It took longer than it should have, but a wrong has been righted. Jeff Love is back in college football.
For those that don't remember, Love was the fall guy of a fall guy at Kansas. When then-KU AD Jeff Long launched his ill-fated attempt to not pay David Beaty's buyout, he needed a reason to do so. Love became that reason. Long alleged that Love, then KU's director of football technology, provided coaching instruction to Jayhawks players, thereby placing Beaty's staff above the NCAA limit for countable coaches.
Except the NCAA found no such evidence Love ever violated such a rule. (By the way, the NCAA could soon eliminate or severely loosen that rule anyway.)
Beaty eventually got his $3 million day in court, but Love did not.
He declined an option to remain on Les Miles's Kansas staff in a reduced role, and soon found himself unhireable when Kansas dropped its Notice of Allegations in 2019.
Prior to Kansas, Love coached quarterbacks, wide receivers and safeties at Houston Baptist, and served as the video coordinator at Washington State and Nevada in addition to KU. He was promoted to Beaty's on-field staff as quarterbacks coach during the 2018 season.
Love coached high school ball following the Notice of Allegations, his college career indefinitely suspended.
“We love Kansas. And that’s why this was just like, ‘Gah-lee, you serious? You’re gonna treat us like this?’” Love told the Kansas City Star when his case finally cleared in October. “And again, it wasn’t Kansas. It was the leadership at that time.”
With that episode now fully behind him and his name legally (in the NCAA world) cleared, Love has now returned to college football. He's the tight ends and running backs coach, and recruiting coordinator at the University of the Cumberlands.
Cumberlands, an NAIA school in Williamsburg, Ky., is breaking in a new staff under head coach Shan Housekeeper, hired in January.
"I'm excited to add Jeff to our coaching staff," said Coach Housekeeper. "He brings a different level of experiences both on the field and off the field and his depth of knowledge and ability to relate to the players is going to help elevate our program to the next level."
“I feel like if that’s what you’re about, you’ll be OK, and your name will get cleared in the end and the truth will come out,” Love said. “And that’s what I hope to continue to do in my career, at whatever the level is, is help kids go from high school to college and beyond.”
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.