Kevin Kane leaves Kansas football staff, returns to Northern Illinois

One year into his tenure, Kansas coach David Beaty will be looking for a new linebackers coach.

Kevin Kane, the former KU linebacker who joined Beaty’s staff in late 2014, is leaving to become the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Northern Illinois, where he spent his previous four seasons.

Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey announced the hire on Wednesday. Kane, 31, a graduate of Rockburst High School, had a three-year stint as a graduate assistant and quality-control coach at Wisconsin before moving to Northern Illinois.

“I’m excited to be back in DeKalb with the team I know so well that has had so much success,” Kane said in a statement. “I can’t wait to get my foot in the door and be back in DeKalb calling the defense.”

Kane’s departure, which was first reported by Sports Illustrated, is the second change to Beaty’s staff this offseason. Beaty also hired veteran receivers coach Jason Phillips and re-assigned special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Gary Hyman to an off-field role.

With Kane’s exit, the Jayhawks lose a rising assistant with a deep knowledge of the KU program and the Kansas City area. Kane, who was an active recruiting presence in Kansas City, played linebacker at Kansas for Mark Mangino during 2002-05. He also worked as a graduate assistant at KU when the Jayhawks won the Orange Bowl after the 2007 season.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 8:05 PM with the headline "Kevin Kane leaves Kansas football staff, returns to Northern Illinois."