Next season will be the first time since 2020 that the Kansas Jayhawks will have a quarterback not named Jalon Daniels. At the same time, Daniels has undergone an injury-ridden spell; the quality that Daniels’ arms and legs possess held the Jayhawks up during some of the most crucial moments under current head coach Lance Leipold.
With just two more confirmed games for Daniels, the redshirt senior's stats have never looked better.
Daniels has notched a stubborn 65.1% completion rate, 2,190 yards through the air, and a phenomenal 21/3 touchdown to interception ratio. Despite Kansas holding an even .500 record, Daniels has continuously impressed throughout the season. Yes Daniels has the occasional overthrow, and his throw on the run this season has been at best shaky, but the mental devleopment to not put the ball into dangerous positions has kept Kansas alive and has made gut-wrenching losses to Missouri (42-31), No. 25 Cincinnati (37-34), and Arizona (24-20) feel that much more heavy.
When looking at Daniels’ best game of the season, it likely unfortunately enough likely falls when Kansas fell to the Bearcats in the thriller, which saw the Lawndale, California native notch 445 yards, four touchdowns, all while keeping an impressive 67.9% completion rate.
CBS Sports has consistently done rankings where they have filed through the top-50 quarterbacks in the nation, and Daniels has been a consistent part of that list. When David Cobb’s list came out yesterday, Daniels was poised for 30th place, six spots ahead of where he was last week.
In Kansas’ most recent loss to the Arizona Wildcats, Daniels posted 199 yards and one touchdown with a further rushing touchdown and a further 74 yards on the ground.
After the final bye week, the next chance to see Daniels is November 22nd against Iowa State. The Cyclones are 6-4 and have been ever-consistent under Matt Campbell.
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