What If? The 2006 Jayhawks That Never Were

What if Rodney Fowler had somehow found his way back to the grid-iron? 

The former Kansas free safety was quickly becoming a great one until a mysterious injury forced him out of football prior to his senior year.  Had he taken a medical red-shirt and been able to return in '06, either he or fellow returner Rodney Harris could've easily beenan upgrade over Jerome Kemp as a strong safety.

What if Eric Washington had missed his last tackle?

In a contest against Nebraska in the middle of the 2006 season—a contest the Hawks fell only a touchdown short of winning—Eric Washington attempted to make a routine tackle of Husker back Marlon Lucky.  That tackle cost him the remainder of his football career, a career full of experience that would have been invaluable to Mark Mangino's defense down the difficult Big 12 stretch.

What if Todd Hasselhorst could have stayed healthy?

The guard was expected to bring his size, athleticism, and reknowned mean streak to the front lines of KU's defense and contribute immediately.  Hasselhorst had all of the tools to make it work,  but couldn't escape the recurring injuries that eventually forced him out of football.

What if Moderick Johnson had maintained his grades?

This 6' 5", 4.6 40-timed receiver had limitless potential.  However, instead of fulfilling that promise, he was ruled academically ineligible after one season.  Unfortunately, he never found his way back to a Jayhawk squad, one that he could've starred on for years to come with fellow 2003 star recruit John Randle.

What if Nick Reid had redshirted during his freshman season?

He was widely expected to sit out his first season while transitioning from quarterback to linebacker, but quickly earned Mangino's respect with his downhill play and toughness.  He worked out better than anyone could've expected anyway, but just imagine what that extra year of opportunity to learn, grow, and eventually line up next to James Holt, Mike Rivera, and Joe Mortenson could've amounted to.

What if John Randle had kept his nose clean?

Had he been able to avoid the police on so many individual occasions, or even accepted Mangino's offer to allow him to return to the team, the nation would've watched the Wichita native become a star back in Clark Green's absence next to Jon Cornish in the backfield.  Instead, the former two-way star finished his studies at KU but took his football talents to the University of Southern Illinois.

What if Charles Gordon had received more consistent draft advice? 

Instead of entering the draft believing himself to be the second best corner available in 2006, he could've returned to school for his senior season.  He and sophomore rising star Aqib Talib would have, without a doubt, formed the best cornerback tandem in college football.

What if Todd Reesing had started immediately?

Kerry Meier wasn't a bad quarterback at all.  In fact, he may very well have become a good one over time.  Fortunately (in a weird way), nagging injuries and inconsistency eventually forced Mangino to take the redshirt off of Reesing.  In return, Reesing led the Jayhawks to three more victories and a bowl-eligible 6-6 record.  I'd say things worked out for Meier too.

Imagine what Reesing could have done with an entire season at his disposal?  Not to mention the Kerry Meier experiment could've caught on even quicker.

Awesome.

In fact, the entire 2006 season could have been awesome.

Had even one of these players managed to participate in the entire 2006 season, I'm certain the Jayhawks would currently be aiming for five straight bowls, rather than four out of the past five years with, an ugly, 6-6, snubbed season detracting from the picture.

In 2007, the Hawks went 12-1 with the lone loss coming to Missouri, and it's eerie how close 2006 was to looking very similar.

The '06 season featured a game where KU led OSU at half-time, but went on to lose to Adarius Bowman and company by 10 points.  The Hawks also dropped away games in overtime to Toledo and Nebraska by six and seven points respectively.

The worst losses of the season, though, had to be a three-point loss to Texas A&M and a one-point stinger in Waco to Baylor.

The one remaining and only bad loss of the season came in our final contest against Missouri.

Sound familiar?

Maybe I'm wrong though.  Maybe Todd Reesing, John Randle, Nick Reid ,or Charles Gordon wouldn't have made a difference at all.

It's only too bad that we'll never know for sure.