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Charlie Weis talks recruiting, discipline
Kansas coach Charlie Weis was at Livestrong Sporting Park on Wednesday evening, the last stop on a nine-city tour across the state of Kansas. Weis met with the media before speaking to a large group of fans inside the stadium’s Members Club.
Weis made some
interesting comments on conference realignment, the state of the Big 12, and the future of his alma mater, Notre Dame. In short: Weis says he has no opinion on anything. But he did have some insightful thoughts on the future of college football.
Here are some other highlights from the evening:
On recruiting:
Much of the Q&A session with fans was dominated by questions about recruiting. The most interesting answer, perhaps, came after one fan asked about how Weis sells kids on Kansas after two rough seasons.
Weis countered that he doesn’t like the word “sell” — he prefers “represent” — but then he gave an example of the sales pitch he gives recruits. (In accordance with NCAA rules, coaches are unable to mention recruits by name.)
The pitch went something like this: (Paraphrased) “You’re one of the top defensive players in the country, so I assume you want to play on Sundays, right? Well, I have four Super Bowl rings and 16 years of NFL experience. Dave Campo, our defensive coordinator, has three Super Bowl rings and 23 years of NFL experience. Now, can you tell me how many college staffs in the country can match seven Super Bowl rings and 39 years of NFL experience?”
Weis said he generally leaves it at that. The goal, he said, is simply to convince the kid to take a visit. And once a kid does, KU has a chance.
On recruiting local kids:
Weis said he’ll focus on recruiting local kids. But just as important as their home state or city, he said, is if they live within a day’s driving distance of Lawrence. Weis, who mentioned this same idea during spring ball, believes that your recruiting base should come from kids whose parents can wake up on Saturday morning, get in the car, and be at the game by the afternoon or evening.
When a fan asked about recruiting the Kansas City area — and specifically the tradition-rich programs on the Missouri side — Weis joked: “Why do you think I hired (former Chief) Tim Grunhard?” Weis went on to say that fans can direct their calls to Grunhard if the staff misses out on any local kids.
On putting the names back on the jerseys:
What is it with jerseys? Anyway, it only took a few questions for a fan to ask about the most pressing question in Kansas football? Will the names be back on the jerseys? The short answer is yes. But Weis told a story I hadn’t heard. When he took the job, he said, his voicemail and email was clogged with fans asking if the names would be back on the jerseys. A little stunned and caught off guard — and unaware of KU traditions — Weis says he stopped John Hadl in the athletic offices and asked one question: “At Kansas, should the names be on or off the jerseys?”
Hadl’s answer: “They should be on.”
Weis: “OK, they’re back on.”
Is that a true story? Well, Weis says it is.
On discipline:
The common theme of spring football — that discipline is back in KU football — was a prevalent topic on Wednesday night. Athletic director Sheahon Zenger noted that one of his biggest goals during his coaching search was to find a coach that would return discipline to the field — but also to the weight room and classroom. According to Weis, the football program had its highest team GPA ever this past semester. Weis was working with a comparatively small roster — and he thinned the herd quite a bit before the spring semester, dismissing some players with off-the-field issues — but it’s still a nice thing for a new coach to boast in his first months on the job.
On the fans' expectations:
During his tour of Kansas, Weis said he rarely heard from fans on what their expectations were for this season. Instead, he said, they wanted to know what
his expectations were.
“I do know that it wasn’t that long ago that this team was winning a whole bunch of games,” Weis said, “You don’t have to look 20 years into the past to see when they were winning a whole bunch.”
Weis mentioned the back-to-back Bowl victories in 2007 and 2008, including an Orange Bowl victory.
“It wasn’t that long ago,” Weis said. “But now we’re 2-10. And you are what you are.”
... Finally, Weis, the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in 2010, attended the team’s first offseason OTA on Monday. Weis, who said he called Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel for permission before attending, was positive about the Chiefs’ progress.
“I think they’re way ahead of where they’ve been,” Weis said. “It was well organized. Obviously, first of all, I’m already a fan, so I’m not… unbiased. But things for a first day, didn’t look like a first day. I think it ran smooth.”