The 2023-24 season for Kansas football is still several months away, but there’s already high expectations for perhaps its biggest star.
A collection of ESPN writers recently released their list of the 10 best college football quarterbacks heading into this upcoming season, and KU’s own Jalon Daniels made the cut.
Daniels came in at No. 10 on the list behind names like Caleb Williams from USC, Bo Nix of Oregon, and Drake Maye from North Carolina.
Columnist Dave Wilson had this to say about Daniels:
“Daniels and Bean both return this year, but Daniels is poised to hold on to the starting job and has Kansas optimistic for a second straight bowl game. It won’t be easy, but nothing about Daniels’ career to this point has been, either, and he has developed into one of the top quarterbacks in the country.”
Last season, Daniels threw for more than 2,000 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He paired that with 419 yards rushing and 7 rushing touchdowns.
Prior to getting injured against TCU, Daniels’ performance was earning him mentions in the Heisman Trophy conversation.
With a lot of returning talent coming back for the Jayhawks this upcoming season and another year of experience in offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s system, it’s not unreasonable to expect Daniels’ numbers to improve.
Head coach Lance Leipold has already said he has high hopes for Daniels this year.
.@CoachLeipold on his big expectations for star QB Jalon Daniels. @KU_Football pic.twitter.com/tsVXNQKGf8
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) April 5, 2023
If Daniels can live up to the lofty preseason expectations and keep himself healthy, the Jayhawks could be looking at another exciting season and another year of bowl eligibility.
For the full list of ESPN’s top 10 projected quarterbacks, click here.