Kansas football: Jalon Daniels named NIL Scholar Athlete of the Year

We’re still more than two months away from the start of the Kansas football season and already quarterback Jalon Daniels is bringing home some hardware.

Daniels took home the 2023 Male Scholar Athlete of the Year honor at this year’s NIL Awards at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.

The awards are part of the Inaugural NIL Summit hosted by Student Athlete NIL, which recognizes exceptional achievement by student-athletes, brands, and institutions during the first year of Name, Image, and Likeness. The summit is intended to celebrate the achievements of student-athletes, while also equipping them with the tools, resources, and information to maximize their outcomes in the near term and after they are done playing sports.

The national Scholar Athlete of the Year award recognizes the student-athlete that achieved exceptional results in the classroom and in their respective sport, while maximizing their NIL for the greater good.

Looking at Daniels’ accomplishments this past year, it’s no surprise he was selected as the winner.

During the 2022-23 season, Daniels threw for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also rushed for 425 yards and 7 touchdowns as he helped KU reach its first bowl game since 2008.

In the Liberty Bowl he threw for a school-record 544 yards and 6 touchdowns – good for a Liberty Bowl record as well.

Despite missing several games due to injury, Daniels was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team at the conclusion of the Big 12 regular season.

Off the field, Daniels earned Academic All-America honors with a 3.51 GPA. He was also named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team for the second consecutive year.

According to a KU news release, Daniels utilizes the university’s NIL platform, Jayhawk Ascend, to “maximize his earning potential through branding and social media efforts, community engagement, licensing opportunities, and working with corporate partners.”

This is a great achievement for Daniels who continues to represent KU exceptionally well on and off the field. If he continues on this path, he (and the team) could end up with more accolades when this upcoming season is all said and done.