The secret is out on Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels.
A player who was once an unheralded, two-star recruit with just one Power 5 offer playing for a Kansas program that hasn’t seen real success in over a decade, has now led his team to a 4-0 start, has them atop the Big 12 standings, and is suddenly a Heisman favorite.
ESPN recently released their early top five Heisman candidates according to the votes of 15 staff members, and Daniels came in second behind Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. Three voters voted Daniels as No. 1.
How can you not love this guy?
— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) September 29, 2022
Here's five pure minutes of @JalonDaniels6 on @SportsCenter 🙌 pic.twitter.com/bnLyVEjpUE
It’s no surprise that Daniels is in the Heisman race given the production he’s had through four games.
He currently leads the country in quarterback rating (QBR) at an astonishing 98.0. He’s thrown for 890 yards, 11 touchdowns, and just one interception while completing 71% of his passes.
He’s also rushed for 326 yards (8.4 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. His 15 total touchdowns are the fifth most in college football.
"“It’s something that every quarterback has dreamed of, being able to get some type of accolades, especially the Heisman,” Daniels told ESPN. “Being in high school and being able to see all these quarterbacks get Heisman trophies, is definitely something that you envision, but the fact that this is something that is actually starting to become real for me, it’s all crazy.”"
Daniels leads a high-flying offense that is second in the country in third down conversion rate (67%), second in sacks allowed (1), third in yards per play (7.8), and fourth in points per game (48.5).
On top of all that, he has led this Kansas program to its first 4-0 start since 2009.
Various sportsbooks will tell you that Daniels still has long odds to win the Heisman, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned this season, it’s to not bet against this quarterback.