Is anyone else hearing that Darrian Miller might be leaving, too? That would be KU's two top recruits from last year both leaving.

The only place I heard that was on a message board.

That would be bad, yes, but that's the price you have to pay for getting rid of a coach. When that coach got you 1 conference win in 2 years, it's a price you pay gladly.

Friday, December 2, 2011
http://media.lawrence.com/img/staff/...1a4892028de933 Keegan

Pat Ruel knows keys to winning

By Tom Keegan


Coaching searches provide an excuse to call guys about whom you’ve heard so many good things but never had a chance to visit with on the phone.


Golden Pat Ruel, lifelong assistant coach, qualifies as one such man. Ruel has coached football at eight different universities and five different NFL teams. He has spent the past seven seasons working for Pete Carroll at USC and with the Seattle Seahawks.


Ruel, 60, and working in his fifth decade as a football coach, had the courtesy to return my phone call Thursday when he had a long break between game-day meetings preparing for a night clash with the Philadelphia Eagles in Seattle.


Ruel’s longest career stop was in Lawrence where he worked for Glen Mason from 1988 through 1996 as offensive line coach and offensive coordinator. He thought he would replace Mason, but the job went to Terry Allen.


A number of Lawrence residents believe Ruel, an unconventional pick, deserves a serious look. So, Pat, are you interested?


“Am I interested? Yeah,” said Ruel, the Seahawks’ assistant offensive line coach. “But I also understand the dynamics. If it’s about splash, I’m not the right guy. If it’s about getting a guy who understands how to get it done, then I’m the guy.”


Ruel said he still has a special place for the university that employed his wife, Marti, as vice president of student affairs.


“Great environment, great place to live,” Ruel said.


OK, now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk football.


Ruel has worked for, among others, Lou Holtz (Arkansas), Jackie Sherrill (Texas A&M), Nick Saban (Michigan State), Bobby Ross (Detroit Lions) and Tom Coughlin (New York Giants) and has a long history of being on the winning sideline.


All that experience taught Ruel that a good quarterback makes a good coach a great deal better.


“The past five weeks all anybody in the NFL is talking about is (sidelined) Peyton Manning,” Ruel said. “They’re asking, ‘How can one guy make that big a difference?’ I tell them, ‘How can you guys be that stupid not to figure that out?’ A quarterback is handling the ball on every play. He can make decisions on every play that can beat you.”


Examples abound to back up that point. The hottest candidate for most of the top job openings is Kevin Sumlin, who has coached Houston to a 12-0 record so far. In games Case Keenum started the past three seasons, Houston has gone 24-5. In games he missed with injury, Houston went 3-6. At Kansas, Todd Reesing took a 25-6 record into a Colorado game in which he suffered a strained groin. Starting with that game, Reesing finished 0-7.


Ruel said that during most of his time at Kansas, quarterback was the one position the staff didn’t recruit well while sending linemen and players from other positions to the NFL.


“You’ve got to go all over the country to find that guy,” he said of the quarterback. “You can’t say, ‘I’m going to find that guy in Kansas City or St. Louis.’ He might be in Missoula, Mont. He might be in Boston, Mass. Look at (Todd) Reesing. He had a little something to him. He raised the level of play of everyone on the field. That’s why Boise State’s always so good. They always have good quarterbacks.”


Reesing also illustrated one of Ruel’s strong beliefs.


“You can’t put parameters on a player’s dimensions,” he said. “Is he a football player or not? That’s what you need to ask. Can he perform or not? Look at Barry Sanders. Tony Sands.”


Ruel has definite ideas on how to put together a quality staff.
“You need five really good recruiters,” Ruel said. “If you’re going to sacrifice recruiting ability, do it on coordinators.”


Every recruiting visit to a school, he said, must involve asking about juniors as sophomores.


“You tell a coach you like a sophomore, you go back that next year and that junior already knows you like him,” Ruel said. “And tell the kid you’re recruiting not to talk about your school. I would always tell them, ‘If a coach from another school asks if you’re serious about Kansas, say you just want to take a visit there.’ That way, the coaches will kill each other (in negative recruiting) and leave you alone.”


Once the quarterback is recruited, Ruel said, he can’t be rushed into action.


“You can ruin a guy really easily if he’s getting hit every play because he doesn’t understand blitz checks,” Ruel said. “That guy doesn’t think he can play anymore, and now you’re fighting that battle.”


Playing in a conference that has schools that recruit more big, blue-chip athletes, necessitates running an offense that spreads the field, Ruel believes.


“Traditional doesn’t get it done,” Ruel said. “Oregon was running a traditional offense in the Pac-10 and getting their butts beat on a regular basis. They asked themselves, ‘How can we come up with an equalizer to the talent at USC?’ Where you nullify some of those good players is you put the ball out on the perimeter, out in space. It can look a little herky-jerky at times, but eventually things pop.”


Kansas popped under strict disciplinarian head coach Mark Mangino, with the undersized Reesing running offensive coordinator Ed Warinner’s spread attack. Pairing that with Bill Young’s defense, which included several Dave Doeren recruits, led to a 12-1 season and an Orange Bowl victory.


Before that, the last double-digit victory total came 12 seasons prior, when Ruel worked under Mason for a 10-2 record. Nobody’s in the mood to wait until 2019 for another double-digit victory total.


Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger didn’t land the coach who would have won the press conference and games. Mike Leach went to Washington State. Now the issue isn’t winning the press conference, just winning games at a school that has lost 23 of its past 24 Big 12 games.

.Something seems odd about that article. Why would anyone think to call that guy, and why was he so quick to say that he is interested. It makes me wonder if KU might have leaked something

Ruel sounds like a pretty reasonable guy. He's been around for a long time. However, there's probably a reasons he hasn't been a head coach. He's 61, already.

Saul, don't try to depress us before the weekend.

Sounds like MU's recruiting season so far.

Why would that be depressing?

I double checked the date of the article after the thing about Peyton Manning... that quote has to be 2 months old.

So you ARE paying attention to Mizzou.

Maybe not. Mizzou has 12 commitments that are *** or better including a QB who is in the final 3 for national HS player of the year.

From coachingsearch.com:

Kansas: Keep an eye on Southern Miss head coach Larry Fedora.

http://www.coachingsearch.com/coachi...ch-ticker.html

I read Tom Keegan's assessment of Ruel in today's LJW. I have to admit, I found it quite interesting. He's older, has never been a head coach, but has served as an assistant to some of the best football coaches in college football history. If Zenger is looking for the next Bill Snyder....?

No thanks.
Posted via Mobile Device

Looks like Fedora is going to become the hottest Coaching candidate on the market. Bring him in Sheahon.

Agree AH, what a game for Southern Miss.

Go get him!

http://texasgunowner.com/forum/images/smilies/mob.gif

Yes Please!!!!

I've been reading some twitter rumors that say that Sheahon wanted Leach but BGL said no.

Its going to be very tough to get him.

Ill have to go through a new pair of undies if we get him. Lots of jizz incoming.
Posted via Mobile Device

Sure.

Didn't say that I believe it.

BALLSACK!!!!

Really? That's your homerun hire?

Well we all dont have the SEC history you do, We just cant go out and hire anyone we want at anytime like you guys can...

Someday we might be as cool as you are.

Home run wouldve been Leach.

This is a more realistic hire that can push the program forward. KU isn't the most appealing job and Fedora can land better.
Posted via Mobile Device

I think it would be one hell of a hire.

That wasn't an insult. It would be a decent hire. I just don't seem him as jizz-worthy.

Anything would be jizz worthy at this point...

I agree with that. Tressel would also be a homerun. Obviously, that's not going to happen, but he, Leach, or Meyer would have been homeruns.

Not sure if this is just an opinion or if there is anything to back it up.

@dennisdoddcbs
Dennis Dodd
Kansas may have just gotten the it coach of the moment. Larry Fedora

Fedora would be just fine with me.

I felt more confident about getting Fedora before today. I'm afraid his stock may have raised enough that it'll be tougher to get him. He's a heck of a coach and I'd be thrilled to get him, but its going to be tough.

Rumor about administration blocking leach hire is BS:

bobfescoe Bob Fescoe
Ku administration never said no to leach. He was suing ESPN AND TECH. KU asked him to drop suits. He said no. Deal fell apart #kufball

Honestly, we have to start somewhere. Obviously KU isn't going to attract big name coaches. We are going to have to get someone that comes in and makes their name big. He would be a good start if nothing else. Can't be worse than Gill....at least I hope to Dear Lord he couldn't be.

LMAO

Suuuuuure.

Fedora may not be a home run but would def be a bases clearing double.

The Ballsack strikes again!!!

Why is that not believable? I would think most schools would require that. That's probably why he hasn't had a job for the past 2 seasons.

Same thing happened at Maryland last year. WSU has no ESPN contract.

Hoping the coaching search is done early this week. Ready for it to be over already.

KU football has nobody on base.

Perkins wouldn't let Harbaugh coach the bowl game for Stanford, or he would be the coach.

Starting to see and hear rumblings from buddies that Larry Fedora has or is going to accept the job at KU...

Kansas fans...... Rumors have surfaced over the last hour that Larry Fedora has accepted the KU Head Coach position. If this is true....... PRICELESS!


A text from a buddy... Take it for what its worth...

this is ll based on a tweet from Dennis Dodd.

IMHO, if it's true, that in the very day his team was playing in the C-USA championship game I'd say he's an asshole and a one who sucks the penis. He should be fousing on his TEAM, not his job at this point.

We're still in Cuba getting scouted.

That's a short trip you're flying in a plane, but it's a long ride when you're floating on a door. Gill tried to sneak players over on a screen door.

Eh, have door and water, will travel. Got our fake green card in hand.

Fedora out as candidate for Old Miss
Looking good for KU.

lol anything to bash good ole KU. The hate runs deep in this one...

I'll go on record as saying it's a pretty good hire given the options. I don't have a strong opinion either way. His resume looks a lot like Gill's. He won the conference championship game against a team that dominated the conference and had a stud QB.

It's hard to be completely objective since I'm a Mizzou fan, but if I were a KU fan, I'd be excited about the hire.

Hey yeah thats great... Thanks for caring...

as a very casual ku football fan, that would be far and away the best hire they could make...

I think a coach can prepare for a game while his agent negotiates a new job offer.

So you're a season ticket holder?

I really hope this Fedora stuff is true. He has a way better resume than Gill. Mikey is dumb.

LMAO

translation: b-ball fan...

Honest question, how is it way better? He seems very similar in that regard from what I've seen.

huh?

Gill was never a coordinator, Fedora was the best OC in college for a time w/ stints at Florida and Ok State...

Fedora never won less than 7 games, culminating in this season's 11-2 conference championship..Gill only won 7 games once, ending with a 5-7 season before being hired by KU


*edit

gill was 8-6 once

Gill Head Coaching Record before KU:
2006 2-10
2007 5-7
2008 8-6
2009 5-7

Total 20-30

Fedore Head Coaching Record
2008 7-6
2009 7-6
2010 8-5
2011 11-2

Total 33-19

Notice the Zero losing seasons.

Article on WSU hiring Leach.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports...=pm_sports_pop


One thing that popped out to me in the article:


Moos had his eye on Leach ever since the WSU season started falling apart with five straight losses after a 3-1 start.

He said he flew to Key West, Fla., in the week prior to the Nov. 19 Utah game and spent several hours with Leach.

Sheahon should have gotten a head start.

Leach probably told him that he would consider WSU unless KU offered him and didn't make him drop his lawsuits.

If Leach was his target and if Zenger waited until after the MU game to talk with him, he was already 2 weeks behind and ****ed up.

KU admin nixed Leach

his refusal to drop his lawsuit being the main issue, if you believe rumors...

I could see that - but I'm not sure I believe it.

From Tait's chat yesterday:

holdenkc

Do you think that BGL was instrumental in us not going fully after Leach?

• December 1, 2011at 2:08 p.m.

Matt Tait

Nope. I've been told by multiple sources that there's no truth to that and that she had nothing to do with Leach not coming to Kansas.
She'll have some input here, as well she should, but thus far she's been letting Zenger run the show and it looks like that will continue...

Also, this is KU's Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs:

caboni
. @SPORTSbyBROOKS Your unsourced and unsubstatntiated theory about KU admin is unequivocally untrue
12/3/11 3:50 PM

we'll never know...i'm not even blaming them if it were true...i can understand not wanting to deal w/ leach

I could too - I just really hate twitter for obvious reasons.

If I were a KU fan, I wouldn't be able to rationalize passing on Leach. He would make the program instantly relevant and more profitable. At this point, the university desperately needs to establish both of these qualities for the program.

There was no downside to hiring Leach for KU football.

QFT

sure....there are guys from Scout with connections that have reported the admin angle a few days ago, so there has been some smoke

I agree. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed. So, now what is our best 2nd option?

I don't know enough about him to say with certainty, but it appears that you could do much worse than Fedora. Not sure if he's a piece of Cassel in disguise, though.

all any program needs to do is hire a good coach, the rest takes care of itself....


Fedora seems the best 2nd option by quite a bit...but who knows