KCTown

I don't buy into that Rivals.100 crap on the amount of stars one has attached to them. Those dudes over there tend to blow up a recruit, then he just burns out when he arrives on campus. Not drinking the Kool-aid. If the Lee kid does'nt commit before the start of the fall, and if NU beats the Trojans out in LA on national TV, you would have to think the chances increase greatly.

Who does OU have behind Bomar? Seems when Stoops gets involved, things do tend to change. F'n OU.

What a guy, Foppa, what a guy!

I think he could win a playoff game or so, but without a pair of decent CB's and a playmaker at WR, probably not happening anytime soon. The AFC West is down except for Denver, so that could be a difference this year. Will they be better, yes.

Probably.

Just don't bring the mumps with you. Come on down.

Hey pigsonthewing, you coming down to visit that third world country on October 14th? I think we now have running water and electricity. I think. Come on down. Good times, good times!

That seems to be the opinion of many around the KC Metro. One of his best friends, Zach Kendall, was arguably KSU's top recruiting get next to Freeman for 05' out of Harrisonville, MO, and has said to want to play college ball with him. He is also dating Kendall's sister, so that plays a bit into things maybe. Has been seen around Manhattan a bit during the second semester of 06'. But that was before all of the bigtime national powers started knocking on his door for his services. If you would of asked me 2 or 3 months ago I would of said his chances of going to Manhattan at 75%. Now with NU and all of the rest of the bigtimers after him, maybe 50%. Actually attending these spring games at Lincoln and others does tend to sway attitudes, and going to NU to see the atmosphere first hand does make a lasting impression. Who knows. Nothing is for sure with Keck.

Went down on the field after the KSU spring game was over, and actually met him. My buddy shook his hand and thought he was going to break it. A nice man for sure. He was really coaching his butt off during the game too. Our new DB's seemed to really respond to him. I guess he is all in as a coach now.

I recently went to one of the open practices out in Manhattan, and I noticed Scott Frost on the sidelines. He was about 20 feet away from me and damm, the guy is built like an armored tank. I think he might be a good communicator as a coach, from what I saw. Seemed to follow D-Coordinator Morris around quite a bit, you could tell they got along very well. Hard to imagine he was a QB in his college days at NU from what he looks like now adays. Still looks like he could play ball for sure. I know some don't really want to read things concerning KSU, but just thought I'd share what I saw. A very interesting hire for sure.

The Keck kid out of Harrisonville, MO who visited NU's spring game last weekend, will be at KSU's spring game this saturday as well. Officially, he has many schools listed as possibilities, but those close to him say it will be between Mizzou and KSU, with the Wildcats the early leader. His former teammate at Harrisonville is one of the big gets for the Wildcats in the 05' recruting class and has stated that he would like to play college ball with him. We'll see. He is bigtime around these parts. Blake Lawrence out of Shawnee Mission West in Overland Park, KS has many schools interested in him as well. It is thought around OP that the Jayhawks are the leader for his services since his older brother, Tyler, will be a redshirt frosh in Lawrence for 06'. Definitely an up and coming recruiting target around the midwest.

I remember watching some of the rivals100 video clips on him and started thinking, this guy is gonna break some ankles in the Big XII. The dude has serious moves, and it was only a matter of time before he adapted to D-1 ball. A difference maker for sure in 06'.

I think the QB could be the one position those outside of the Husker Nation focus on the most. Don't get me wrong, the I-Back has to produce in order for the WCO to thrive, but the QB is the one getting the attention these days. If Taylor throws for say, 25 TD's and 2500 yds.... he'll be the man in Lincoln.

Or maybe an award given to a potential Husker football player to represents amazing character and attitude. Something any youngster should aspire to be.

Saw this from the Wichita Eagle website. Big baseball fans down there, and they like what they see from Alex so far. Check this out. Work in progress Alex Gordon, the Royals' No. 1 pick in 2005, enjoyed his break after draft day _ but the Wranglers' third baseman is happiest when he's playing ball BY JOANNA CHADWICK The Wichita Eagle he idea of taking a summer off appealed to Alex Gordon initially. He's always been the type to work on his game, get in the weight room, take grounders and hit in the batting cage. Even at age 4, Gordon was working on his game -- his dad, Mike, knew that most days when he got home from work, he'd be throwing batting practice to Alex. So, yeah, a little time off sounded good. Even though the third baseman had just been drafted No. 2 overall by the Royals. "Me and my brother went on vacation, and my girlfriend came, too," said Gordon, who went to Los Angeles for the ESPY awards and then to Arizona. "I did a lot of fun things with the family. I've never really had a lot of spare time before." But as the negotiations with the Royals dragged on, the whole vacation thing got old. "It was relaxing at first," said Gordon, who had just finished playing with Nebraska in the College World Series. "Pretty much all I wanted to do was relax. Then I started getting questions from everybody. It was getting frustrating." Mike Gordon saw it. "I knew he didn't like the time off," he said. "He was always wanting to play. He probably spent more time working with the weights and going to the cage. He did a lot of swinging and throwing, but it's not like playing in the game. "But this was all new to us, this process. As time went by, he especially started saying, 'I want to go play, I want to go play.' "Finally, it was, 'This is enough. It's a fair enough deal.' " Gordon signed with the Royals on Sept. 28, and received a $4 million bonus. More importantly, he got back on the field. Getting started Gordon, 22, debuted with the Wranglers on Thursday in Tulsa and should be at third base for the home opener Tuesday. He stole three bases Friday night, including second and third in the second inning, and was 2 for 4 at the plate. On Thursday he was 2 for 7 with a double, a homer, a walk and three strikeouts. After signing last fall, Gordon played 16 games for Surprise in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .260 with four doubles, two homers and nine RBIs. He spent spring training with the big-league club, hitting .333 in 18 games. Gordon insists he doesn't regret taking that time off. Even though he's well aware of how Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, the No. 4 pick in the 2005 draft, was a fall call-up after signing quickly. Zimmerman started at third for the Nationals on opening day. "I'm glad that everything worked out for him," Gordon said. "I knew that he would get up there quickly. He impressed a lot of people. That's why he's in the opening day lineup. "I'm not comparing myself or looking at other people. I'm just glad that he's getting the opportunity." You have to believe him, too, for Gordon oozes sincerity. He's a down-to-earth guy who rented a Kia during spring training. No Hummer for him. "He's one of the most humble young men around," said Randy Brolhorst, who coached Gordon at Lincoln (Neb.) Southeast High. "Success has not gone to his head, and it never will. "People would pat him on the back, and that embarrassed him. He wants to be the guy up there when the bases are loaded and you're down by three runs. He wants the home runs but not the accolades." The Royals looked into Gordon's background before drafting him. Still, there have been pleasant surprises. "We knew he could swing the bat; we knew he would be a good player," said Muzzy Jackson, the Royals' vice president of baseball operations. "What we didn't know was how solid an individual he is. "... His demeanor, he's such a professional at such a young age. He came into spring training with his ears open and his mouth shut. He was really impressive." Baseball family That demeanor can be traced directly to Gordon's parents, Mike and Leslie. "I get my humbleness from my mom," he said. "She never does anything for herself; she's so unselfish. " (I get my) work ethic from my dad. He's a hard worker and anything he does, he gives 100 percent." Gordon's love for baseball can be linked to his family, as well. His grandfather, Charlie, was Lincoln Southeast's longtime baseball coach. His dad played at Nebraska. All three brothers grew up in baseball -- Eric (24) played at Nebraska-Omaha, Brett (19), who is named after George Brett, is playing at Independence Community College, while Derek (14) is trying to become a switch hitter. " (Baseball's) been in our blood forever," Mike said. "I guess the easiest thing to do is go out and play catch to start with. All four have taken to it." Mike has spent plenty of evenings with his boys playing catch or pitching. Most nights they'd head to a park three blocks away for a little hitting and catching. "We used to hit whiffle balls in the yard, but those don't work," Mike said. "So we'd take baseballs and go to the park, then we'd wander around trying to find them." Alex Gordon's passion for the game meant he'd never rely on his pure talent to get ahead. He worked for it. "When he was younger, some didn't think he was putting in a lot of effort because it was so easy for him," said Brolhorst, his high school coach. "He was working hard, but he was so smooth, he made it look so easy." Gordon didn't stop working once he got to Nebraska, either. "When he saw the level of ball after high school, he knew he had to put in more and more time to keep ahead of everyone," Mike said. It showed. Gordon played three seasons at Nebraska, leading the Huskers to the College World Series in 2005. He won the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Award, the Brooks Wallace Award and the ABCA Rawlings Player of the Year. At Nebraska last season he hit .372 with 22 doubles, 19 home runs and 66 RBIs. He also stole 23 bases, was walked 63 times and had 38 strikeouts. Expectations Baseball America named him the Royals' top prospect, and opponents' scouts have gushed to Jackson about what they've seen. "He controls an at-bat," Jackson said. "He knows what he's trying to do; he's working on certain situations. When a pitcher is doing certain things, he's changing his approach and making adjustments. "He's very impressive. He came in like a big leaguer. He wasn't shaking. It didn't seem like it fazed him. He went out and did his business." So how long will he be in Wichita? Probably not long. Jackson estimates Gordon could move up to Kansas City in a month or two. "It depends on Alex," Jackson said. "He's a guy who has terrific talent, and he had a great spring training. We obviously think he's going to be a fixture and a member of our organization for a long time. "... We need a month or two before really being able to gauge if he's major-league ready." Gordon's fine with the time frame. As long as he's playing. No vacationing this summer. "I approach it the same way as if I were on the big team," he said of being in Double-A. "I play the same way, I work the same way, I try to improve my game the same way." Such a statement wouldn't surprise his dad. "He's a down-to-earth kid," Mike said. "He's not boastful, but he will give everything he's got to get to where he wants to go. "I hope he lives up to it. I know he wants to."

I knew his sister, who went to K-State as I did. Met him once, the guy had a presence about him. I guess I don't know how to say it, but just a genuine person. One of the fellas, I suppose. But what he was that most are not is that he was the leader-type of guy. People really listened to what he had to say, or followed what he did. His sister was alot like him, and still is. Just a thought I thought I'd share.

With Colorado and K-State breaking in new coaching staffs, and with KU and Mizzou starting new QB's and Defensive personnel, the Huskers should be the preseason favorites in the North. Getting to the Big XII Championship Game would be a really good accomplishment for this team. If they would happen to get there, anything is possible after that.

It's alright, no biggie to me.

Exactly, most likely he is just getting his foot in the door with coaching. Probably did'nt matter where he got his start, just that he got it. It has to feel really weird to him being at KSU now. It does to me.

Take a wild guess.

"Gay-State"? Really?

You think Taylor is gonna be that good in 06' husker rob? I think he has a good chance to be mentioned as possible All Big XII, seeing that the North doesn't return one decent QB with experience except for Meyer at ISU. It all is gonna depend on his line in front of him. I thought Frost was a decent DB for the Jets, and that makes total sense for him to follow Coach Morris to KSU after playing for him at Tampa. I guess.

There are alot of K-Stater's that feel the same way most of you do on this too. Why Frost? Why at KSU? There are only two former Wildcats on this staff right now, so it does make for an interesting situation. This should get a ton of play the week before the game in Manhattan. Another thing, when did he stop playing pro ball? Who did he play for last, the Jets? Just curious.

I was just reading on a rivals100 board that the Texarkana High QB Mallett just narrowed his two schools to Texas (big shocker!) and Michigan. I could of sworn that he had NU as one of his favorites, didn't he? What is the fascination with Michigan? They are on TV all of the time, but that is just about it. What happened?

Is it going to be on TV anywhere? Sometimes, a local cable TV station here in KC will televise some of the other spring games around the Big XII, just not sure on the Husker Spring Game.