Kansas athletic director Jeff Long, in the wake of the Jayhawks‘ loss to FCS opponent Nicholls State at home, said in a statement issued Tuesday that the evaluation of the football program is “ongoing without a predetermined timeline.”
The Jayhawks lost 26-23 in overtime on Saturday, dropping coach David Beaty’s record at Kansas to 3-34 overall.
“We all expected a different outcome Saturday but I continue to support our student-athletes and coaches and ask all Jayhawks to do the same,” Long said. “Our evaluation of the program is ongoing without a predetermined timeline.”
Long arrived at Kansas over the summer. At his introductory news conference, the former Arkansas athletic director and College Football Playoff committee chairman revealed his goal of returning the Jayhawks to bowl eligibility, which hasn’t happened in a decade.
“I’m not shy in saying that someday down the road we’re going to win the Big 12 championship,” he said then.
The Jayhawks, however, suffered another setback Saturday with the loss to Nicholls, their second FCS defeat under Beaty. Since Beaty took over in 2015, the Jayhawks have only one Big 12 win — a 2016 victory over Texas.
“I’ll tell you this: The sun’s going to come up tomorrow,” Beaty responded Saturday after the loss, when asked about the state of his program. “This team is going to continue to work toward the goals they have set.”
Kansas travels to Central Michigan on Saturday.