As embarrassing and frustrating as this season has been, and this team will be judged by history as one of the worst, I will not throw the players or this staff under the bus. I cannot imagine what a bizarre odyssey it has been for the few seniors we have on this roster. Three head coaches and staffs in four and a half years? A revolving door of players being dismissed, renting players from JUCO and 5th year transfers. Attempts at quick fixes that none believed would work. For those kids who stuck with it, thank you for your efforts. Good luck. This was not your fault.
This coaching staff inherited a situation that may have been unrivaled in terms of negatives for a program that had not been under a death penalty. A roster of only 60 scholarship players. No two deep going into spring ball. Three QB's injured, including your starter, who is put out for the season by a teammate during the spring game. Add in that this staff put in a new offense under these circumstances and played a true freshmen at OB for most of the year, and you get 0-11. Should KU have won at least 1 game? I believe that they should and could have, but realistically you can argue this team barely had the assets to win a half.
Moving forward, it is really simple. Can this staff recruit the players necessary to compete in the Big 12 AND do it to fit the systems they want to run? The coaches had a learning curve this season and we have to believe they will be better next year with the play calling on both sides of the ball. In so far as judging the execution during games, both the coaches and the players will be held to higher standard next season. I know people will point out various failings on the part of the coaches and I was not a fan of the play calling on either side of the ball all year, and special teams remains a disaster, but the report card is mitigated by the circumstances. Yet there are no free passes and I think the coaches all know they have to be better starting today.
What must change immediately is the commitment that the University has towards the football program.
The stadium has to be replaced. Until the University makes this a priority and it has not, everyone associated with the football program, coaches, players and fans will suffer. It starts with the Chancellor. I have not seen any attempt by her to make this issue part of her responsibilities. I frankly do not think she cares about it. You can raise hell about Zenger but if the Chancellor is not willing to get involved with fundraising, it makes it all the more difficult. Ms. Gray-Little is not a dynamic speaker on a good day but she must realize that if this program doesn't make revenue for the university, her job is that much harder. She must engage.
One thing Zenger can do is improve the game day experience. The entire thing must scrapped and started from scratch. Part of the perception about your football program is this issue. We don't have a pregame. People tailgate on their own, the school throws up a couple of bouncy things for the kids and that is it. The hill has to be utilized as the focus for pregame. The kick ass spread they put on in Boots Adams, for a 1000.00 dollar contribution, and only for a few home games, needs to be moved to the hill and made more inclusive. Why you would put those resources into a function that is a mile from the stadium is beyond me.
Whoever is in charge of the stadium scoreboard and music needs to be fired. It is a joke. Hire someone who has done this successfully elsewhere and do it now. Also, figure out how to utilize the band in the pregame and during the games better than now.
Bottomline, until KU decides to run a first class football program from top to bottom we are stuck with a ridiculous mess. I can hear people who will argue that the school can't spend money on pregame it doesn't have and can't spend it until fans show up. I get it. KU has to do what is necessary to fix it.
This coaching staff inherited a situation that may have been unrivaled in terms of negatives for a program that had not been under a death penalty. A roster of only 60 scholarship players. No two deep going into spring ball. Three QB's injured, including your starter, who is put out for the season by a teammate during the spring game. Add in that this staff put in a new offense under these circumstances and played a true freshmen at OB for most of the year, and you get 0-11. Should KU have won at least 1 game? I believe that they should and could have, but realistically you can argue this team barely had the assets to win a half.
Moving forward, it is really simple. Can this staff recruit the players necessary to compete in the Big 12 AND do it to fit the systems they want to run? The coaches had a learning curve this season and we have to believe they will be better next year with the play calling on both sides of the ball. In so far as judging the execution during games, both the coaches and the players will be held to higher standard next season. I know people will point out various failings on the part of the coaches and I was not a fan of the play calling on either side of the ball all year, and special teams remains a disaster, but the report card is mitigated by the circumstances. Yet there are no free passes and I think the coaches all know they have to be better starting today.
What must change immediately is the commitment that the University has towards the football program.
The stadium has to be replaced. Until the University makes this a priority and it has not, everyone associated with the football program, coaches, players and fans will suffer. It starts with the Chancellor. I have not seen any attempt by her to make this issue part of her responsibilities. I frankly do not think she cares about it. You can raise hell about Zenger but if the Chancellor is not willing to get involved with fundraising, it makes it all the more difficult. Ms. Gray-Little is not a dynamic speaker on a good day but she must realize that if this program doesn't make revenue for the university, her job is that much harder. She must engage.
One thing Zenger can do is improve the game day experience. The entire thing must scrapped and started from scratch. Part of the perception about your football program is this issue. We don't have a pregame. People tailgate on their own, the school throws up a couple of bouncy things for the kids and that is it. The hill has to be utilized as the focus for pregame. The kick ass spread they put on in Boots Adams, for a 1000.00 dollar contribution, and only for a few home games, needs to be moved to the hill and made more inclusive. Why you would put those resources into a function that is a mile from the stadium is beyond me.
Whoever is in charge of the stadium scoreboard and music needs to be fired. It is a joke. Hire someone who has done this successfully elsewhere and do it now. Also, figure out how to utilize the band in the pregame and during the games better than now.
Bottomline, until KU decides to run a first class football program from top to bottom we are stuck with a ridiculous mess. I can hear people who will argue that the school can't spend money on pregame it doesn't have and can't spend it until fans show up. I get it. KU has to do what is necessary to fix it.
