Jalon Daniels picks Alabama as his dream road game

Jalon Daniels would love to play Alabama, if he had to pick one environment in college football outside of Kansas. The Jayhawks’ quarterback has been around for a bit, so he’s seen his fair share of big games helping Kansas become relevant and competitive over the last few years.

But at Big 12 Media Days, Daniels was asked by ESPN’s Greg McElroy his dream place to play a game. It could’ve been all-time or present day and Daniels chose to play in Tuscaloosa.

Unfortunately for Daniels, Kansas does not play Alabama this year in their non-Big 12 games. But, in a weird and perfect world, Daniels and the Jayhawks could hypothetically play at Alabama in the first round of the College Football Playoff. In a perfect world.

“If I can go against any team, I want that type of matchup, I definitely would probably have to say. I know it’s tough but like, I’m gonna have to say (Alabama),” Daniels said on Always College Football. “Absolutely 100% That’s an environment that not everybody gets a chance to win. Like I absolutely would have to say Bama.”

Daniels goes into his sixth and final year of college football, so it’s no surprise he would want to see some insane things for this final year. Ultimately, the Kansas QB has big goals and wants to lead the program to new heights.

Daniels has seen game action in all five of his seasons. He’s completed 61.3% of his passes for 6,751 yards, 45 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 1,041 yards on 303 attempts with 19 touchdowns.

The Lawndale, CA native represented the Jayhawks at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, TX this week. He described the process of deciding to return to Kansas for one more season.

“I started conversations with my family,” Daniels said. “I made sure that I want to be able to come back another year instead of taking my dreams and aspirations to the next level. It was more so just about being able to make sure that I wanted to come back for another year of college. Being able to come back out here and finish what I started means a lot to me.”

Daniels’ best career season came in 2022, when he passed for 2,014 yards, 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions. This included a herculean effort in Kansas‘ Liberty Bowl matchup against Arkansas, in which he passed for 544 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions in a 55-53 3OT loss.