First it was Dayne Crist. Then came Jake Heaps. Suddenly, Kansas Jayhawks football fans were christening both as the starting quarterbacks for the next two seasons — the junior and senior years ahead for incumbent starter Jordan Webb. And while both quarterbacks are hardly a sure thing and are only around for one year apiece, you have to wonder just how Jordan Webb is feeling right now given the attention paid to the newcomers by both the head coach and the fan base.
Of course, even Webb himself would have to admit that this last year was miserable for Kansas football. The Jayhawks went 2-10 overall and were winless in the Big 12. While their in-state rivals find life despite the lack of high-profile recruits and are playing in the Cotton Bowl, the post-Mark Mangino years have been devoid of any success to speak of. Thus it’s hard to fault Webb for a poor overall results.
In fact, Webb was just a sophomore this year and had been the starting quarterback at KU for most of the last two years. That sort of commitment, growth and maturity has to count for something. Even though he was often forced to throw early and often given the losing situations KU would find itself in game after game, Webb upped his completion percentage from 56.5 percent his freshman year to 63.7 this year. Given more talent around him, it’s possible Webb would be a decent starter in the Big 12.
It’s hard to tell what will happen at this point given that everyone is in celebratory mode over the dual commits that Charlie Weis received today from Heaps and Crist. However, no one could fault Webb for wanting out. It’s clear he’s not wanted here and that his only chance will be if someone else falters. Fair or not, he cannot change the fact that he’s caught in the middle of a complete overhaul of KU football. While it’s what everyone has wanted, some good people can get caught up in the undertow.