Report: Gary Barnett Interested In Kansas Football Job

CBS's Dennis Dodd reports that former Northwestern and Colorado coach Gary Barnett has expressed interest in the Kansas job. Barnett called it "a natural" fit and that he can't imagine anyone having a better resume than he does.

In some ways, Barnett is correct: he took Northwestern to the Rose Bowl in 1996 and made four Big 12 title games in five years at Colorado. His 2001 Buffs made the Fiesta Bowl.

Barnett took Northwestern from the depths of the Big 10 to a Rose Bowl in just four years, and won the Big 12 just three years after arriving in Boulder, so he has experience with quick turnarounds. Barnett resigned from Colorado amid recruiting scandals, and also had to deal with high profile mistakes regarding former kicker Katie Hnida and an alleged rape by former Colorado quarterback Colt Brennan.

Barnett's credentials on the field probably wouldn't be a good fit for KU either. He went 84--83-1 at Northwestern and Colorado, but benefited from a weak Big 12 North. Barnett is already 68 years old and hasn't coached since 2005, so whether he would be able to recruit and have the fire to undertake another rebuilding project remains to be seen. He might - and I stress might - be a decent fit to come in and coach for three years due to how quickly he has gotten programs back on track, and potentially right the ship for a more long term candidate. Still, I doubt Barnett will be too high on Kansas's list.