Kansas Jayhawks arch drillmaster Charlie Weis on the sidelines adjoin the Central Michigan Chippewas in the aboriginal bisected at Memorial Stadium.(Photo: John Rieger, USA TODAY Sports)
Charlie Weis accustomed at Kansas abounding of bravado, able affecting changes aural the ability program. Players were dismissed, offenses and defenses were scrapped. Abettor coaches were hired, accursed or artlessly reassigned.
In the end, the one affair that bare to change — on-field after-effects — backward the same.
Weis was accursed four amateur into his third division on Sunday, one day afterwards a 23-0 accident to Texas on accession larboard the audacious drillmaster with a 6-22 almanac in his additional arch apprenticeship stint.
Weis, who becoming a acceptability as an abhorrent administrator with the New England Patriots, was accursed by Notre Dame in 2009 afterwards bristles seasons at his alma mater.
"I commonly do not favor alteration coaches mid-season," Kansas able-bodied administrator Sheahon Zenger said in a statement, "but I accept we accept accomplished coaches and players in this program, and I anticipate this accommodation gives our players the best adventitious to activate authoritative advance appropriate away."
Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen will serve as acting drillmaster of the Jayhawks, who are 2-2 on the season. They comedy at West Virginia on Saturday.
It was Zenger who accursed Turner Gill afterwards two corrupt seasons, and who proclaimed aloft the hiring of his replacement, "I set out to acquisition the best and I begin Charlie Weis."
At the time, Weis had been two years removed from his beating at Notre Dame. He served the aboriginal year as a Kansas City Chiefs assistant, allowance the aggregation acknowledgment to the playoffs. But the afterward year, as abhorrent coordinator at Florida, Weis presided over a assemblage that had struggled to score.
That didn't change already Weis accustomed in Lawrence.
After absolution a bulk of players for assorted rules infractions, Weis rebuilt the agenda about a cardinal of Division I and inferior academy transfers. But anniversary time he anticipation he had begin an answer, abnormally at quarterback, aggregate seemed to backfire.
Quarterbacks Dayne Crist and Jake Heaps, two high-profile transfers, were benched for poor comedy in favor of less-heralded players. Wide receiver Justin McKay, already one of the nation's top prospects, has struggled to aftermath over two seasons.
Throw in a alternation of adverse injuries, including season-enders to the Jayhawks' top two active backs in abatement camp, and the aggregation was woefully overmatched.
Kansas struggled to exhausted lower-division Southeast Missouri State in its opener, and again was baffled 41-3 by Duke. There were rumors again that Weis would be accursed if the Jayhawks did not exhausted Central Michigan the afterward week, and it took an aggressive arresting accomplishment and two fourth-quarter touchdowns for them to eke out a 24-10 victory.
Ultimately, it bought Weis one added week.
"I acknowledge what Drillmaster Weis did with several facets of our football program," Zenger said, "but we accept not fabricated the on-the-field advance we accept we should. I accept new administration gives our coaches and players the best adventitious to accomplish a beginning start."
Kansas adjudicator Bernadette Gray-Little said she accurate the decision.
"As we abide to drag the civic ability of the University of Kansas, our afterward of arete extends above our analysis and advisory missions," she said. "Alumni, students, admirers and supporters apprehend that Kansas football will bout the added areas in which we excel."
That hasn't been the case for abounding years.
Kansas hasn't had a acceptable almanac back 2008, the nest-to-last division beneath Mark Mangino — now an abettor at Big 12 battling Iowa State. The Jayhawks accept alone baffled four teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision in the accomplished four seasons. And conceivably best important, the afflicted comedy has resulted in all-inclusive stretches of abandoned seats at Memorial Stadium.
Those seats will charge to be abounding by Weis's successor. Kansas is on the angle for the butt of his five-year contract, which affirmed him $2.5 actor annually.
"The aggregation was slugging it out," Weis said afterward Saturday's accident to the Longhorns, back asked about the crumbling support. "I anticipate the alone acumen to not abutment a aggregation is back a aggregation throws in the towel, and I anticipate our aggregation has apparent no affirmation of that."
The affairs hadn't apparent abundant affirmation of progress, either, and it amount Weis his job.
Under the agreement of his contract, Kansas will owe Weis about $5.625 million, to be paid account thru Dec. 31, 2016.
According the Notre Dame's best contempo tax return, Weis will be accepting payments from that academy through December 2015.
He was paid about $2.1 actor by Notre Dame during the 2012 agenda year, the best contempo year for which abstracts are available.
Weis was paid the about $2.1 actor by Notre Dame in 2010 and 2011. He accustomed added than $6.6 actor in pay and severance from the academy in 2009.
Contributing: Steve Berkowitz
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