Kansas
Keeler: CSU Rams quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi chose Colorado love over Kansas State money. Know what? He’d do it again.
Add Georgia to the list, now that we’re naming names. And USC. BFN is a BFD.
At least 9.3 million people watched CU and CSU trade haymakers last September in the Rocky Mountain Showdown. You don’t think Lincoln Riley happened to be one of them?
“His DMs were ringing off the hook (in December),” Rich Nicolosi, father to Rams quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, told me Friday. “Everyone from USC to Georgia, and everyone in between. Several in Texas. Some of those offers, most of it, (was) just B.S.”
Some of them, though? Some of them weren’t.
“The K-State one is absolutely legitimate,” Rich said of the Wildcats’ alleged NIL push. “And there were several others.”
Which makes you wonder: What sort of dad lets his kid turn down $600,000, as Rams coach Jay Norvell recently accused the Wildcats of putting on the table, for the glitz of the Mountain West?
A dad who raised his kid right. A dad who says his kid would make the same choice again.
No receipts. No regrets.
“Brayden didn’t ever really take it seriously,” Rich said. “That’s why he was always committed to (CSU coach) Jay (Norvell). It was Jay who believed in Brayden. It was Jay who gave him a shot. He’s extremely loyal to Jay.
“And Brayden loves CSU … (he’s) an outdoors kid, he loves hunting and fishing. He loves everything about it, and I think that tied it all into a neat little bow.”
As a redshirt freshman, BFN led the Mountain West in total offense per game (286.1 yards) and passing yards per game (288.3). As a sophomore heading to camp on Thursday, he’s shaved his 40-yard dash time down to the 4.6-second range and his 20-yard shuttle time to 4.19.
That last number, if you’re curious, is quicker than the 2024 combine times posted by Michigan’s JJ McCarthy (4.23), the No.10 overall pick in the ’24 NFL Draft, and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler (4.37), who wound up getting taken in the fifth round by the Saints. He’s squatting 460 to 480-ish pounds, with sights on topping 500 soon.
“It’s fun to see some of the (social media posts),” Rich laughed. “Like, ‘They offered $600K for a QB2? Really?’ Maybe you’re not seeing what the NFL scouts see right now.”
The scouts see BFN, CSU’s Big Freakin’ Deal, as a 6-foot-4 RPG. They see a kid who’ll hang in the pocket until he can smell the linebacker’s chewing gum. They see guts. They see vision. They see a fast processor. They see a photographic memory. They see a guy who took honors classes in chemistry and advanced placement courses in world history.
And yeah, they’ve seen the 16 picks from last fall. Brayden and Rich, a football coach himself, even got together to break them down: Three came on end-of-half or end-of-game heaves, another handful on third-and-forevers.
“Probably half of them were really mental mistakes, being a freshman, being new,” Rich said. “I would say he’s not really going to change his gunslinger mentality.
“And I think that’s one of the things that, when you compare him to Jordan Love, how he played for Green Bay, and had similar stats, but the NFL looks back and goes, ‘He’s not afraid to let it rip.’”
No receipts. No regrets.
BFN’s never been cowered from the stage. Never shirked a challenge. Growing up, Rich made a point to never “let” his kids, including Brayden, beat him in anything.
Victories were earned. They even made up a fake medal out of a jar lid, a carrot at the end of the family stick, and presented it to the “Champion Of The Garage.”
Brayden won it for the first time at age 14 when he finally beat Rich in table tennis. Young BFN put the medal on, then went outside and did a ceremonial lap of honor around the neighborhood.
“From then on,” Rich laughed, “there’s nothing that I can beat him at.”
Brayden became a 5-foot-8 underclassman being chased by 300-pound linemen at San Diego’s Torrey Pines High School. But by the time that first major growth spurt hit, in 2020, BFN was SOL — a 6-foot-ish QB with no prep football in California to play that fall thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. The family moved to Texas, where young Brayden transferred into Aledo High, zipped from JV to QB1, and won a state championship within months of joining the program.
“Get him on a board game like Rummikub, you play him in anything, he instantly locks into ‘kill’ mode,” Rich said. “He’s just like his mom — he won’t let anybody win.”
BFN grew up at Rich’s practices and games, shagging balls and joining drills, soaking it all in like a young Kyle Shanahan or a young Jim Harbaugh,
At 9, he was watching film with Rich, who showed him how to dissect defenses. At 12, his fastball was clocked at 72 miles per hour. At 15, he was throwing the rock so stinking hard that Rich decided, rather than busting up his fingers, to let someone else run routes with his new missile launcher.
Although even dad admits that a spare $600,000 sure would’ve come in handy recently. Brayden just sprung for a $3,000 bed, complete with one of those “smart” therapy mattresses that contour to your spine.
“He doesn’t care about any of that stuff,” Rich said. “We really just don’t care about that. We have a really great (adviser) who is our brand manager … he always told us, ‘Don’t try to get rich playing college football. The real money is in the NFL.’”
No receipts. No regrets.
“I’ve seen his accountability going up, his sense of responsibility going up big time,” Rich said. “He won that (CSU) locker room last year, to be honest with you, before the season even started. People loved him. He’s got no enemies. Except for some CU Buffs fans.”
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Originally Published:
KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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In both Missouri and Kansas, efforts to prepare for possible human trafficking during World Cup events are ramping up.
World Cup spurs human trafficking awareness trainings in Missouri, Kansas
Several studies affiliated with universities across the country say there’s little to no evidence that directly links large sporting events to an increase in human trafficking, including sex trafficking.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway sent the following statement to KSHB 41 News:
“Human and sex trafficking can only be addressed through strong partnerships and collaborative actions. Our Office is proud to have sponsored a free training ahead of the World Cup to equip and learn from those who are the tip of the spear in the fight against modern-day slavery.
“It is my job to safeguard Missourians. Our Office is committed to this task and will continue to partner with local law enforcement and agencies to hold predators accountable.”
The Sexual Trauma and Abuse CARE Center in Lawrence is seeing an increased interest in its services leading up to the World Cup, according to Christina Gentry, the center’s director of community engagement.
The Algerian men’s national team will use Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence as its base camp for the 2026 World Cup, and the city is expecting an influx of visitors while Kansas City hosts six matches this summer.
The CARE Center recently hosted a free human trafficking awareness training for hospitality businesses across Lawrence.
“Hotels and the local bars have always been a part of our outreach, but this particular time of year, we’ll be hosting our World Cup, so we wanted to make sure there will be some trafficking training,” Gentry said.
Lily O’Shea Becker/KSHB
Heather Shull, general manager for DoubleTree by Hilton on the north side of Lawrence, said she’s seen some bookings filled during the World Cup. She’s hoping more will be booked in the next couple of weeks.
“We’re gearing up to know that we’re going to have a lot more business,” Shull said.
Shull attended the CARE Center’s human trafficking training.
“Our business is hospitality; we’re supposed to take care of people,” she said.
Staff at the bar located inside the hotel have already undergone sexual violence prevention training with the CARE Center.
A Lawrence ordinance requires bar staff who regularly engage with patrons to attend such training sessions in order for the bar to obtain a liquor license. The ordinance was passed in 2020, and the CARE Center provides the bystander intervention training twice a month.
“It was very fascinating and very helpful,” Shull said.
Lily O’Shea Becker/KSHB
Shull says Hilton requires its employees to attend human trafficking training.
“It doesn’t say you have to solve human trafficking, but it’s like, ‘Hey, here are the signs you might see, and you know, go to a manager or law enforcement if you’re concerned,’” she said. “But then now for the World Cup, there’s been a lot more city-wide trainings.”
She said while most human trafficking actions can happen behind closed doors at hotels, there are certain things staff can pick up on at check-in or through requests visitors have for their rooms.
The spokesperson for the Lawrence, Kansas, Police Department says all of its officers will attend a human trafficking-related training in May. The department is partnering with the Justice Project in Kansas City for the training.
For Gentry, she said it’s important community members understand the CARE center’s supportive services — like its 24/7 support line — are available year-round.
This month, the CARE Center is focused on Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Lily O’Shea Becker/KSHB
The CARE Center tied teal ribbons around trees lined along Massachusetts Street in South Park to launch the awareness month and has events planned throughout April to bring attention to the cause.
The teal ribbons in South Park include a QR code that contains information about Sexual Assault Awareness Month when scanned.
“Teal just represents an opportunity to unite the community on this issue,” Gentry said.
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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – MoDOT reopened the westbound lanes of I-44 in Springfield around 9 a.m. after a deadly pedestrian crash on Thursday.
Police say a pedestrian was hit and killed on I-44 near the Kansas Expressway exit around 5 a.m. Police have not identified the victim.
Emergency officials closed the interstate for about three hours. Crews exited traffic off the Kansas Expressway and the West Bypass.
To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.
Copyright 2026 KY3. All rights reserved.
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas basketball coach Bill Self is returning for a 24th season with the Jayhawks.
The program released a statement from Self on Wednesday confirming his return for another year with the program he has led to 21 regular-season conference championships, four Final Fours and a pair of national championships.
“With renewed clarity and the ongoing support from our administration, I remain focused and committed to Kansas Basketball competing for a national championship,” Self said. “I look forward to seeing and hearing the best fans in college basketball next season at Allen Fieldhouse.”
The 63-year-old Self has a record of 840-272, not including the 15 wins that were vacated by the NCAA, putting him 12th on the career list.
He passed Phog Allen as the winningest coach at Kansas with a 77-69 win over Michigan State on November 12, 2024, and finished with a record of 633-167 while leading one of college basketball’s most storied programs.
Kansas’ season ended March 22 against St. John’s and fellow Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks rallied from a 13-point deficit with 7 1/2 minutes left, tying it with 13.1 seconds to go, only for the Red Storm’s Dylan Darling to hit a layup as time expired to end their season.
The Jayhawks have not survived the opening weekend of the tournament since 2022, when Self won his second national title.
“I’ve gone through some stuff off the court, so I’ll get back and get with family and visit and see what’s going on,” Self said following the loss in San Jose, California. “I love what I do. I need to be able to do it where I’m feeling good and healthy to do it fairly well. I’ll get back home and it will all be discussed.”
Self’s health has been a factor to monitor.
He was hospitalized just before the Big 12 Tournament in 2023 after feeling unwell, and had two stents inserted into his heart, which forced him to miss the NCAA tourney. Self had two more stents inserted last year, and this past January, he missed a game at Colorado after doctors advised him not to travel following a precautionary trip to the hospital.
“When you get to be doing it as long as I’ve done it, I looked at it in five-year increments. Now I’m probably looking at it in more two-year increments, so to speak,” he said. “So I try to focus on this season and try to get us to a second weekend — which we failed at — so I’ll go back now and break it down and see where that leads.”
Self won national titles at Kansas in 2008 and 2022. And he’s been especially good at Allen Fieldhouse, historically one of college basketball’s toughest venues. He is 27-6 against top-10 opponents at home, and his 131-81 record against Top 25 opposition is the third-best winning percentage among Division I coaches.
He also has sent 43 players to the NBA, and more could be on the way. Darryn Peterson is expected to be among the first three players to hear his name called in June, while Flory Bidunga and others could also be selected in the upcoming NBA draft.
Self was selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
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