David Beaty’s persistence pays off for Kansas football
By Stan Unruh
Kansas football fans have just a handful of Saturdays before the season begins. The new coach running the Jayhawk offense will make it exciting.
The single biggest story of the Kansas football off-season is David Beaty’s hiring of new offensive coordinator Doug Meacham. He is the highest paid assistant on the Kansas football staff, according to a February report by Tom Keegan. If Meacham does for Beaty what he did at TCU, he will earn every penny and more.
During the Big 12 Football media day circus, Beaty explained his persistence in the effort to get Meacham to join him in Lawrence.
"I called him ten times and offered him so — I told him, look, look, you can have all the money. I’ll hire everybody else for a dollar."
TCU fans saw the Frogs recognized as the nation’s most improved offensive in 2014 – Meacham’s first year. They improved by over 180 yards in total offense and added an average of 21 points per game. Both are Big 12 records.
As a matter of fact, Kansas football has the talent in 2017 to do exactly what Meacham did in Fort Worth. Just consider all the preseason awards for the Jayhawks on offense. Three of Meacham’s playmakers are on national watch lists. The Bileitnikoff Award recognized wide receiver Steven Sims, Jr. last week. Speedster LaQuvionte Gonzalez is on the Paul Hornung watch list and Tight End Ben Johnson on the John Mackey Award list.
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Far more important in my opinion is the Rimington watch list including the Jayhawk Center. Mesa Ribordy and his teammates on the offensive line are a critical component to helping Meacham’s offense tick. The guys up front have the most important job. If the Jayhawk offensive line doesn’t do the job, it won’t matter who Beaty names to start as quarterback.