CFB analyst believes Kansas Jayhawks QB Jalon Daniels needs more national coverage

Coming off a 9-4 season with a bowl win, all Jayhawk fans are riding the Kansas football hype train. Head coach Lance Leipold has done a tremendous job elevating a program that once sat in the cellar of Power 5 Football to unprecedented heights. Expectations are towering heading into his fourth year at the helm.

While he was not responsible for most of KU's success a year ago, star QB Jalon Daniels was one of the players who helped the Jayhawks take off. He led his team to an upset win at Texas in 2021 that helped put the program on the map, later garnering national attention and even a College GameDay appearance in 2022. While a back injury limited him to three games in 2023, "Always College Football" host Greg McElroy sang his praise for the California native.

Greg McElroy thinks Jalon Daniels deserves more respect

"If you want to just take a step back and look at the most dangerous quarterbacks in the Big 12 right now, a league that has long, long been predicated on quarterback play? Granted, it has changed a little bit, for sure. There’s a lot of new faces in the Big 12. There’s a bunch of good quarterbacks, I might add as well. But how many of those guys would you take over a healthy Jalon Daniels? You look at just kind of how things stack up with him and how this league has long been dependent on quarterback play? If he can elevate his team then maybe Kansas can be that fly in the ointment that’s flying under the radar right now in the Big 12. Maybe they can find their way to the Big 12 title game. And who knows? Maybe Lance Leipold – he’s a magician, man. He might be able to find his way into the College Football Playoff this upcoming season."

- Greg McElroy

Many people have recognized what a massive jump the Jayhawks have taken in the past couple of years, with some analysts even projecting the team to finish in the top three or four of the Big 12. But are the 'Hawks truly getting enough buzz from the media? McElroy doesn't think so.

Daniels is one of the most electric signal-callers in the game, combining for 23 TDs and 2,719 passing yards across his past 12 contests. He has showcased his ability to sling the pigskin at an elite level, once throwing for 544 yards and five scores in a record-setting Liberty Bowl performance.

Kansas might not be the traditional powerhouse after the school's fans endured a decade of abysmal seasons under multiple coaches. However, McElroy knows Leipold is unlike previous coaches in Lawrence and can make some serious magic happen.

If Daniels stays healthy — and that's a huge if — don't be surprised if Kansas finds itself in the Big 12 Championship game a few months from now.