Weis gets two new QBs at Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas coach Charlie Weis landed a pair of high-profile quarterbacks Thursday.
Former top recruit Dayne Crist announced on Twitter that he would join the Jayhawks for his senior season after a checkered career at Notre Dame, shortly before news broke that BYU quarterback Jake Heaps was also transferring to Kansas.
Crist will reunite with Weis, who recruited him to Notre Dame, and be eligible to play next season because he's already graduated from Notre Dame. Heaps will have to sit out under NCAA transfer rules but will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Officials at Kansas could not comment on the quarterbacks until they enroll.
Crist visited Kansas and Wisconsin before making his decision, which came the same day Badgers offensive coordinator Paul Chryst was hired as the head coach at Pittsburgh.
One of the country's top recruits out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., Crist enrolled in South Bend in 2008 as part of a blockbuster recruiting class.
Things didn't pan out as anybody expected, though.
Weis struggled to win games despite suiting up numerous top prospects at Notre Dame, and was fired after the 2009 season. Crist had a season-ending knee injury his freshman year and another last year, after he completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,033 yards with 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions under Weis' replacement, Brian Kelly.
He came back from the injury to regain the starting job this season, but was benched at halftime of the opener against South Florida. Crist played only a handful of snaps behind Tommy Rees the rest of the way, ultimately announcing that he had decided to transfer.
“After a long & difficult decision making process, I'm incredibly excited to join the Kansas football team. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!” Crist wrote on Twitter.
He'll compete for the starting job at Kansas right away.
Sophomore quarterback Jordan Webb struggled with consistency last season, completing 63 percent of his passes for 1,884 yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions during a 2-10 season.