No one can question Jalon Daniels’ love and commitment to the Kansas football program. When he arrived on campus, KU was the laughingstock of college football. The Jayhawks didn’t win a game in his first season in 2020.
They won only two in 2021 under new head coach Lance Leipold. One of those, however, showed how good Daniels could be when he led Kansas to an unprecedented upset of Texas in Austin in overtime. Daniels became an instant hero.
Injuries held Daniles to just 12 games in 2022 and 2023, but when he played, he was outstanding. In those games, he passed for 2,719 yards and 23 touchdowns, with just five interceptions. One could only dream about what he could accomplish if healthy.
Kansas had a healthy Daniels in 2024 and 2025, and expectations were high. Unfortunately, Daniels’ performance didn’t match the potential he displayed earlier in his career.
What exactly is Jalon Daniels’ legacy for Kansas football?
Over the final 24 games of his KU career, Daniels threw for a healthy 4,985 yards with 36 touchdowns. He rushed for another 843 yards and 10 touchdowns. Unfortunately, his Achilles heel was turnovers. He threw 19 interceptions and had fumbling issues.
What made matters worse was the timing of his turnovers. In 2024, many of his turnovers came late in halves or games, costing KU momentum and wins. He fumbled the ball in the last minute at K-State, while KU was just running out the clock. He gave the ball back to KSU at midfield, and they scored to win the game.
In 2025, he didn’t have nearly as many turnovers, but many of them took place in the red zone, taking points off the board for the Jayhawks. He fumbled late against Cincinnati, which may have cost them that game. Going into his final game at Kansas, he had just four interceptions on the season. He threw three against Utah, all in the red zone, including two in the fourth quarter, one of which was a pick-six.
Over the last two seasons, Kansas lost nine games by one score or less, or games in which they held the lead in the fourth quarter. Turnovers played a significant role in those losses.
It is hard to win games at all, at any level, without a good quarterback. Daniels’ skills and athleticism gave the Jayhawks a legitimate quarterback, and he helped bring the program from obscurity to legitimacy.
Daniels had plenty of opportunities to go somewhere else and play, where he probably would have made more money, but he didn’t. He loved being a Jayhawk, and like his running partner Devin Neal, he stayed loyal to Kansas. Things just didn’t play out as everyone had hoped.
Over the past two seasons, KU went 10-14 and was one win short of a bowl game both years. Before Daniels got here, and even after, 10 wins in two years would have been reason to celebrate. Daniels and others raised expectations at Kansas, and that cannot be taken away from Daniels. He earned that legacy.
It’s okay to be disappointed that Kansas didn’t make it to a bowl for the second straight year. Expectations were raised to that being the new standard at KU. But Jalon Daniels played a massive role in raising those expectations, and not accepting the failures of the past as normal or okay.
No one is more disappointed in the turnovers and the results of the last two seasons than Daniels. While he played well most of the time, key errors at key times cost the Jayhawks some wins. Don’t think that Daniels is unaware or unfeeling toward those facts.
Daniels trails only Todd Reesing in wins and personal accomplishments at Kansas. No one else is close or will ever come close to those two. Let’s remember Daniels for how much he loved Kansas and for helping turn the program into a place where 10 wins in two years was a disappointment.
Jaylon Daniels will be a Jayhawk forever and should be remembered for what he did for the program and not for the disappointing end.
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