Pressure on longest tenured Kansas football assistant
By Stan Unruh
The Kansas football summer training camp is underway. One coach on David Beaty’s staff has participated in this routine more than any other Jayhawk.
Kansas football fans can relax. College football preseason camps are open around the country. David Beaty’s Jayhawks are just beginning the hard work. They have a season opener in just over 4 weeks. One member of the Kansas football coaching staff has opened training camp in Lawrence more than any other.
Chris Vannini recently wrote about the longest tenured assistant coaches in college football. I immediately thought of Kansas defensive coordinator Clint Bowen. As a matter of fact, he is not on this list. Despite that, Bowen has opened training camp in Lawrence for most of the last 20 seasons.
He started his first Jayhawk training camp in Lawrence as a player in the early 90s for coach Glen Mason. After briefly following Mason to Minnesota as a grad assistant, Bowen returned to Kansas and has only missed two seasons in crimson and blue since.
Of course, some fans are critical of Bowen. They don’t think the Jayhawk defense is good enough. On the other hand, there are fans who thought he deserved to get the head coaching job instead of Beaty. I think Beaty, now in year three, and Bowen work together just fine. Bowen has one of the most difficult jobs in college football. Consider what he has done with limited talent the past two seasons in an attempt to slow down high-powered Big 12 offenses.
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With a new offensive coordinator, I expect the Jayhawks to score this season. Coach Bowen has an impressive stable of talent too, including the preseason defensive player of the year. He must get the most possible from his unit this season. Beaty and the Kansas faithful expect it.