So candidates Jason Bean, Jalon Daniels and Miles Kendrick only have a few weeks to impress head coach Lance Leipold and his staff.

Prior to Leipold finally getting his first chance to coach the Jayhawks himself and evaluate the QBs in person with his own eyes, the head coach said his first few months on the job at least provided him with opportunities to learn about the players.

“All three of them, I love their personalities,” Leipold said in mid-July, while also pointing out he still hadn’t watched them throw live. “So I can’t even tell you what that’s like.”

What the head coach could say, though, was a little about each of the team’s perceived top three QBs heading into the preseason.

Chance Parker

Leipold began by sharing he thought Kendrick, a 5-foot-10, 203-pound senior, had an “outstanding summer” of weight lifting and development.

“He’s been an outstanding leader, and a leader by example,” Leipold added of Kendrick, who started two games for KU in 2020.

Daniels, a 6-foot, 203-pound sophomore, the coach went on, also did a “nice job” in the leadership phase this summer, too.

“You can see his body maturing,” Leipold added of Daniels, the Jayhawks’ No. 1 QB for much of the 2020 season, in which he started seven games as a true freshman. “He’s a guy that has a smile on his face, has energy each and every day.”

Leipold saved the newest QB addition to the roster for last, sharing his thoughts on Bean, who transferred in from North Texas, joining the roster at the beginning of the summer.

Chance Parker

“He’s learning his teammates and what it’s about,” Leipold said of Bean’s introduction to the program in June and July.

A 6-3, 189-pound junior QB with starting experience at North Texas, Bean is known for his speed and mobility.

“He’s got great length,” Leipold added of Bean. “He runs well. He shows that.”

Daniels led the Jayhawks in completions (76), attempts (152) and passing yards (718) in 2020, when he completed 50% of his throws, was intercepted four times and got sacked 27 times behind an overmatched offensive line.

Kendrick led KU in 2020 with six passing touchdowns and a 60.8% completion percentage. He threw for 647 yards, went 73-for-120 through the air and got intercepted five times. Defenses blew by KU’s O-line to get to Kendrick, too, sacking him on 17 occasions.

At North Texas this past year, Bean passed for 1,131 yards and 14 touchdowns in eight appearances. He completed 79 of his 145 throws, with five interceptions, and finished with a 54.5% completion percentage.

Throughout the summer, KU players have gathered on their own time and without coaches to prep for preseason camp. Super-senior receiver Kwamie Lassiter II said he has seen the three QBs stand out at different times.

Lassiter said Bean has a “nice arm” and can make deep throws. “And he can run fast, so that can help a lot like if we ever had to scramble.”

The veteran wideout also touted Daniels’ throwing arm, saying, “He can get from one hash to the other side of the field.”

And Kendrick, Lassiter said, “knows the game a little bit more. He’s real smart.”

KU junior safety Kenny Logan Jr., meanwhile, declined to reveal any secrets about the QB contenders.

“All our quarterbacks right now are competing,” Logan said. “All of them are doing a great job.”

No matter how the competition plays out during practices in the coming weeks, Leipold said he trusts with his longtime coordinator, Andy Kotelnecki, running the offense and preparing the Jayhawks, the QBs will have a chance to be successful in 2021.

First, the coaches have to determine who is best for the job.

“We’re going to look for a guy that can make great decisions, put us in the right position to move the football,” Leipold said. “And we can’t turn the ball over.”