The man who helped develop Tom Brady into a three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback and coached Notre Dame for five seasons is now coming to save the University of Kansas football program from growing irrelevance.Charlie Weis became KUs 37th head football coach on Thursday afternoon a development that sent shockwaves throughout college football. KU, where five basketball national championship banners hang in historic Allen Fieldhouse, is not a proven destination for a football coach with Weis ambition and pedigree. The Jayhawks have gone 572-569-58 in their 122 seasons on the gridiron, and they have played in bowl games in back-to-back seasons just once.Weis to Kansas? It simply cant be. And yet, it absolutely is. KU athletic director Sheahon Zenger will introduce Weis at a news conference at 5 p.m. today in Lawrence.At the end of the day, Zenger told The Star late Thursday night, I would tell you, what Charlie Weis brings to Kansas is someone who is regarded as one of the brightest Xs and Os minds in the country and a national profile that weve not had at this institution in football before.It was nine days ago that Zenger, who has been in charge of KUs athletic department for 10 months, hit the road searching for the right guy to succeed Turner Gill, who was 5-19 in two seasons.I dont think anybody in the world would have thought Charlie Weis would come to Lawrence, Kansas, said former Kansas running back Jake Sharp, a member of KUs 2007 Orange Bowl-winning team. Its definitely a big splash, but its out of left field.The decision to hire Weis, who was serving as the Chiefs offensive coordinator less than a year ago, will also trigger questions. While he had a 35-27 record in five seasons at Notre Dame during 2005-09, Weis did not meet fans expectations because he and his staff did not coach the players they had recruited into a winning team. This season, Weis served as offensive coordinator at Florida, where the Gators went 6-6 with the 102nd-ranked offense in the country. In the years since Weis star began to fall with a 3-9 record at Notre Dame in 2007, he has become an easy target for detractors nationally who remember his statement when hired in South Bend that he would give the Fighting Irish a decided schematic advantage.When the news broke that Weis, 55, was coming to Kansas, the buzz could be felt throughout the country. Weis name was trending worldwide on Twitter an hour after the announcement. Even legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, in comments to a Palm Beach Post reporter, was surprised to see Weis leaving a program like Florida for KU.Weis and Zenger will explain their motives for joining forces today. Weis now has his fourth job in just over two years and is clearly in search of something he hasnt found at South Bend, Ind.; Kansas City; or Gainesville, Fla.When Weis was fired after five seasons with the Fighting Irish, his decision to join the Chiefs as offensive coordinator felt natural. Hed made his name as an NFL coach, starting as a low-level assistant with Bill Parcells New York Giants in 1990 and working his way up to offensive coordinator under Parcells with the New York Jets in 1998. After Weis picked up his third Super Bowl ring as the Patriots offensive coordinator in 2005, he returned to his alma mater with the hope of resurrecting Notre Dame football. Behind quarterback Brady Quinn, Weis coached the Irish to two Bowl Championship Series appearances in his first two seasons. After just seven games at Notre Dame, the school signed Weis to a 10-year extension that would reportedly pay him between $3 million and $4 million a year. But Weis could not follow through on the promise of his early tenure, going 15-21 his last three seasons despite a roster full of talented prospects. Weis was fired and returned to his comfort zone with Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who was with Weis in New England. Weis was brought in to fix Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel, and he helped Cassel to the Pro Bowl and the Chiefs to an AFC West championship. But before the regular season had even ended, Weis surprised everyone by agreeing to become Floridas offensive coordinator under new coach Will Muschamp. Weis and the Chiefs cited Weis family as the reason his daughter, Hannah, has special needs, and his son, Charlie Jr., was going to be a freshman at Florida and helping the Gators as a student assistant. The season did not go as planned, and Weis had to answer questions about his deteriorating health. Weis, who sustained a knee injury while at Notre Dame, uses a cane to walk. As recently as Nov. 23, Weis told The Associated Press that he had no thoughts of quitting coaching and that he planned to stay in Gainesville for a long time.But KUs interest in Weis changed his tune. He told me it was an opportunity he wanted to take, Muschamp told reporters Thursday in Jacksonville, Fla., at a Gator Bowl news conference, and I support him 1,000 percent.Weis has had a nomadic couple of years, but he is returning to the heartland and will be asked to build something lasting at Kansas. KU did not release Weis contract details. The school has already made a substantial investment in football. Zenger fired Gill on Nov. 27 and agreed to pay the $6 million remaining on Gills contract.He (Weis) certainly has the background, said Dana Anderson, KUs top football booster and the namesake of the Jayhawks $31 million football complex. Hes developed some incredible quarterbacks. Im very comfortable. Im comfortable because of Sheahon Zenger.Zenger has hitched his fate to Weis, which is one of the bolder moves he could have made. The hope is that the excitement of Weis arrival will fill Memorial Stadium as early as next fall.We really needed a big name, said Aaron Dollinger, a KU senior from Leawood, someone who can put people in the stands and get us to where we need to be. People say he might not be here for a long time, but in a few years, he could turn our program around.With Thursdays hire, Zenger sent a message about the importance of football at KU.The basketball program is not going to carry us into being a big player in conference realignment, said Erin Pishny, a KU graduate student from Overland Park. We had to do something to prove were a contender. Its showing that football is going to be a priority at this school.

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Charlie Weis to be KU's new football coach

By J. BRADY MCCOLLOUGH

The Kansas City Star

Poll | What do you think of KU hiring Weis?

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The man who helped develop Tom Brady into a three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback and coached Notre Dame for five seasons is now coming to save the University of Kansas’ football program from growing irrelevance.

Charlie Weis became KU’s 37th head football coach on Thursday afternoon — a development that sent shockwaves throughout college football.

KU, where five basketball national championship banners hang in historic Allen Fieldhouse, is not a proven destination for a football coach with Weis’ ambition and pedigree. The Jayhawks have gone 572-569-58 in their 122 seasons on the gridiron, and they have played in bowl games in back-to-back seasons just once.

Weis to Kansas? It simply can’t be. And yet, it absolutely is. KU athletic director Sheahon Zenger will introduce Weis at a news conference at 5 p.m. today in Lawrence.

“At the end of the day,” Zenger told The Star late Thursday night, “I would tell you, what Charlie Weis brings to Kansas is someone who is regarded as one of the brightest X’s and O’s minds in the country and a national profile that we’ve not had at this institution in football before.”

It was nine days ago that Zenger, who has been in charge of KU’s athletic department for 10 months, hit the road searching for the right guy to succeed Turner Gill, who was 5-19 in two seasons.

“I don’t think anybody in the world would have thought Charlie Weis would come to Lawrence, Kansas,” said former Kansas running back Jake Sharp, a member of KU’s 2007 Orange Bowl-winning team. “It’s definitely a big splash, but it’s out of left field.”

The decision to hire Weis, who was serving as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator less than a year ago, will also trigger questions.

While he had a 35-27 record in five seasons at Notre Dame during 2005-09, Weis did not meet fans’ expectations because he and his staff did not coach the players they had recruited into a winning team. This season, Weis served as offensive coordinator at Florida, where the Gators went 6-6 with the 102nd-ranked offense in the country.

In the years since Weis’ star began to fall with a 3-9 record at Notre Dame in 2007, he has become an easy target for detractors nationally who remember his statement when hired in South Bend that he would give the Fighting Irish a “decided schematic advantage.”

When the news broke that Weis, 55, was coming to Kansas, the buzz could be felt throughout the country. Weis’ name was trending worldwide on Twitter an hour after the announcement. Even legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, in comments to a Palm Beach Post reporter, was surprised to see Weis leaving a program like Florida for KU.

Weis and Zenger will explain their motives for joining forces today. Weis now has his fourth job in just over two years and is clearly in search of something he hasn’t found at South Bend, Ind.; Kansas City; or Gainesville, Fla.

When Weis was fired after five seasons with the Fighting Irish, his decision to join the Chiefs as offensive coordinator felt natural. He’d made his name as an NFL coach, starting as a low-level assistant with Bill Parcells’ New York Giants in 1990 and working his way up to offensive coordinator under Parcells with the New York Jets in 1998.

After Weis picked up his third Super Bowl ring as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator in 2005, he returned to his alma mater with the hope of resurrecting Notre Dame football. Behind quarterback Brady Quinn, Weis coached the Irish to two Bowl Championship Series appearances in his first two seasons. After just seven games at Notre Dame, the school signed Weis to a 10-year extension that would reportedly pay him between $3 million and $4 million a year.

But Weis could not follow through on the promise of his early tenure, going 15-21 his last three seasons despite a roster full of talented prospects.

Weis was fired and returned to his comfort zone with Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who was with Weis in New England. Weis was brought in to “fix” Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel, and he helped Cassel to the Pro Bowl and the Chiefs to an AFC West championship.

But before the regular season had even ended, Weis surprised everyone by agreeing to become Florida’s offensive coordinator under new coach Will Muschamp. Weis and the Chiefs cited Weis’ family as the reason — his daughter, Hannah, has special needs, and his son, Charlie Jr., was going to be a freshman at Florida and helping the Gators as a student assistant.

The season did not go as planned, and Weis had to answer questions about his deteriorating health. Weis, who sustained a knee injury while at Notre Dame, uses a cane to walk. As recently as Nov. 23, Weis told The Associated Press that he had no thoughts of quitting coaching and that he planned to stay in Gainesville for a long time.

But KU’s interest in Weis changed his tune.

“He told me it was an opportunity he wanted to take,” Muschamp told reporters Thursday in Jacksonville, Fla., at a Gator Bowl news conference, “and I support him 1,000 percent.”

Weis has had a nomadic couple of years, but he is returning to the heartland and will be asked to build something lasting at Kansas.

KU did not release Weis’ contract details. The school has already made a substantial investment in football. Zenger fired Gill on Nov. 27 and agreed to pay the $6 million remaining on Gill’s contract.

“He (Weis) certainly has the background,” said Dana Anderson, KU’s top football booster and the namesake of the Jayhawks’ $31 million football complex. “He’s developed some incredible quarterbacks. I’m very comfortable. I’m comfortable because of Sheahon Zenger.”

Zenger has hitched his fate to Weis, which is one of the bolder moves he could have made. The hope is that the excitement of Weis’ arrival will fill Memorial Stadium as early as next fall.

“We really needed a big name,” said Aaron Dollinger, a KU senior from Leawood, “someone who can put people in the stands and get us to where we need to be. People say he might not be here for a long time, but in a few years, he could turn our program around.”

With Thursday’s hire, Zenger sent a message about the importance of football at KU.

“The basketball program is not going to carry us into being a big player in conference realignment,” said Erin Pishny, a KU graduate student from Overland Park. “We had to do something to prove we’re a contender. It’s showing that football is going to be a priority at this school.”