True freshman quarterback Cole Ballard showed his toughness yesterday despite Kansas football falling short against Texas Tech.
Although the Kansas Jayhawks couldn’t pull off a victory in Week 11, the odds were stacked against them before the first quarter concluded. Jason Bean exited due to a head injury he sustained, and with Jalon Daniels remaining out with a lingering back ailment, Cole Ballard was thrown into the fire in his first game action since he handed a few balls off in the season opener.
Despite having virtually no experience at the collegiate level, Ballard did more than anyone could have expected him to. His stat line doesn’t jump off the page — he completed 9-of-20 pass attempts for 124 yards and an interception — but his receivers dropped several balls and he hadn’t worked with the first team in practice all year.
The son of NFL GM Chris Ballard committed to Kansas football in February after his official visit. He is originally from Westfield, Indiana but has ties to the Sunflower State because he and his father lived in Overland Park when he was the Director of Football Operations for the Chiefs.
Believe it or not, the third-stringer isn’t even on scholarship at KU. He chose the Jayhawks over Wisconsin and other Power 5 schools that offered him a full ride, yet he decided to commit to Lance Leipold and quarterback coach Jim Zebrowski.
Coming into spring practices, Ballard wasn’t expected to be a competitor for the quarterback job. However, he impressed the coaching staff and jumped Ben Easters and others on the depth chart. Jalon Daniels has missed the majority of the year and Ballard has been one hit away from showcasing his talent. He finally got that opportunity.
Coach Leipold thinks extremely highly of the freshman signal caller.
“That locker room really likes Cole Ballard and they have for a long time,” he said in his postgame press conference. “It’s his makeup, it’s in his DNA and he’s going to be a fine player here.”
Ballard shared some personal thoughts after the contest too.
“It’s exciting. You dream of this your whole life,” he told the media. “And just for those guys to have the confidence to put me in there, it’s something that not a lot of guys get the opportunity to do, and I’m very grateful for it.
He talked about Jason Bean’s role as a team leader while he sat out.
“Jason was in my ear. He’s the best teammate I could ask for. To be heard and still be able to back up and help the freshman out is something I applaud him for.”
Because he has only appeared in two games thus far, Ballard is still eligible for a redshirt even if he starts next week in the Sunflower Showdown. Even if that is the last we’ve seen from Ballard this season, it gave Kansas football fans a glimpse of what is to come.
Here's Lance Leipold on freshman quarterback Cole Ballard's performance today. As the son of an NFL GM, Leipold thought Ballard would be ready for anything thrown at him. He showed he was today pic.twitter.com/f8VvO4ZM15
— Sully Engels (@sullyengels) November 11, 2023