Kansas hopes a healthy Jalon Daniels under center can take the Jayhawks from good to great in Big 12

Updated Aug. 22, 2024 6:10 a.m. ET

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Jalon Daniels contorted himself for the cameras, posing just about every way imaginable, and the back that has given the Kansas quarterback so much consternation the past couple of years seemed to effortlessly twist in myriad directions.

That's a good sign for the 22nd-ranked Jayhawks.

The work Daniels was putting in for the various pregame hype videos and promos was a good sign that he might be able to remain healthy this season. And if that is the case, perhaps the Jayhawks can go from mediocrity — itself a big climb from where the program was not long ago — to one of the elites in the reconfigured Big 12.

“Shoot, all the stuff they do behind over here,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said, gesturing toward the photo and video crews at work, "I think we’ve got to have him stretch or something before they do all that stuff they video back there. I go, ‘If he can make it through everything they’re doing to video for pregame stuff, I think he’s going to be fine.'”

Daniels was a big reason Kansas jumped from two wins in Leipold's debut season to six the next year, capped by a trip to a bowl game. Last season lasted just three games for Daniels before back issues flared up, causing him to sit the rest of the way, while since-graduated Jason Bean led the Jayhawks to nine wins and a victory in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

“Football is one of those sports where injuries happen, and quite frankly, when injuries happen, it’s the next man up,” Daniels said. “I’ve been saying that since I was a third string. It’s the next-man-up mentality in a game of football.”

At his best, Daniels has proven to be one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country.

But to be at his best, he has to be on the field.

Same for the Jayhawks, for that matter. As good as Bean played at times last season, it is easy to wonder whether Kansas would have been even better had their starter been under center. And to be at their best this season, particularly in a league without a clear-cut favorite, the Jayhawks will need to have Daniels performing at a high level again.

“I try not to ask Jalon more than once a week how is he doing because I know everybody asks him,” Leipold said. “He’s excited. He wouldn’t be here today if we didn’t think he was going to be ready to go for this season. I can tell you that.”

Hitting the road

Kansas will play its entire schedule away from Lawrence as construction crews work on a new stadium set to open next season. Home nonconference games against Lindenwood and UNLV will be played at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, the home of MLS team Sporting Kansas City. Home conference games will be played across the state line in Kansas City, Missouri, at Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the Super Bowl-champion Chiefs.

Calling the shots

Longtime assistant Andy Kotelnicki was hired by Penn State as its offensive coordinator, creating a rare opening in a stable coaching staff. Jim Zebrowski was promoted to co-offensive coordinator to keep some continuity in the Kansas offense while Jeff Grimes, a former BYU and Baylor assistant, was brought in as co-offensive coordinator and assistant head coach.

Rising up the charts

Devin Neal turned down the chance to leave school early for the NFL to continue his rise up the career rushing list at Kansas. He is coming off a second straight 1,000-yard season, going for 1,230 yards and 16 touchdowns while averaging 6.3 yards per carry, and needs just 765 yards to pass June Henley, whose career mark has stood since the 1996 season.

Roster continuity

Kansas has to replace some crucial pieces on the defensive front, but the linebacker corps led by Jayson Gilliom and Taiwan Berryhill Jr. coupled with an experienced secondary should help. Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson would have been middle-round draft picks but both decided to return, giving the Jayhawks perhaps the best cornerback duo in the Big 12.

The schedule

After opening with Lindenwood on Aug. 29, the Jayhawks head to Illinois before facing UNLV, which it beat in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in December. Kansas avoids Big 12 favorite Utah but has a tough stretch late in the year beginning with Kansas State, picked to finish second in the league, on Oct. 26 and continuing against Iowa State, BYU and Colorado.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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