For all of the Ole Miss fans frightened by the rumors of Houston Nutt departing for Kansas, worry not.

Let not your hearts be troubled.

Nutt said on Wednesday that he had no interest in the Kansas job, vacated by Mark Mangino, who was dogged by allegations of verbal abuse of players.

Did Nutt even consider the Kansas job? Doubtful.

Kansas is the classic example of a basketball school that also happens to have a football program. Duke, North Carolina, UCLA, Indiana and Kentucky are also great examples of this phenomenon.

Hoops rules the roost at these places, getting the lion’s share of attention and money. Bill Self is just two years removed from a national championship at Kansas.

•Steve Wilson is the sports editor of the Vicksburg Post. You can reach him at 601-636-4545, ext. 142 or at swilson@vicksburgpost.com.

One only has to look into the past to see what happens to a great football coach at a basketball school.

Back in the late 1940s, Paul Bryant was the football coach at Kentucky and was doing well, having led the school to its only SEC football championship and several bowl berths. Despite that success, Adolph Rupp, the legendary basketball coach who won four NCAA championships and 27 SEC titles, was the big man on campus in Lexington. After successful seasons by both programs, the two were given gifts. According to legend, Rupp received a Cadillac, Bryant got a cigarette lighter. Bryant left Lexington in 1954 to coach Texas A&M.

The other problem with Nutt heading to Lawrence is recruiting. At Ole Miss, Nutt can cast a wide net over the state of Mississippi and go into Tennessee, Alabama and Florida to get recruits. Per capita, our state produces some of the best football players around.

Kansas? Not so much. Just a glance at Mangino’s last roster showed that the majority of his talent was from Texas. The Jayhawks were successful under Mangino, but they had to do it on a roster built from the scraps passed on by Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas A&M.

At Ole Miss, the Rebels have excellent facilities and have an excellent “brand name” when it comes to recruiting.

The Jayhawks? Again, not so much. When it comes to facilities, the football program plays second fiddle to basketball. Mention Kansas to anyone and basketball is the first thing that comes to mind.

Now if Notre Dame had gotten Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, that would have been a different situation. Nutt played quarterback at Oklahoma State and would have been a natural fit in Norman with his personality, coaching acumen and recruiting abilities.

The Sooners would likely have gone after Nutt. Would he have accepted? Who knows?

Nutt has done a great job bringing Ole Miss back to relevance after the aimless years of Ed Orgeron. Back-to-back Cotton Bowl berths show that progress is being made in Oxford. Nutt is 17-8 in two seasons at Ole Miss and has led Ole Miss (8-4) to consecutive eight-win seasons for the first time since 1989-90.

But as a result of that success, Nutt will continue to be a name mentioned in every high-profile coaching search.

And believe it or not, that’s a good thing.