Jeff Long is the new Kansas athletic director, and though no one can be sure how this will turn out, it's not difficult to understand KU chancellor Douglas Girod's thinking.
This is the biggest move that Girod has made — and perhaps the biggest one he will make — as the new man in KU's top position. And if we examine what he was looking for with his next hire, the fact that Long is headed to Lawrence makes some sense.
Let's go back. Girod fired previous KU athletic director Sheahon Zenger on May 21, explaining to The Star then: "Football’s most certainly the most prominent challenge that we have right now.