There is no debating the Texas Longhorns have been consistently good on a football field during Mack Brown's 13 seasons on the job.

He's been rewarded with highly ranked recruiting classes, and this year's take is no different. The Longhorns, with their usual grab of Parade All-Americans and four- and five-star recruits, pulled in another stellar class during Wednesday's National Signing Day.

The 25-member class -- which is highlighted by star defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, the player rated No.1 overall in the country by some recruiting services, and No.1 outside linebacker prospect Jordan Hicks, of West Chester, Ohio -- is being touted as the second-best collection of incoming players in the nation. Florida, the 2008 BCS national champion, is No.1 by a very slim margin.

This was supposed to be the season the Big 12 made its run at the SEC for college football supremacy.

Well, there is always next season.

Aside from a season-opening win by Oklahoma State over Georgia, the Big 12 spent the rest of last season still looking up at the best conference in college football. But if there is a silver lining, it's the Big 12 didn't lose any ground as the second-best conference in the country after unsuccessfully squaring off against the SEC for the second year in a row.

Let's see. Texas Tech officials fired Mike Leach on Wednesday for allegedly banishing one of his players with a concussion to what was described as "small, dark" spaces during a practice. Not only that, this otherwise popular football coach was due an $800,000 bonus by the university on New Year's Eve. He is disputing the charges, by the way, along with others who strongly defend whatever he did.

Yeah, well. This is about to get uglier, especially since Leach's lawyer already was talking more about lawsuits than shoulder pads long before the Red Raiders prepared to play Saturday in the Alamo Bowl.

Turner Gill will be the next coach at Kansas, according to multiple published reports.

Gill, 47, will officially accept the position in the coming days, according to a story originally reported by Yahoo! Sports and later confirmed by the Lawrence Journal-World and others.

Gill is in his fourth year as the head coach at Buffalo, where he has a 20-30 overall record and a 5-7 mark this season. Last year, Gill led the Bulls to the MAC title, defeating heavy favorite Ball State in the championship game.

He was considered among the candidates to fill vacancies at Nebraska and Auburn, among other schools, in the past two seasons.

The return to the Big 12 will be something of a homecoming for Gill, who played quarterback at Nebraska from 1980-1983, leading the Huskers to a 28-2 record in three seasons as a starter, including three straight Big 8 titles. Gill finished fourth in the Heisman balloting in 1983, an award won by teammate Mike Rozier.

No terms of the contract were immediately known.

Kansas' previous coach, Mark Mangino, resigned in December after a late-season collapse by the Jayhawks and an investigation of his treatment of players.

Connecticut coach Randy Edsall was also believed to be a candidate for the position.

It's not clear whether or not Minnesota Gophers Tim Brewster is a serious contender for the Kansas job, but from the sounds of the Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi he might need to be.

Maturi didn't sound all too pleased upon learning this week his head football coach is a candidate for the Kansas Jayhawks job. He went as far as Tuesday to acknowledge to the St. Paul Pioneer-Press that his Brewster could leave for Kansas and that he "can't guarantee" Brewster will return next season.

"There are rumors that he's going to Kansas, so I don't know," Maturi said to the Pioneer-Press. "What can I say? So I can't guarantee it, no. I can't guarantee the decisions of other people."

A day after word leaked of mutual interest between Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt and Kansas, the veteran coach said Tuesday he is not interested the Jayhawks job.

Nutt, who is in his second season leading the Ole Miss Rebels, said he wants to continue building what he has started at Ole Miss. The Rebels have put together back-to-back eight win seasons and consecutive Cotton Bowl appearances under Nutt.

Buffalo coach and former Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill now is likely the leading candidate for the Kansas Jayhawks job.

"We appreciate the interest Kansas showed in our staff, but we are happy at Ole Miss and looking forward to the AT&T Cotton Bowl," Nutt said in a released statement.

That Nutt had interest in Kansas over Ole Miss seemed odd initially considering the prestige of both programs. The Rebels are in the competitive SEC West and will have a difficult time making up much ground on Alabama and LSU, but Kansas is a traditional basketball school that only had a reputation of being strong in the weaker Big 12 North later in Mark Mangino's tenure.

Nutt, who spent 10 years coaching Arkansas before coming over to Ole Miss, is 17-8 in two seasons leading the Rebels, which represents their two best back-to-back seasons since 1989-90. They are meeting No. 21 Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2 in Arlington, Texas, after finishing 8-4 during the regular season.

Nutt had just signed a contract extension with Ole Miss last year that pays him $2.5 million per year through 2012. That new deal came after rumors came out that Auburn might have been interested in Nutt.

"Under the leadership of Houston Nutt, the Ole Miss football program has had tremendous success," said athletic director Pete Boone. "We anticipate that success will continue for years to come, because of Houston Nutt's commitment to Ole Miss."

An unexpected surprise has apparently fallen the lap of Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins.

According to radio station KABZ-FM in Arkansas, Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt has expressed interest the Kansas Jayhawks job vacated by embattled coach Mark Mangino last Thursday. Perkins is also interested in talking with Nutt, who is preparing the Mississippi Rebels to play in the Cotton Bowl, according to sources familiar with both sides.

But Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone said through the athletic department's sports information office that Kansas has not contacted him for permission to speak with Nutt.

It had seemed that University of Buffalo coach Turner Gill might be the favorite after interviewing with Perkins on Sunday. But Nutt's surprising interest in the Jayhawks job perhaps changes things drastically.

Embattled Kansas coach Mark Mangino's resigned his position at Kansas on Thursday night to end his eight-year tenure, according to a release issued by the school. Two sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed Mangino's departure to FanHouse earlier Thursday.

KU athletic director Lew Perkins later confirmed the separation in a released statement on the school's Website.

"We appreciate the eight years that Mark has given to rebuilding our football program," Perkins said. "He and I have reached a mutually satisfactory agreement that reflects the appreciation we have for his efforts on behalf of Kansas Football.

Mangino had been under investigation by the school for more than two weeks after senior linebacker Arist Wright went to athletics director Perkins about alleged abusive behavior by the head coach. Wright complained Mangino, poked screamed and grabbed him during a Nov. 17 walk-through practice. Since then, several former Kansas Jayhawks players and their parents came forth to admit that Mangino is unduly harsh on his players.

Mangino could be owed as much as $6.6 million ($6 million in remaining salary for the three years left on his contract, plus $600,000 buyout), but could have come away with as little as nothing because of a conduct clause in his contract. However, according to one source, the two sides have come to financial agreement


There had been no hint Mangino's tenure could be in jeopardy until Perkins confirmed a little over two weeks ago an internal investigation into his coach's behavior toward his players had been launched. Mangino has been accused of being mean-spirited in his attacks on his current and former players. Some players like senior quarterback Todd Reesing, however, have been supportive of their coach, saying he is tough but doesn't cross the line.

But Perkins obviously found the stories coming from former and current players that Mangino crossed the line to be more compelling. It also doesn't help the Jayhawks are coming off a disappointing 5-7 overall, 1-7 Big 12 record after losing their final seven games. Mangino, who has been the most successful coach at Kansas in decades, just missed taking the Jayhawks to an unprecedented third straight bowl game.

Kansas never won a Big 12 North title under Mangino but is just two seasons removed from a once unthinkable win in the BCS Orange Bowl. Mangino ends his eight-year tenure 50-48.

"As you know we have recently completed an internal review of the football program," Perkins said. "I have been instructed by legal counsel that we cannot release any documents related to this investigation, nor any details regarding our settlement agreement. The investigation and settlement agreement will remain part of Mark's personnel records.

"Mark has brought much success to the football program at KU. He can leave with confidence that he has turned the football program around and set it on a path to even greater future success."

The names emerging to replace Mangino are UConn coach Randy Edsall, who was hired by Perkins to coach the Huskies, and other names include Buffalo coach Turner Gill and Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. Kansas will have to move fast if it has real interest in Strong, who is also a candidate for the Louisville job. Gill's name has been mentioned for the Virginia opening.

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.

Leave it to Texas Tech coach Mike Leach to come up with a brutal assessment of the issues surrounding Kansas coach Mark Mangino and the allegations last week he has been both physically and mentally abusing his players.

Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins has launched an investigation into Mangino's actions after one of his players reported that the head coach poked him during a walk-through practice a couple weeks ago. Since then, several former players have come forth to discuss Mangino's alleged abusive behavior and sometimes mean-spirited verbal attacks.

Leach has never been guilty of playing the politically correct game and he certainly didn't disappoint during this week's Big 12 football coaches call when the subject turned to the storm Mangino is facing.