While the Jayhawks have an illustrious history in basketball, their fortunes in football have been anything but.
KU has struggled to lift itself up from the dormant status the 2010s put it in and has only just recently begun to shake the persona.
So when Kansas is able to put a player in the NFL (nonetheless a quarterback), that is worth noting. Especially when that quarterback was recently announced as QB2 of an NFL franchise.
Sources: The #Bucs are moving forward with UDFA QB Jalon Daniels as their backup QB to Baker Mayfield, as he’s impressed throughout camp. A true find and a very cool story. pic.twitter.com/bi1KYzmC9G
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2026
Daniels’ preseason did more than enough to earn him this chance
Daniels went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, and it's hard to disagree with why. His final season ultimately saw the former 3-star struggle to find his footing in the game's biggest moments. While it was not all his fault, Daniels did play a role in one of the worst fourth-quarter offenses in America last season, as the Jayhawks went for just 3.8 points per game in the final period, good enough for 128th-worst in the country.
However, the second Daniels was handed his chance when the lights were at their brightest in the preseason, Kansas fans quickly saw what they missed out on towards the latter part of his career.
Daniels notched 128 passing yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions during his preseason, which also included 28 rushing yards over 11 carries. Daniels’ 58.6% completion rate is still a work in progress, but those who saw Daniels at KU vs Daniels for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw two different players.
What Daniels has exuded so far is a much calmer quarterback, who is letting his receivers do the work for him. He has hardly looked flustered when under pressure and has been making the right decisions on nearly every occasion. In all honesty, that is what Daniels struggled with at KU. He looked as if he was trying to put the team on his shoulders, and it quickly made him look stressed, and Kansas’ offense looked a lot more vulnerable because of it. If this new-look Daniels can continue that consistency, he will remain QB2.
While Daniels wasn’t perfect, he was everything the Jayhawks could have asked for and more
Daniels finished his Kansas career with 9,282 passing yards 67 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. Daniels compiled a 61.5% completion rate and added 1,445 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns as well.
The Lawndale, California, native’s best time with KU came in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Across 12 games over that span, Daniels tallied 2,719 yards through the air, 23 touchdowns and 5 interceptions; he added 499 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns as well. If Daniels were to have remained healthy during that stint, then there would be no questions left about the potential impact he could have at Kansas.
Up next for Daniels is a grueling NFL season where he will be largely playing second fiddle to Baker Mayfield. The Bucs take on the Cincinnati Bengals on September 13, with kickoff scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.
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