Why beating Central Michigan may be a paramount moment for David Beaty
When Jeff Long was hired as AD at Kansas in July for an August 1st start, he laid down the gauntlet to the football program...losing would not be accepted anymore. Long, as connected a man in the college football world as any, who served on the playoff committee, understands what football success means at a big time university. He certainly understood it clearly when he was fired at Arkansas late last fall after failing to get it done at Arkansas with coach Bret Bielema.
That message was a direct shot at head coach David Beaty, a hire that I personally never supported. Beaty is now just 3-34 at Kansas entering his 4th season as head coach, and last week lost to Nicholls, a perennial loser on the FCS level that only recently started finding their way with a new coaching hire of their own.
Beaty has lost the public trust at Kansas, especially when he has two losses to FCS programs now in 4 years. He has lost games against MAC opponents, and has been perfectly abysmal in Big 12 play, and all indicators are that this will not get any better. The Jayhawks play Central Michigan on the road this week, and they already lost to the Chippewas, a mid tier MAC team, at best, at home in Lawrence last season, and the game was not close in the end.
The loss to Nicholls last week prompted a rare statement by Jeff Long as the AD last week calling for patience in the process, but let's face it, the statement was more an indictment on the current staff than a support of it. It was a clear message that this kind of loss cannot be tolerated by a Power 5 program that has known success from time to time, even recently in the scheme of things. Long put out a second shot at Beaty since he was hired, and it was loud, precis, and clear.
The message was intended to let Jayhawk fan know that Beaty is on his way out. Long had intended on making this move before he signed the dotted line on his contract. Beaty was a clear mistake hire, and that mistake needs to be rectified. Long knows it, and the fan base, some of whom still defended Beaty to me as recently as last season, has now largely turned and is giving up the fight in droves. Beaty's days are numbered, and if the Jayhawks are embarrassed on the road this week, that move could come sooner than later.
It's difficult for me to state that Beaty would absolutely be fired as soon as next week, as I have not had that information handed to me or indicated directly to me in recent days. What I have had indicated to me by sources is that the era of patience is done, and a further slide to finding a new rock chalk bottom will not be tolerated. Other things handed to me directly were much more interesting.
Jeff Long has a long list of candidates that he will be attacking at will in the coming weeks. The names on this list, I am told, are names that should inspire Kansas fan far and wide. The acceptance of losing is no longer valid, and Long has the support, both figuratively and financially, of everyone involved that would be needed to make a big splash. In short, money will be spent on the program as a while, and on the next football coach at Kansas, and very little will be spared in the process.
Long is now completely bought in to do anything he has to do to make football work in Lawrence. He has the money at hand, the promise of upgrades in the football program in hand, and boosters who are throwing their lot in. There will not be another hire made that wreaks of a failed Charlie Weis, whose star was already diminished before arriving in Lawrence. There will not be another Turner Gill, who was coming off of limited success at Buffalo. There certainly will not be another Beaty, who had been WR coach at Rice, another proverbial and annual loser program.
I am told to think big, and no stone will be left in place. I am told that candidates like Jason Candle at Toledo and Neal Brown at Troy could be very intrigued with what could be offered, and Candle has seen his predecessor Matt Campbell turn expectations at a place like Iowa State around. Brown, who still needs to avoid a meltdown season in a rebuilding year at Troy, could also be in play at Texas Tech, and Kentucky if Stoops was fired there this year.
Les Miles is indeed in the conversation, and desperately wants back in the coaching game, and was a candidate at USC before they stuck with Clay Helton. They now have the resources and ability to go after him and have a shot at landing him. Mike Norvell at Memphis could be in play, as could another AAC riser in Willie Fritz.
Those names are just a few, but there will be more, and every one a potential star. As the process heats up, and we get closer to actuality with Beaty heading out the door, the complete list will become available, and my sources on the matter are rock solid, never having failed me in these processes on hard line knowledge. As the process gets closer, stay tuned, as I will provide what I know and hear when it happens.
Until then, know that the future of Kansas football will brighten, and the program is in the right hands.
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