Lance Leipold expresses optimism in Jalon Daniels being ready for Kansas football’s season
LAWRENCE — Although Jalon Daniels missed most of the 2023 season due to injury, signs are pointing toward the Kansas football quarterback being ready to go when the 2024 campaign kicks off.
As coach Lance Leipold reacted Thursday to his own new deal with the Jayhawks, he also previewed the upcoming months for his program. He touched on spring ball, which will get started soon, and expressed optimism in Daniels’ status.
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“He’s doing well, doing well,” Leipold said about Daniels. “He’s working out. He’s doing things. How much he’ll do this spring, we’ll still see. But he’s smiling, bouncing around, ready to rock and roll as best he can at the moment. And, again, we want to be smart with him and nothing’s told me that — or anything’s been said from anyone — that we shouldn’t expect to get him ready for a fine season.”
Daniels has been hindered by injury each of the past two seasons. Due to separate ordeals, he’s missed 14 of the 26 games Kansas has played during that time. His durability could go a long way to determining the heights the Jayhawks could reach in 2024.
Although Kansas reached bowl games in each of the past two seasons, the Jayhawks struggled down the stretch in 2022 — even at times after Daniels returned. Despite Jason Bean and Cole Ballard each filling in well in Daniels’ place in 2023 — and helping the team to its first season with a bowl win in more than a decade — Daniels’ absence meant the team was without the preseason Big 12 Conference offensive player of the year. In 2024, should Daniels be healthy, Kansas could be in contention for the Big 12 title.
For now, Leipold expressed confidence in Daniels’ ability to do all of the mental things to get comfortable with new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, also the assistant head coach. Leipold also mentioned he isn’t as concerned about the spring for someone with Daniels’ experience, as much as he would be if this was a conversation happening in August. And, it’ll be an important spring for other quarterbacks on the roster like Ballard and freshman Isaiah Marshall.
“Cole Ballard continues — he’s really changing his body,” Leipold said. “Isaiah Marshall being here early, that’ll give us a great opportunity. I thought Mikey Pauley really was improved the last half of the season, and then Ben Easters got in some against Cincinnati. So, as we’ve seen in the last few years, all three years, we’ve had to go to multiple quarterbacks and we’ve had — we’ve got to keep guys healthy but you better have one ready to go.”
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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: Will Jalon Daniels be ready when Kansas football's 2024 season starts?
