LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) David Beaty has plenty of reasons to be feeling the pressure this season.
The biggest is his record, which is just 3-33 in three seasons at Kansas. His only win over a power school came in 2016, when the Jay-hawks stunned Texas to end a long and frustrating Big 12 skid, and there are very few places where a coach will get much support with that kind of resume.
Then theres the fact that his biggest supporter, Sheahon Zenger, lost his own job earlier this year. Zenger was fired as athletic director after failing to turn around the program, his failed hiring of Charlie Weis perhaps his biggest misstep along the way.
If hes feeling the heat, Beaty isnt letting on. He remains optimism personified, his focus trained entirely on helping the Jay-hawks climb out of the leagues lonely cellar.
Our guys have put the work in, Beaty said, but they know thats the price of admission, and there are a lot of things we weve learned over the last few years that are going to give us an edge.
Indeed, the Jayhawks return 91 percent of their offensive production from last season. They have 26 seniors and almost two dozen players with starting experience.
Thats a good place to start if Beaty is trying to impress Jeff Long, the Jayhawks new athletic director, and Mike Vollmar, the new associate AD whose job is to oversee the football program.
Hes got great experience. I know hes going to help us move the program forward, Beaty said. Man, Im looking forward to working with him. Our conversations have been terrific. I know hes excited to get here. Hes been down there in Florida, and hell be up here pretty quickly.
Hell no doubt be in place by the time the Jayhawks open the season against Nicholls State on Sept. 1, giving him time to examine the job Beaty is doing in leading the program.
QUARTERBACK COMPETITION
Beaty has never been settled at quarterback and this year appears to be no exception. Peyton Bender arrived with plenty of promise last season but struggled with consistency, and Carter Stanley fared little better when he was given the reins. Junior college transfer Miles Kendrick threw his name in the mix after arriving this year.
I love competing with those guys. I love competing with Peyton and Miles, all those guys in the room, Stanley said. I think my competitiveness Ive always taken pride in being a competitor. Just bringing that and elevating the play of my teammates is my biggest strength.
SKILLED PLAYERS
Khalil Herbert showed he could be one of the Big 12s top running backs when he ran for 291 yards against West Virginia, though a hamstring injury slowed him late last season. The Jayhawks also have a legit NFL prospect in wide receiver Steven Sims, who caught 59 passes for 839 yards and six touchdowns last season despite enduring the carousel at quarterback. In other words, the Jay-hawks should have plenty of pop on offense.
UNLESS THE O-LINE STRUGGLES
