KU Football News: Ryan Willis and New Offensive Coordinator

KU football news revolves around the quarterback transferring to a new university and about the newest offensive coordinator obtained by head coach David Beaty and his staff.

KU football didn’t exactly wow anyone last season, but there was hope when the season ended. The Jayhawks finished with a record of 2-10, but reeled off a big win against the Texas Longhorns in the second to last week of the season.

A lot of the change in the final few games stemmed from the new signal caller, Carter Stanley, taking snaps at quarterback. Stanley’s impressive play over the final few games meant that previous starting quarterback Ryan Willis would be dropping further on the depth chart, and he has now decided to transfer.

Willis, an Overland Park native, announced on Wednesday that he’d be transferring to Virginia Tech next season (see links below). It’s not a surprising move considering that Stanley is likely going to be the starter next season and that Willis had struggled during his two years as a Jayhawk.

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In those two seasons, Willis played in 16 games. He threw for 2,530 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. Willis also rushed for a touchdown this past season, giving him 12 total touchdowns he was responsible for at KU.

In other Kansas Jayhawks news, KU announced on Thursday that they had hired Doug Meacham to be their new offensive coordinator for the next three years.

Meacham previously was the offensive coordinator for TCU and shared the position with Sonny Cumbie.

This isn’t exactly the time of year where we hear news about the KU football program, but hopefully Beaty continues to push this program in a positive direction.

Here’s what’s trending in KU football news from around the web.

KU quarterback Ryan Willis to transfer to Virginia Tech [Jesse Newell, The Kansas City Star]

Jayhawks Have Blueprint to Grow From Terrible Seasons [Foster D. Coburn, III, Through the Phog]

Kansas transfer Ryan Willis looking forward to renewing confidence at Virginia Tech [Nick Krug, KU Sports]

"Transfer rules require Willis to sit out a year before competing in games, which will give him ample time to learn the Hokies’ offense."

KU football hires TCU co-offensive coordinator Doug Meacham [Jesse Newell, The Kansas City Star]

KU football could be headed in a brighter direction under head coach David Beaty, but it’s still sad whenever a key player leaves. With Carter Stanley looking decent in his first season with the Jayhawks, Ryan Willis transferring was the best thing for both parties.

Next: KU Football: Top Ten Quarterbacks All-Time

As for the Meacham hiring, I like the move.

There hasn’t been a lot to cheer for when it comes to KU football over the better half of a decade and it’s nice to see that David Beaty is taking chances on guys to try and make this program better.

Carter Stanley looked promising in the several games he played in last season and Meacham brings a whole new type of offensive outlook to the team.

2017 could be another step in the right direction for KU football.

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