Charlie Weis Makes Brutally Honest Recruiting Pitch For Kansas Jayhawks

Charlie Weis doesn’t mince words when it comes to Kansas Jayhawks football — they’ve been terrible, and he knows it.

The Jayhawks were 1-11 last year, beating only South Dakota State The team’s coach said when he meets with potential recruits, he lets them know exactly what they’re coming into.

“Have you looked at that pile of crap out there?” Weis said at Big 12 Media Days, paraphrasing the pitch he gives to young players.

But sometime about the approach must work, because Charlie Weis has an infusion of talent coming to the Jayhawks next season.

Weis said he isn’t about to change his recruiting style, either.

“The problem with me is I have a very — I’m a very straightforward person, and these players either really like you or they can’t stand you. It’s one or the other.”

Kansas is picked to finish last in the Big 12 by most college football experts, and Weis said he doesn’t blame them. He said the team is yet to show any reason why it should be ranked higher.

But there could be a good strategy in his blunt approach. There aren’t too many reasons for talented young players to come to Kansas — the team at the bottom of a powerful conference — other than the prospect of getting some real playing time. That is exactly what Charlie Weis is selling them.

“Everyone wants to play,” Weis said. “There’s no one that wants to not play. I said, ‘Have you looked at that pile of crap out there? Have you taken a look at that?’ So if you don’t think you can play here, where do you think you can play? It’s a pretty simple approach. And that’s not a sales pitch. That’s practical. You’ve seen it, right? Unfortunately, so have I.”

Charlie Weis may be emboldened by his financial security. Though he’s been gone from Notre Dame since 2009, he’s due to earn $19 million from his buyout clause over the next few years.