Weis lures two heralded quarterbacks to Kansas

By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH

The Kansas City Star

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Before Todd Reesing won the starting quarterback job at Kansas in the fall of 2007, a look at the KU football passing records would have made one think that the Jayhawks had stopped playing football in the run-heavy 1970s.

There was no evidence that the forward pass had taken hold in Lawrence. KU’s career mark for touchdown passes was 35. For a season, it was just 18. The school’s career mark for passing yards was 6,410. For a season, it was just 2,995.

Reesing would shatter all of those records and many more, setting a standard for quarterbacking at KU. His career marks appeared safe for years to come, but on Thursday, the Jayhawks received commitments from two quarterbacks who just might have the talent and the pedigree to push Reesing’s season records during the next three years if things go right.

Thursday morning, former Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist announced on his Twitter page (@dcrist10) that he would be playing his final year of college football at KU. Later in the day, former BYU quarterback Jake Heaps decided to join Crist in believing that new Kansas coach Charlie Weis is the man to rebuild their once-promising careers.

“I got a call from Dayne this morning,” Heaps said. “We had a really good talk. We’re really excited to get this program moving forward and be a part of a great college town and a great environment down there in Lawrence. It’s a great opportunity for the both of us, to be with coach Weis, who’s an amazing offensive coach. We can’t wait to get this thing rolling.”

It’s not every day that two former five-star quarterback prospects decide to attend KU — in fact, Kansas had never had a five-star recruit at any position until Thursday. But then again, this is not a normal situation.

Weis is the guy who groomed Tom Brady into a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots. That reputation helped Weis sign Crist, the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the 2008 class according to Rivals.com, at Notre Dame. Crist was there for two years under Weis, but once it was his turn to start, Brian Kelly had replaced Weis as coach. Kelly benched Crist this season in favor of Tommy Rees.

Crist has one year of eligibility left. Because he has completed his undergraduate work, the NCAA will allow him to play his final season at another school that offers a graduate program that Notre Dame doesn’t offer. Crist picked Kansas over Wisconsin and Division I-AA Delaware, and he will be eligible to play next season.

Weis, without a doubt, is the only reason Crist will be a Jayhawk.

“He’s been instrumental in my life as a mentor, even for the past few years when he wasn’t with us at Notre Dame,” Crist said. “I give him so much credit for where I am today. He changed how I was as a player. I’ve never met anyone that was smarter in terms of football knowledge.”

Crist will be the favorite to lead KU next season. By securing a commitment from Heaps, the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the 2010 class according to Rivals, the Jayhawks should have a strong option in 2013 and 2014 as well.

Heaps lost his job this season to Riley Nelson a year after setting numerous BYU freshman passing records. He will have to sit a year because of NCAA transfer rules, which sets up all too well for Weis and KU.

“When Charlie Weis got the job,” said Jon Kirby, who covers KU football recruiting for Rivals.com, “I made several calls around, and one thing people kept coming back to is: He’s a very good recruiter. I think this shows what he can do.”

After two years of inconsistency from the position, good quarterbacking could very well be back in Lawrence. And both Crist and Heaps will have plenty to prove.

“I’m incredibly hungry,” Crist said. “I want nothing more than just to play, to do whatever it takes to be successful with my teammates and have a great time playing football.”