Jayhawks an option for Buffalo’s Gill?

The talk of late, since the Western Kentucky job came open, is that a candidate for the head-coaching vacancy would be Buffalo’s Turner Gill.

The rumors, to be honest, never made much sense from the start. First of all, and no offense to the Hilltoppers intended, but a move to the Sun Belt conference -- to a team that’s just in its first year as a full-fledged member of Div. 1-A -- would be a step backwards career-wise, especially for a coach whose name has been attached to openings for schools currently residing in BcS conferences.

Secondly, it would be a step backwards for Gill financially. Gill currently makes at least 50 percent more than what David Elson pulled in at WKU, and it’s highly unlikely the school could/would come up to the level of a MAC school.

So, what’s all of this leading to? A solid rumor attaching Gill’s name to a BcS school.

According to the Buffalo News, should the situation at Kansas become even more untenable and Mark Mangino and the school “part ways”, Gill would likely become an immediate front runner to fill the opening.

The job UB fans should be worried about if it comes open is Kansas. Jayhawks coach Mark Mangino’s tenure seems a bit unsteady as the university probes allegations that he verbally abused players and had physical contact with them, including poking linebacker Arist Wright in the chest during a walk-through practice in October. Gill has a relationship with Jayhawks AD Lew Perkins and he has a long storied history in the Big 12 as an assistant at Nebraska. And Gill’s daughter, Jordan, is a student at KU.

If -- or should it be “when”? -- Mangino ultimately finds himself on the outs, it would make perfect sense for Gill to be a candidate for the position. Whether or not he would want to put himself into the middle of such a volatile work environment, though, would be another issue entirely.