Kansas officially rules Jalon Daniels out vs. Texas
Kansas was coming into Austin with some confidence, maybe looking to pull off an upset against No. 3 Texas. Quarterback Jalon Daniels was going to be a big part of the equation if so. His ability when running the option offense was going to need to throw off the Longhorns’ defense.
Right before kickoff, word got out of a back issue lingering for Daniels. Jason Bean wound up getting the start for Kansas and played the entire first half. Now, the official word on Daniels is out, ruling him out for the rest of the afternoon.
ESPN’s Molly McGrath confirmed Daniels will miss the entire Texas game, speaking to head coach Lance Leipold coming out of the halftime locker room.
All week, Daniels was expected to play. The back problem did not bother him during a week of practice but it flared up as the game inched closer. Leipold went with Bean to start the game and will now have to close it with him. Thankfully, there is some confidence in Bean and it goes back a couple of seasons.
“He’s in the locker room right now trying to get things worked out,” Leipold said during the first half. “It’s questionable to doubtful right now. We’ll see. We’re hoping. Jason’s playing. We’re just getting thrown into this. He’s getting his rhythm. I think you could see him being a little hyped up early. Jason’s played a lot of football for us. We have a lot of confidence in him.”
Lance Leipold highlights growth of Jalon Daniels
There has been a lot of growing up in the Kansas football program lately. Leipold was hired to take the next step forward following the Les Miles debacle, needing the right players to do so. He struck gold with Daniels, who has been the lifeblood of the Jayhawks since taking over as the full-time starter in the late portions of the 2021 season.
Daniels is no different from anyone else in Lawrence. There has been some serious growth for him on the field. Leipold says his off-field obligations have helped the process tremendously. As Kansas has continued to win, more people have wanted to talk to Daniels. And when in a professional setting, an 18-21-year-old kid can quickly turn into an adult.
“He’s grown in so many different ways,” Leipold said during Thursday’s episode of Andy Staples On3. “Between media exposure and NIL opportunity, that alone is probably a hidden thing that people don’t understand that helps young men grow up.
“Not just how many dollars they get because they have to go do things, they have to act in a professional manner — whether they’re doing it as a spokesman or meeting people. That has really helped him.”