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KU football’s Jalon Daniels named preseason All-Big 12 offensive player of the year

jordan guskey, topeka capital-journal
·4 min read
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LAWRENCE — There’s a lot of attention surrounding the Kansas football team ahead of its 2023 season.

The Jayhawks are coming off their first appearance in a bowl game in more than a decade. Head coach Lance Leipold’s rebuild is only about to embark on its third season, and yet it already is ahead of schedule. On the recruiting trail, the coaching staff has picked up one high-profile commitment after the other in recent weeks.

Wednesday, though, brought with it an opportunity to bring into focus how Kansas is viewed among its fellow Big 12 Conference programs for the 2023 campaign. The conference released its preseason All-Big 12 football team and some individual awards, as voted on by media representatives who report on the Big 12. And here’s a look at which Jayhawks were honored, as well as some who weren’t who could be on the All-Big 12 list at season’s end.

QB Jalon Daniels

Kansas football quarterback Jalon Daniels scrambles with the ball against Texas on Nov. 19, 2022.
Kansas football quarterback Jalon Daniels scrambles with the ball against Texas on Nov. 19, 2022.

Daniels was voted as the league’s preseason offensive player of the year and as a member of the preseason All-Big 12 football team. According to a separate Kansas release, he’s the first Jayhawks player to earn this honor. And the junior leads a Kansas contingent on this year’s preseason All-Big 12 team that’s tied for second with Kansas State with four honorees — trailing only Texas’ five.

Daniels became a second team All-Big 12 player this past season, as voted on by the conference’s head coaches, even though he missed four games due to injury. A key part of the Jayhawks’ 5-0 start in 2022 and near-victory in the Liberty Bowl, he finished with 2,014 yards passing and 18 touchdowns while completing 66.1% of his passes and throwing four interceptions. He also rushed for 425 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards a carry.

RB Devin Neal

Kansas running back Devin Neal (4) runs through the Kansas State defense to gain a first down in the second quarter of the Sunflower Showdown at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Nov. 26, 2022.
Kansas running back Devin Neal (4) runs through the Kansas State defense to gain a first down in the second quarter of the Sunflower Showdown at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Nov. 26, 2022.

Neal was voted as a member of the preseason All-Big 12 football team. The junior is coming off a season in which he was an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection. This year, he’s poised to take another step forward in what’s already been a standout college career.

In 2022, he rushed for 1,090 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards a carry. He also caught 21 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. His career-high 224-yard rushing performance against Oklahoma State, in a game in which he also had 110 yards receiving, came in Lawrence as Kansas clinched bowl eligibility for the first time since 2008.

OL Mike Novitsky

Kansas offensive lineman Mike Novitsky (5) begins to work with quarterback Jason Bean (17) at a practice in 2021 in Lawrence.
Kansas offensive lineman Mike Novitsky (5) begins to work with quarterback Jason Bean (17) at a practice in 2021 in Lawrence.

Novitsky was voted as a member of the preseason All-Big 12 football team. The redshirt senior has started every game he’s played at Kansas since he transferred in from Buffalo, following Leipold, ahead of the 2021 season. In 2022, he started all 13 games at center.

Novitsky is coming off a season in which he was an All-Big 12 second team selection, after he was honorable mention in 2021. He also didn’t allow a sack in 2022. He anchors an offensive line that’s greatly improved over the past two years in Lawrence.

DB Cobee Bryant

Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant (2) looks toward players during a practice earlier this year in Lawrence.
Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant (2) looks toward players during a practice earlier this year in Lawrence.

Bryant, a junior cornerback at Kansas, is one of the top returning defensive backs in the Big 12. He was voted as a member of the preseason All-Big 12 football team. And he’s coming off a season in which he was a first team All-Big 12 selection.

Bryant’s highlight play in 2022 might be the interception he returned for a touchdown in overtime that sealed a victory on the road against West Virginia, but it wasn’t the only play he made that year. He finished with three interceptions, nine pass breakups, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. He also had 38 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.

Players to watch

There’s a lot that can change over the course of a season, and there may be some Kansas players honored when the season wraps up who weren’t mentioned on the preseason All-Big 12 football team.

On the offensive side of the ball, some names to know include senior tight end Mason Fairchild, redshirt senior offensive lineman Dominick Puni, redshirt sophomore running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. and junior wide receivers Luke Grimm and Lawrence Arnold. On the defensive side of the ball, some names to know include senior safety Kenny Logan Jr., redshirt senior linebacker Craig Young and senior linebacker Rich Miller.

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football's Jalon Daniels preseason All-Big 12 offensive player