Oklahoma State football: Joseph Randle offered by Jayhawks — in fourth grade

“I got a scholarship offer from them when I was in the fourth grade,” Randle said Monday, warming up for Saturday's visit to Lawrence.

The Jayhawks were recruiting Randle's big brother, John Randle, and would eventually get him. When coaches from KU and other schools made their in-home visits, little brother used the opportunity to put himself on the map.

“I was the happiest one in the house when they came by,” Joseph Randle said. “I'd be popping in my highlight tapes. Not my highlight tape, the regular game. I never came off the field. So it was like the whole game was a highlight tape back then.”

The clearly confident Randle wasn't wooed only by the Jayhawks, who were coached by Mark Mangino at the time.

Randle said Missouri's Gary Pinkel and Kansas State's Bill Snyder dangled scholarships at that time, too.

“They all said, ‘We're going to offer you when you get of age,'” Randle said. “I was like, ‘All right.'

“I was playing hard to get even back then.”

OPPONENT WATCH: KU CONTROVERSY?

At 1-4, the Jayhawks are off to a stumbling start.

So KU coach Charlie Weis is getting his younger players ready … for the future.

That's what the first-year coach said Monday on the Big 12 Conference call, saying, “We practiced without seniors on Sunday. We need to develop younger players for the future.”

Quickly, those words set off alarms that perhaps Weis has given up on this season — and his seniors — with OSU due in Lawrence Saturday.