SI's Top 20 Scouting Reports

15

Kansas Big 12

Select Team 1. Georgia 2. Ohio State 3. USC 4. Missouri 5. Florida 6. Oklahoma 7. Auburn 8. Texas Tech 9. LSU 10. Wisconsin 11. Clemson 12. Tennessee 13. Texas 14. West Virginia 15. Kansas 16. Arizona State 17. BYU 18. Oregon State 19. Pittsburgh 20. Oregon Main page 2008 Schedule

Todd Reesing threw 213 passes without a pickoff during one stretch in '07. David E. Klutho/SI Fast Facts COACH: Mark Mangino (7th year) 2007 RECORD: 12-1 (7-1 in Big 12) FINAL AP RANK: 7 RET. STARTERS: Offense 7, Defense 9 Worth Noting In 2007 the Jayhawks rose to No. 2 in the country and had a school-record 12 wins. The goal this year: back-to-back bowls for the first time in school history.

Breakout star Todd Reesing is a master at running the Jayhawks' spread offense

While Tim Tebow, the Heisman-winning Florida quarterback, was being trailed by camera crews in high school (for the prescient ESPN documentary The Chosen One), Todd Reesing was just hoping to find major college programs that would look at his video. One of those highlight tapes -- which had footage of Reesing running the spread at Lake Travis High in Austin -- was delivered by a family friend to the Kansas football offices. Coach Mark Mangino saw a quarterback who "made a lot of positive things happen," though the youngster was built like Doug Flutie. When the 5' 11" Reesing made an unofficial visit to KU in the summer of 2005, Mangino acted on a hunch and offered him a scholarship.

That gamble has paid off. As a sophomore last season, Reesing threw for 33 touchdowns against seven interceptions while leading the Jayhawks to their first BCS appearance and a 24-21 Orange Bowl win over Virginia Tech. Dubbed Sparky by Mangino, Reesing is a master tactician in the no-huddle spread; during one stretch last season he threw 213 consecutive passes without an interception. Even in practice he is demonstrably upset after being picked off, giving the coaches a scare when he went after and tackled each of the two defenders who intercepted him in the spring game (losing his helmet on one takedown).

In addition to keeping his hat on, Reesing has to make sure the offense, which ranked eighth nationally (479.8 yards per game) last year, keeps humming. And he'll have to do so without his blindside protector, All-America left tackle Anthony Collins, and one of his top targets, wideout Marcus Henry (both were selected in the NFL draft), as well as 1,000-yard rusher Brandon McAnderson, who graduated. In an attack that relies on timing and quick decision making, the Jayhawks will break in two new tackles, redshirt freshman Jeff Spikes and senior Matt Darton, while trying to remain as efficient as last season (14 turnovers, fourth-lowest total in the country). "We had so few blown assignments last year, and that was the key," Reesing says. "If everyone isn't executing perfectly, things don't work."

Mangino says a half-dozen schools visited Lawrence in the off-season for tips on the no-huddle attack, and Oklahoma spent the spring installing a similar hurry-up package. How flattering that traditional powers that had routinely humiliated the Jayhawks over the years are now imitating them. -- Luke Winn

Issue date: August 11, 2008