The talk so far this season for Kansas Jayhawks football has understandably been about super-senior QB Jalon Daniels and the improvements of the team’s offense overall. In their first game against Fresno State, Daniels was straight-up cooking the Bulldogs defense, but there was also an intriguing play at the end of the game that featured fellow-QB Isaiah Marshall.
Daniels enters his 6th and final year for the Crimson and Blue, and it could not have gone better in game one, as he completed 18/20 passes for 176 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also added 8 rushes for 47 yards, including a 23-yard scamper. Redshirt freshman, Marshall, continues to learn everything he can from Daniels, but also got his first chance to play for KU last game too.
Marshall still has not attempted his first pass for KU, but his first rushing attempt was a great one. He took the snap and, on a QB-designed run, sprinted to the right side and plowed his way to the 1-yard line with a 13-yard pickup. This gave all of the Jayhawks fans not only a glimpse of Marshall’s explosiveness, but also a glimpse into the future prior to KU running down the clock in the 31-7 win.
The future pic.twitter.com/CTH2zcyRzA
— We good? (@gifhawk2) August 24, 2025
In one play, Marshall showed why he was considered the 14th-ranked dual-threat QB coming into college and essentially looked like a turbocharged Daniels. He already looked poised to be the replacement for Daniels after this season based on practice clips and coaching feedback/quotes, but now the vision has never looked clear with him finally seeing the field.
How will Marshall compare to Daniels as the Jayhawks' QB?
Some may argue that it’s too early to already be talking about next season, considering this year’s campaign for a bowl game (if not more) just started. Others understand that long-term plans and development must start early for things to be clicking on all cylinders when the time comes. Marshall and Daniels have a lot in common and hopefully one big difference.
Starting with some similarities, both QBs are obviously dual-threat QBs that rely on their legs and their ability to run in open space. With that being said, people don’t realize just how similar in size they are as well. Both QBs stand at 6’0” and are almost identical in weight (Daniels at 220 pounds, Marshall at 218 pounds).
The arm-talent also feels comparable to a young Daniels. In his first season at KU back in 2020, JD6 only completed 50% of his passes for a poor Jayhawks squad, but in the following seasons, he became more and more accurate with time and additional reps. This feels like it will be the case with Marshall next season as well.
The one difference that KU fans are hopeful for is Marshall’s availability and health. Daniels has notoriously dealt with injuries in almost every collegiate season, ranging from his shoulder injury in 2022, to his severe back injury in 2023, to various other ailments throughout his time in Lawrence.
Marshall being healthy and playing all the games next season onward would provide structure, consistency, and a reliability that has unfortunately been hit or miss with Daniels. If the young QB can do that, his physical traits, mind for the game, and intriguing dual-threat upside could lead KU into their best football era of all-time. Rock Chalk!