Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels said he “started to peek at” Lindenwood’s film months ago.
But even if Thursday night will be a particularly long-awaited return to the field for Daniels, after his last season ended prematurely in September due to a back injury, that specific bit of advance preparation is nothing new.
“If you want me to be honest,” he said, “I may have ended up looking ahead at the schedule even earlier than that before.”
For head coach Lance Leipold, though, there’s no denying the significance of Daniels’ opportunity to get back in action.
“This is one that probably means more in a lot of different ways, that he has a chance to come out,” Leipold said. “As we know, people get caught up in speculation and rumors and to see the young man stay who he is and true and work hard and persevere after everything, I know I’m going to feel really good watching him take that first snap.”
As much as that first snap — just after 7 p.m. Thursday at Children’s Mercy Park — will mean to Daniels, it also signifies the beginning of the end for about 30 of his senior teammates, many of whom worked alongside him to lift the program to its current status as a legitimate Big 12 contender.
“Yeah, every other year, our energy (has) gotten better, our skills and talents have gotten better,” wide receiver Lawrence Arnold said. “But it’s like this year specifically, with the seniors that we got, we all lead the team and we all bring energy in different forms and style and swagger to practice and being around each other. You can feel the energy from when we get on the bus to leave from here to go to the practice, or we’re in there activating, or anything like that.”
The team on the receiving end of KU’s opening burst of energy this season will be Lindenwood, which moved up to NCAA Division I two years ago and is playing its first-ever game against an FBS opponent.
“These matchups can be such that it’s a big opportunity for them,” Leipold said, “so we’ve got to make sure that whatever emotion or enthusiasm they have we can try to stymie that as early as possible.”
The Lions play in the Big South-OVC Football Association, in which they went 1-5 last year on their way to a 3-7 overall record.
Five Lions in all were named to the league’s official list of players to watch. Running back Robert Giaimo has played in just seven games over the last two seasons but averaged 88 yards per appearance in 2023; receiver Jeff Caldwell, who got mentioned first by Leipold in his weekly press conference, was Lindenwood’s lone first-team all-league pick last year after tallying 599 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore. Former Iowa Western, Iowa State and McNeese quarterback Nate Glantz is listed as the team’s starting quarterback on this week’s depth chart, and receiver Reece Thomas, who used to be a KU walk-on, figures to start as well.
“They’re going to try to get the ball out to the perimeter, use the athletes and go from there,” KU defensive end Jereme Robinson said.
The Lions’ top defensive players are lineman Kobe McClendon, who had the fourth-most sacks in a single season in program history last year with 6.5, and linebacker Ethan Stuhlsatz, who tallied a team-high 70 tackles.
“I feel like they have the ability to run a few different coverages,” Daniels said. “I feel like they do some stunts with their defensive front. Their D-line has the ability to be able to get into the backfield if you’re not 100% tuned in with the protection. That’s little things that we’re just going to have to be able to stay focused on this week.”
In keeping with that focus, KU has emphasized the usual mantra of concentrating on itself and its own preparation rather than the opponent.
“It’s more about what you do than what somebody’s going to try to do to you,” defensive coordinator Brian Borland said. “We just need to not make any assumptions about anybody, not take anything for granted.”
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels during the first day of fall camp on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Lawrence.
Kansas senior Lawrence Arnold runs through drills during the first day of spring practice at the practice field on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Lawrence.
No. 22 Kansas Jayhawks (0-0) vs. Lindenwood Lions (0-0)
• Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas, 7 p.m.
• Broadcast: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
• Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KKSW FM 105.9)
• Betting line: KU -44.5; over/under 58.5
• Series history: None
What to watch for
1. Captain Cornell: Three of KU’s captains are new, in Luke Grimm, Devin Neal and Cornell Wheeler, with Jalon Daniels the only repeat selection from last year. But the fact that Wheeler’s peers voted him to the esteemed role speaks highly of him as he enters his first season as a starter. Wheeler, who will serve as the Jayhawks’ top middle linebacker and handle KU’s in-helmet communication on defense, may not even have anticipated the honor, Borland said. But after waiting patiently for his turn to play significant time, he’ll be one of the players representing KU at midfield each game.
2. American football: It won’t be the first American football game played at Children’s Mercy Park, the soccer stadium, which hosted four editions of the NCAA Division II national championship in the mid-2010s. But it’ll be a new experience for practically everyone involved, particularly for the KU players who will begin their season in a stadium with far less capacity and far more intimacy. It’ll also be the first KU season opener in the Kansas City area since 1947.
3. Tabor’s time: KU had three kickers with a combined one field goal attempt (and zero made field goals) battle it out to serve as the starting placekicker this season, and Tabor Allen, who was already the team’s kickoff specialist, won out. Special teams reps are fairly similar from one opponent to the next, so Allen will have a chance to hit the ground running if he can connect on his first-ever kicks. Leipold has said he wants to see consistency and doesn’t intend for his kickers to have a short leash (although that happened from time to time last year with Seth Keller). Against Lindenwood, particularly if the Lions can keep KU out of the end zone, Allen will have a chance to show he was the right pick.
Spotlight on…
Bryce Cabeldue: In his final season of college football, after years at right tackle, the longtime starter has moved over to Daniels’ blind side, a switch the KU coaches engineered midway through fall camp. Cabeldue spoke at length during camp about how the move has required a complete reversal of much of the footwork to which he has become accustomed. As Daniels himself put it, “You don’t see me out here just throwing the ball left-handed, so I wouldn’t say it’s the easiest thing to do.” Lindenwood is far from the greatest challenge the Jayhawks’ offensive line will face in 2024, but as Daniels noted, the Lions can do some maneuvering with their defensive line. Even if KU’s blocking is solid throughout, Cabeldue’s footwork and general comfort level will be worth watching.
Inside the numbers
63.6: Daniels’ career completion percentage, which currently gives him the best all-time mark by a KU quarterback, narrowly surpassing Todd Reesing’s 63.3, and which he’ll have a chance to add to this season.
14: Years since KU started a season with a ranking in the AP poll, prior to securing the No. 22 spot this year.
8: Lindenwood’s ranking out of nine teams in July’s Big South-OVC preseason poll.
Prediction
KU wins 45-7. The Jayhawks didn’t get off to a particularly exemplary start last year against Missouri State, but this year, facing a lower-level FCS squad, should be different. As Arnold put it, the energy is simply different with KU’s high quantity of seniors. KU’s veterans will stave off any unease with some early scores and start the year strong.
— Avery Hamel contributed to this story.
Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World
Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World
Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World