Kansas Football: 5 options for Jayhawks’ new coach in 2019

Kansas football doesn’t have a new head coach, yet, but they do have a new athletic director. Here are five options for the Jayhawks next head coach.

David Beaty was hired to bring a high powered offense to Lawrence, KS and instead brought the S&P+’s 127th ranked offense. The Jayhawks didn’t crack 3,000 passing yards and didn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher while throwing 14 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. A new athletic director is going to want their own football coach to establish their reign and Jeff Long has proven as much.

At Pittsburgh, Long hired Dave Wannstedt. Coach Wannstedt ran a pro-style offense and 4-3 defense. His biggest offensive move was taking Tyler Palko instead of Joe Flacco as his starting quarterback. Flacco went on to Delaware, the NFL, and a Super Bowl Championship.

Long’s initial hire at Arkansas was Bobby Petrino. Petrino’s tenure as head football coach was four seasons and a 34-17 record that ended in a Cotton Bowl victory in 2011. It also ended in controversy with a motorcycle accident, an affair, and a season in exile before a season at Western Kentucky.

Long replaced Coach Petrino with Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bret Bielema. Bielema was unable to duplicate that same success and was fired along with Long. Now Jeff Long will have the chance to start fresh and so will Kansas. Beaty has only managed a 3-33 overall record in Lawrence which will be unacceptable for Long to start his tenure right.

Here are five options Jeff Long will have to consider for the Jayhawks’ next head football coach.