Kansas Nation

Daniels Primed for One Last Ride

Entering his sixth season at KU, quarterback Jalon Daniels has seen it all. Arriving in Lawrence in the Fall of 2020, Daniels started six of KU’s 9 games in the COVID-shortened season, in which KU went winless and made a coaching change following. Just 12 months later, Daniels played as vital a role as anyone in the Jayhawks’ program-changing win, a 57-56 overtime victory over Texas in Austin, connecting with Jared Casey on one of the most iconic plays in Kansas Football history, a walkoff two-point conversion. While the 2021 season concluded with just one additional win and ultimately a 2-10 record, it was clear Kansas Football was on the right track behind Daniels and under head coach Lance Leipold.

Led by Daniels’ stout offensive performances, KU started the 2022 campaign 5-0, which included their first road conference win since 2008, a 55-42 overtime victory over West Virginia. One week later, Kansas did it again, defeating Houston at TDECU Stadium. At 5-0 and ranked in the Top 25, Kansas then hosted ESPN’s College Gameday – a scene that would have been a pipedream just two years prior – when a fellow ranked team, TCU, came to town. Daniels went down with an injury during the game and ultimately missed the majority of it and three more contests. While KU finished 6-6 after the 5-0 start, they did indeed clinch bowl-eligibility for the first time since the 2008 Insight Bowl, as the lone win therest of the way did the trick – a Jason Bean-led 37-16 homecoming victory over Oklahoma State.

At the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, KU and Arkansas fans were treated to the most entertaining bowl game in the 2022 season. Despite trailing 38-13, a score that may have seemed insurmountable even for a high-octane Kansas offense, Daniels and KU scored 25 consecutive points, including two touchdowns and a game-tying two-point conversion in the final 65 seconds, to send the game to overtime at 38-38. KU and Arkansas would exchange touchdowns and send the game to a third overtime, which the Hogs ultimately pulled out 55-53. Despite the loss, Daniels put together one of the most impressive stat lines in bowl game history, throwing for a school record 544 yards and 5 touchdowns, plus an additional rushing touchdown.

Hungry for more after a season that ended 6-7, Kansas set their sights on 2023, led by a quarterback who was all the sudden in the Heisman spotlight. Daniels and the 2023 Jayhawks were hot out of the gate, rolling through a non-conference season 3-0. Daniels, however, suffered an injury that would ultimately knock him out of game action the rest of the way. Behind backup quarterback Jason Bean, Kansas would go 6-4 the rest of the way, culminating in a 49-36 victory over UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, and boasting a 9-4 overallrecord. For the second straight year, Kansas would put forth their best year since winning the Orange Bowl following the 2007 season.

Heading into 2024, expectations for Kansas Football were suddenly sky-high. Daniels returned for another season – with the obvious hope that he could stay healthy throughout the year – as did star players Devin Neal, Luke Grimm, Cobee Bryant and others. 2024 was riddled with disappointment, beginning with an unforeseen 1-2 non-conference slate and 2-6 overall record through 8 games, many of which were heartbreaking setbacks. A testament to toughness, Daniels and the Jayhawks stayed together and tallied three consecutive victories over AP Top 25 ranked teams, the first time ever an unranked team accomplished that feat. After knocking off Iowa State and Colorado in Kansas City, plus picking up a top-10 road victory in Provo against BYU, KU fell flat in the finale against Baylor and missed out on what would’ve been a third-straight trip to a bowl game, with a closing record of 5-7. Following the season, Daniels was named the 2024 Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year, the first time a Kansas Football player received the honor.

Now, utilizing his sixth and final year of college eligibility, Daniels is ready for KU’s best season yet. Paired with Leipold, Daniels and KU boast the
longest-tenured quarterback/head coach duo in all of power-four football. Daniels, unquestionably more than ever at KU, holds the keys to the car and will be thedriving force in the success of the Jayhawks. Named to both the Walter Camp Award Preseason Watch List and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List, Daniels enters 2025 second in program history in career passing yards (6,751), and career touchdown passes (45). With all the ups and downs that have occurred during his career, Daniels’ legacy will be defined by 2025. Rock Chalk!

Sean Kellerman