a battle of undefeated teams.  Obviously the Ducks and the Tigers have something big time to play for, but all the rest are glorified exhibitions in a sense. 

Still the opportunity to play football into late December or early January is viewed as a badge of honor by a team and a fanbase.  A bowl is a sign that your team has enjoyed some level of success worthy of a trip to what everyone hopes is an enjoyable destination with one last day to reflect, enjoy the company of fellow fans and watch your team take the field.

But what does the bowl game mean? Specifically do you care about wins or losses?  One of the highlights of Mark Mangino's tenure was the general competitiveness of his teams in the instances where they played in a bowl game.  It was still a business trip and fans taking in the Fort Worth, Orange and Insight Bowl wins all got the chance to celebrate one last victory into the night.  Is that important?

Last night Gary Pinkel and the Tigers lost their second consecutive bowl game in which they were the heavy favorites.  West Virginia looked flat against NC State.  Oklahoma and Bob Stoops have struggled over the years to show well in big games and BCS games where little is on the line. 

Does it matter?  The first step as Kansas fans would be having our team in a bowl, but once they are there I'd just assume win.  If you're going to play the game and claim it as a reward for the season that's fine, but shouldn't the team and the fanbase still care about the result in the same way they care about the nonconference cupcake in September?

It's a tough call, fans that lose will say it doesn't matter.  In reality it doesn't, but if you're a Missouri fan last night and your team has a chance to beat a severely depleted and mediocre team from the conference that you wanted so badly to be a part of, don't you care? 

My goal isn't to knock Missouri, they just happen to be a ready made example after last night.  Fact is it seems that every year teams fail to show up in bowl games. So what does it mean to you?