LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Oklahoma assistant Mark Mangino changed his mind and took the head football coaching job at Kansas on Tuesday.

Three days after withdrawing from consideration because Kansas was taking too much time to make a decision, Mangino accepted an offer.

"At that time, I had every intention of staying at the University of Oklahoma," Mangino said of his decision to withdraw.

"I was getting concerned it would take a little long and we were preparing our recruiting at the University of Oklahoma, and I didn't want to do anything that would hurt the recruiting there."

Mangino will begin his new job immediately and not go to the Cotton Bowl with Oklahoma, where he has been offensive coordinator the past two years. Before that, he spent eight years at Kansas State as Bill Snyder turned that program from a loser into a winner.

"Our goal is to be the best team in the Big 12," Mangino said.

With Stoops at Oklahoma, Mangino helped revive the once-mighty Sooners into national champions who have lost only two games the past two seasons.

Mangino's base salary on a five-year contract will be $128,438, but his total package is certain to be much bigger.

Kansas athletic director Al Bohl, who was hired last summer to turn around the struggling football program, said details of Mangino's overall compensation had not been settled.

"We're still working on it. He's going to have a very good compensation package. I know what the guys are making in this league. We're going to make it very competitive," he said.

Exactly one month earlier, Bohl fired Terry Allen with three games remaining in his fifth straight losing season. Assistant coach Tom Hayes took over on an interim basis as the Jayhawks finished 3-8, winning only one Big 12 game in their sixth consecutive losing seasons.

In their last four losses to Kansas State, Nebraska, Texas and Iowa State, the Jayhawks were outscored 199-20.

"I have viewed the University of Kansas for 11 seasons from the other side of the field," Mangino said. "I have worked with people at Kansas State and Oklahoma and there have been many times when we've said, 'Why? Why aren't they better? They have resources. They have a beautiful campus, a great place to recruit to, close to Kansas City.'

"I've talked to different people who have coached in this conference and there wasn't one coach I talked to that didn't believe that KU had everything, with the commitment we have here now, to be a successful program."

Bohl said one thing that made Mangino attractive was his background with Stoops and Snyder.

"That's like working with Aristotle and Plato," he said.

A native of New Castle, Pa., Mangino went to college at Youngstown State University.

"I am really excited," sophomore running back Reggie Duncan said. "He is coming from two winning programs, the first at K-State and the last at OU and they won a national championship, so that adds to my excitement."