Another morning has come and perhaps another day will pass in Lawrence, Kan., without so much as whisper about Kansas football coach Mark Mangino and his tenure coaching the Jayhawks.As recently as late last week it seemed a formality that athletic director Lew Perkins would fire Mangino once the season was complete after announcing on Nov. 17 that an investigation was underway into Mangino's alleged mistreatment of his student athletes. The Jayhawks concluded a disappointing season Saturday with a 41-39 loss to Missouri -- their seventh straight defeat -- to end the year 5-7 overall, 1-7 Big 12.
But since Mangino concluded his second-worst season in eight years, coaches like Notre Dame's Charlie Weis, Louisville's Steve Kragthorpe and Virginia's Al Groh have been shown the door while Bobby Bowden resigned Tuesday. There has been nothing but silence out of Kansas. Mangino's coaching staff is on the road recruiting despite not being able to answer many questions about the head coaches' future, according to a story appearing in Tuesday's Kansas City Star.
"We have not heard anything at this time," assistant athletic director Chris Theisen said to FanHouse on Tuesday morning. "Unfortunately, we are at the mercy of what's going on upstairs."
In the meantime, those other programs have gotten a head start in their coaching season on Kansas (with the exception of Florida State, which will promote coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher), if indeed the move is to fire Mangino following a down season and allegation of abusive behavior from some current and former players.
Names such as Randy Edsall at UConn and Buffalo's Turner Gill have been mentioned in connection to some of the other openings. Speculation has it that both Edsall and Gill would be the leading candidates for the Jayhawks job should Perkins decide to get rid of Mangino at some point this week.
But while the timing -- the season finish and the allegations -- could be right perhaps Perkins is beginning to realize that getting rid of the program's most successful coach in decades might not be the wisest move. Mangino is just two seasons removed from the Jayhawks 7-1 Big 12 finish -- their only winning season in Big 12 play -- an Orange Bowl victory and 2007 National Coach of the Year recognition.
Coaches like Mike Gottfried, Glen Mason and Terry Allen had given it a shot at Kansas but without nearly as much success as Mangino had during his seven seasons. The Kansas Jayhawks fell just one win short this season of making an unprecedented third straight bowl. It was the first time the program had gone to back-to-back bowl games when Mangino guided the Jayhawks to a 42-21 win over Minnesota last year in the Insight Bowl.
